Bengals running out of time to save season, discover missing finishing touch

Ailing offense leaves Bengals in precarious playoff position

The Cincinnati Bengals' playoff hopes are hanging by a thread after a dispiriting loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The Bengals, who entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations, are now 5-7 and in danger of missing the postseason for the fourth time in five years.

Offensive struggles continue to haunt Bengals

The Bengals' offense, which was supposed to be one of the most explosive in the NFL, has been a major disappointment this season. The Bengals are averaging just 18.9 points per game, which ranks 27th in the league. Quarterback Joe Burrow has struggled to find his rhythm, and the running game has been unable to provide much support.

Lack of finishing touch is killing Bengals

One of the biggest problems for the Bengals this season has been their inability to finish drives. The Bengals have been in the red zone 32 times this season, but they have only scored touchdowns on 17 of those drives (53.1%). That's the worst red zone touchdown percentage in the NFL.

Bengals need to find answers quickly

The Bengals have just six games remaining in the regular season, and they need to find a way to turn things around quickly. If they don't, they will likely miss the playoffs for the fourth time in five years.

What the Bengals need to do to save their season

Here are a few things the Bengals need to do to save their season:

• Get the offense going: The Bengals need to find a way to get their offense going. That means getting the ball to their playmakers and putting them in a position to succeed.
• Finish drives: The Bengals need to do a better job of finishing drives. They need to be more efficient in the red zone and find ways to score touchdowns instead of field goals.
• Play better defense: The Bengals' defense has been solid this season, but they need to play even better down the stretch. They need to force turnovers and get off the field on third down.

Bengals' playoff hopes still alive, but time is running out

The Bengals' playoff hopes are still alive, but they are running out of time. The Bengals need to find a way to turn things around quickly if they want to make the postseason.