Turnovers are hurting Bengals more than any other team

While Cincinnati doesn’t lead the league in turnovers, they are getting hurt the most by them.

Turnovers are a major problem for the Cincinnati Bengals. In fact, they are hurting them more than any other team in the NFL.

While the Bengals do not lead the league in overall turnovers, they are getting hurt the most by them.

Cincinnati has 19 turnovers on the year, including 14 interceptions by star Joe Burrow. But there are still seven teams with more turnovers on the year. The real problem is that the Bengals are sacrificing the most expected points added (EPA) on account of their turnovers, as can be seen in the graph below.

Last week’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers was a microcosm of a larger problem. In the first quarter, right after Burrow found Tee Higgins for a 21-yard gain, the Bengals were getting in position to cut the Chargers’ lead to two.

Then, Burrow hit Ja’Marr Chase in stride for what should have been a touchdown. But the rookie receiver tipped the ball into the air, and it was intercepted by cornerback Michael Davis. Los Angeles would go on to score a touchdown. That, as many have pointed out, is a 14-point difference.

Then, early in the fourth quarter, with the Bengals clawing back to make it 24-22, Joe Mixon fumbled on 2nd and two, and the ball was returned 61 yards for a touchdown by Tevaughn Campbell. All of a sudden, it was a two-score game again, and Cincinnati would never recover.

What is causing these turnovers? Youth? Aggressiveness? Coaching? We discuss in our preview of the Bengals’ upcoming game against the San Francisco 49ers:

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