Math doesn’t care about heroics. Joe Burrow is back, looking sharp, slinging touchdowns like his turf toe injury never happened. The Cincinnati Bengals crushed the Baltimore Ravens 32-14 in Week 13. The M&T Bank Stadium went wild. But the brutal truth is that it’s probably too late.

The Bengals are 4-8, twelve games deep into what seems like another lost season. This is the same record they held last year when they won five straight to finish 9-8 and still missed the playoffs. But mounting another five straight wins this year won’t be a walk in the park.

“Does Joe Burrow coming back change anything for the Bengals? But the Bengals have absolutely no margin for error,” ESPN’s Ben Baby captured the sentiment perfectly. “That will be tougher this season with games against Bu

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