How long for offense to be fixed?

The Bengals’ offense is close, the coaches and quarterback keep saying.

How much more time does it need to get going? Because the Bengals could be on the verge of unraveling if things aren't fixed soon.

The defending AFC champion Bengals (2-3) are one of the NFL’s biggest underachieving teams entering Sunday’s game at New Orleans.

What happens if quarterback Joe Burrow continues to struggle, coach Zac Taylor makes more head-scratching play calls and Cincinnati loses again?

The fanbase is already restless, undoubtedly fearing the decades of mediocrity leading up to last season’s Super Bowl run aren’t far enough in the rearview mirror. The expectations are sky-high for an offense that returned every key figure from the Super Bowl team.

But the Bengals rank next-to-last in the NFL in yards-per-play (4.81). They are averaging nearly a touchdown less per game than they did in the 2021regular season.

The toughest part of the schedule is yet to come. The pressure is mounting inside the locker room, and it seems frustration is starting to boil just underneath the surface among some players.

There have been signs of mounting tension in the past week.

The most obvious was the intense conversation that Taylor and right tackle La’el Collins had on the sideline after a series of bone-headed play calls cost the Bengals a touchdown late in the third quarter of Sunday’s loss in Baltimore.

On Monday, a reporter asked wide receiver Tyler Boyd if he was surprised the Bengals ran the gimmick plays instead of handing the ball to Joe Mixon in the goal-line situation.

“Absolutely,” Boyd said, according to The Athletic’s Jay Morrison.

Boyd, considered one of the NFL’s top slot receivers, isn’t getting the ball much.

Some around the team are wondering if he’ll be more outspoken if he doesn’t start being targeted more and the Bengals keep losing.

Taylor made a point in his Wednesday press conference to give Boyd a vote of confidence and emphasize the coaches are mindful of getting the ball to the seventh-year pro.

You have to wonder whether Mixon will start outwardly showing frustration if he’s running effectively and

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