Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow sat at his locker for a few minutes, arms folded, one leg crossed over the other, thinking about what happened on Sunday when they lost to the Baltimore Ravens 41-38 in overtime.

For most of the day, the Bengals were in the lead and it looked like they were going to start the AFC North season with a win—their second in a row. But on several occasions, Cincinnati saw that lead slip away before the Ravens eventually sealed the deal with Justin Tucker's 24-yard field goal.

As Burrow reflected on the outcome, one thing was evident: After losing for the fourth time in five games to start the season, Burrow said it was frustrating that a team that started the year with title aspirations is nowhere close.

"We're not a championship-level team right now," Burrow said. "We're not. I like to think that we'll come back and improve throughout the season to get to that point, but right now we are not and we have to get better."

It looked like the offense had already done all it could after another productive outing. Cincinnati scored 30 points for the third game in a row. Burrow threw for a career-high five touchdowns on 30-of-39 passing, but he also threw a costly interception in the fourth quarter. Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase had 10 catches, covering 193 yards and scoring two touchdowns.

After the win, Ravens' Jackson was pretty mad about the fumble. But it wasn't enough. The defense let in more than 38 points for the second game in a row. After Cincinnati was up 38-28 with 8:54 left in regulation, the Ravens scored 13 unanswered points.

For Chase, that made the disappointment he felt after Sunday's loss even worse.

"I think that's what's causing us to be mad, for the most part," Chase said at his locker after the game. "Just putting up 30 points and losing right there.

"That's what we want to do as an offense -- put up 30 points and take over the game. Put the ball in our hands last drive and take over. That's what we want, and we didn't do it."

Chase and fellow wide receiver Tee Higgins were disappointed by the lack of aggression during the unusual overtime period. Baltimore won the coin toss to start the extra period and was driving down the field for a potential game-winning touchdown. However, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson fumbled a snap while in the shotgun position, and Cincinnati linebacker Germaine Pratt recovered the ball and took it to Baltimore's 38-yard line.

Cincinnati ran the ball on three straight plays to set up a field goal attempt for kicker Evan McPherson. Since he was drafted in 2021, McPherson has successfully kicked nine game-tying or go-ahead field goals in the last two minutes of regulation or in overtime, according to ESPN Research. But a bad hold by rookie punter Ryan Rehkow contributed to the 53-yarder that missed to the left.

When we asked Zac Taylor about the conservative approach on that drive, he said he didn't want to risk a sack or holding penalty in that situation. He said that there was a pass called on that series of plays, but that Burrow did a good job of checking into a run play that was more favorable given the defensive look.

"When you're in field goal range and you believe in your kicker, it really is as simple as that," Taylor said.

Instead of two back-to-back victories, the Bengals are now trying to beat the odds to make it to the postseason. ESPN Research found that only 5.6% of teams that started the year with a 1-4 record have made it to the postseason since 1966. The 2020 Washington Commanders were the most recent team to do so. Burrow said there were no illusions about where the Bengals find themselves after their fourth loss of the year by just a combined 15 points.

"I know exactly how we are 1-4," Burrow said. "We're not making plays at the end of the game to go and win it. Definitely not in disbelief. I know exactly what's happening."

Even though Burrow said after the game that the team isn't championship material, Taylor still believes in them. Cincinnati made it to the Super Bowl in 2021, where they lost to the Rams. They also made it to the AFC Championship Game the following year, but lost to the Chiefs in a rematch.

Taylor said there's still a lot of confidence that the team can bounce back, despite what happened on Sunday against Baltimore.

"People can write us off if they really want to," Taylor said. "I'm not dumb enough to do that."