Bengals fans in shambles after losing 16-10 to Patriots - "Fire everyone," "Embarrassing"

The Bengals would have thought their luck was about to change when they got the Patriots to open their 2024 NFL season. After having missed the playoffs last year with Joe Burrow injured, they were taking on a team that is in flux, to put it mildly.

New England was starting with two new quarterbacks on the depth chart, and had a new head coach replacing the legendary Bill Belichick after more than two decades. They were there for the picking but Cincinnati fumbled badly. They lost 16-10. Joe Burrow had just 164 yards of passing offense and no touchdowns, ending with an 86.0 passer rating.

Fans were frustrated by the whole performance and took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to lambast the Bengals. Here are some of the responses.

The Bengals were overwhelming favorites coming into this game given the circumstances and many were devastated by the loss. Here are some more reactions.

"I can’t with this team anymore. Such a let down."

"Just because we always start behind means we should start seasons from behind"

"I just smashed my tv in front of my house party of 30 guests. I’ve been a loyal fan for over 25 years. This is the most humiliating loss I have ever seen and I am in shambles. My kids are crying. My dog is cowering in the corner. My wife is screaming at me. My life is over. Goodbye."

Bengals' Dan Pitcher under pressure straightaway after Patriots loss

The Bengals have been notoriously slow to get going over the past few seasons but this might have been a new low for them. They were 7.5-point favorites against the Patriots and had Joe Burrow, now the second-highest-paid quarterback after Dak Prescott, and Ja'Marr Chase, who is one of the best wide receivers in the league.

This loss heaps the pressure on Dan Pitcher, who became the offensive coordinator this season. He is succeeding Brian Callahan, who is now the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, who took the Cincinnati offense to new heights including one Super Bowl appearance. Even though Callahan had some bad losses to begin seasons, there were excuses like Joe Burrow not being fully fit. This time there was no reason that Pitcher could fall back on.

Luckily for the new coordinator, though, the Titans also lost their opening game. But if he keeps losing winnable matches like this, the pressure will only get overwhelming.