Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow didn’t hold back after their Week 13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Asked how the Bengals need to change AFC North play after another division loss, Burrow said: “We need to change a lot of things this year. We weren’t good enough to win games.”

More of a general answer, but it was the start of a trend during the press conference. The Bengals are 11-23 in the division under Zac Taylor, so that’s definitely true.

But it didn’t stop there.

When asked about his view on the rest of the season, Burrow also sent a message to the locker room: “We’re going to learn a lot about who we have in the locker room, which guys we can count on in the future and which guys. “We can’t. I think the next five weeks will say a lot about who we can count on and who we can’t.”

That’s a huge statement, and you can just feel the meaning behind it, as it applies not just to this season, but to 2025 and beyond.

And what if Burrow was willing to speak out and demand change? Burrow said he tries to “express his opinion in a way that you feel will be best received” and that the players who have come through “by the way we “The people who dealt with it will be remembered.”

Of course, none of this should be viewed as Burrow giving up this season. But there’s already a sense of evaluation for 2025. And given the disparity between his MVP-level play and the offense compared to the struggling defense, that only makes sense.

From now on, massive changes are inevitable. Who will stick around and why will depend on how the next month unfolds around Burrow and the cornerstones of the franchise.

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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Joe Burrow just notified the Bengals after their latest loss