By Del Duduit

CINCINNATI — On the way up to the media box before the game on Monday night, everyone was saying the same thing.

Charlie, the elevator operator, said, “Ain’t no way Joe Burrow will let the Bengals start 0-3. Ain’t no way.”

Sandy, a cook in the media dining room reiterated that to me, “Joe won’t let us be 0-3 — there’s no way. Tonight will be a big win.”

That was the overall sentiment.

The determination in their voices convinced me that a big Bengals victory was a few hours away.

They Orange and Black were due for a breakout game — and the first ‘W’ of the young season.

After all, Cincinnati showed signs of life in Week 2 in Kansas City — and played good enough to defeat the back-to-back Super Bowl champs.

That performance was a complete turnaround from the Week 1 debacle against New England.

But you know … those fans and employees which told me that Burrow was NOT going to let the Bengals start 0-3 didn’t play one single down on Monday Night Football.

They were full of hope.

But reality came crashing down.

But not many at Paycor Stadium counted on a Rookie-of-the-Year performance by Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels.

The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft was almost perfect.

He threw for two touchdowns and ran for another.

Daniels was 21 of 23 from the air for 254 yards, and set an NFL rookie record for completion percentage at 91.3-percent.

“He’s a real cool customer,” Washington head coach Dan Quinn said about Daniels. “He’s got a real poise about him.”

On Monday night, neither Cincinnati nor the Commanders punted the ball or turned the ball over.

That has not happened since 1940.

The winless Bengals (0-3) are stunned and have no answers right now.

They are confused and irritated.

“That was a tough one,” Burrow said after the game. “We just didn’t get the win.”

A big key was the Bengals’ lousy defense.

Washington scored on EVERY possession, and Daniels had enough time in the pocket to have a cup of coffee and shave before throwing the ball.

“Frustrating,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “We didn’t envision ourselves in this spot and here we are. We’ve got to take accountability in all areas. I knew that was going to be a difficult football team. I saw what they did on offense last week. They scored on every possession last week and they scored on every possession this week. I knew this was a dangerous team and they were ready for us, and they made more plays than we did today.”

Taylor admitted the Commanders were ready for the Bengals.

Why wasn’t Cincinnati ready to play Washington?

Who’s responsibility is that?

Over the past few seasons, the Bengals toss aside their big-play potential to play at the level of their competition.

When they play a team they should win, they sink to that level and lose.

When they face off against a powerhouse, the Bengals rise to the occasion.

But the cold reality in the AFC North now is:

The Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-0.

The Baltimore Ravens are 1-2.

The Cleveland Browns are 1-2.

The Cincinnati Bengals are 0-3.

“We’ve got to get stops,” Taylor said. “We never really put (Washington) in a third-and-long situation. When they can dictate the tempo, which they did, and they kept themselves in manageable situations. I thought their quarterback played great.”

And Burrow didn’t play bad.

He threw for 324 yards and completed 29 of 38 passes with three touchdowns, including two long balls for scores to Ja’Marr Chase, who finished the game with 118 yards receiving on six receptions with two touchdowns.

Immediately after the game, Burrow and Taylor ducked into a side office together — instead of the lockerroom — for a brief time.

“It was just a private conversation with Zac,” Burrow said.

At 0-3, what’s next?

Last year, the season was a wash because Burrow was plagued with nagging injuries.

What’s wrong this year?

“We just have to come back to work on Wednesday and come in tomorrow and watch the tape,” Burrow said. “Improve the things that we can improve. Come back on Wednesday and have a great practice. We are not where we want to be.”

The common denominators the past three games were not taking advantage of situations and playing with no sense of urgency.

“Whatever we have to do to get better this week and come back on Sunday and execute in spots and get better in spots that we need to,” Burrow added. “We just stalled out in some drives in the first half and that’s what it came down to.”

A few days ago, the Cincinnati Reds parted ways with skipper David Bell with five games left in a season filled with disappointment.

The Reds’ brass said Bell underperformed.

Since the Bengals’ glorious run to Super Bowl LVI, the team has struggled — and failed to live up to expectations.

Is Taylor the problem?

Will the Bengals brass follow what the Reds did?

Probably not.

But should they?

There is tension in the lockerroom, and a sense of desperation has taken over and replaced a feeling of togetherness.

The mood in the lockerroom the past three weeks has been somber.

Can they refocus?

“There will be some big games down the stretch that we are going to have to step up for,” Burrow said. “We haven’t played any divisional opponents yet. We are by no means out of it. But playoffs and winning the division are the furthest thing from my mind right now. We just have to get better this week.”

The Bengals travel to Charlotte in Week 4 to take on the Carolina Panthers (1-2), which knocked off the Las Vegas Raiders 36-22 last week — behind a stellar performance by former Bengal QB Andy Dalton.

Dalton — relegated to a backup role in Carolina — replaced the No. 1 overall pick last year Bryce Young, and threw for 319 yards with three touchdowns.

He looked good and the Panthers have momentum.

The Bengals have confusion.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase (1) and Andrei Iosivas (80)

Like I’ve said the past two weeks in this early 2024 season — this is a must-win for Cincinnati — but it still may be too late.