Show up or else.
There is nothing left to play for.
The Cincinnati Bengals are 4-8 and, for all intents and purposes, out of the playoff hunt. So it’s time to pack it in, right?
Wrong.
“The playoffs are probably out of reach,” quarterback Joe Burrow said recently. “But these reps are very valuable to prove you can be counted on going forward.”
Don’t expect this team, or any other team for that matter, to tank the rest of the season in order to get a higher draft position.
It is in the very nature of a professional athlete to be dominated and fueled by an incredibly competitive edge. It is that edge that allows them not only to survive but to thrive under the pressure of the NFL.
Most players treat each and every game as a reflection of their legacy. At the very least, they are playing for their jobs. At best, they’re playing for a reputation of greatness. Neither of these pursuits allows any room for tanking.
Big things were expected of the Bengals this year, and yet here we are. But there is still a lot of season left to play, and plenty of time for guys to show what they are made of.
“We’ll learn a lot about who we have in the locker room, the guys we can count on going forward and guys that we can’t,” Burrow said after the team’s latest loss to the Steelers. “I think the next five weeks are going to say a lot about who we can count on and who we can’t.”
Because the implication from the team’s leader is clear: Play hard or go home.
