Unfortunately, there aren’t any more words left to describe the Cincinnati Bengals’ performance against the Chicago Bears.
Bengals fans are, again, numb after another gut-wrenching loss, this one being a 47-42 defeat.
Weirdly enough, we’re deep enough into the season where everyone knows this is the team. There are no more “it was just a bad game,” or “one bad week,” or whatever other excuse fans can come up with.
This is the defense’s identity. This is now back-to-back games in which this defense has allowed the opposing team 500+ total offensive yards, an extremely embarrassing stat.
As a team, as fans, as a city — however you want to group everyone —I hope you’re embarrassed.
This is the point where, unfortunately, teammates begin to see the obvious and become upset, and I fully support it. I will fully support being a good teammate and being a “family man,” but if it’s not reciprocated, then the receiving party doesn’t deserve it.
If I support you week after week, and you continually let me down, you will lose my support. That is 100% what is happening in Cincinnati at this very moment. Not only are Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins still showing up, but Joe Flacco is as well. Joe Flacco has been with the team for approximately a month, and he has already thrown for over 1,200 yards, including 470 yards!
Both Chase and Higgins had over 100 each, and a couple of touchdowns for Higgins. Chase Brown had another solid game with 100+ total yards, and Iosivas had 66 yards and narrowly missed a touchdown.
I, along with most, if not all, Bengals fans, have never seen a worse defense. But I’ll try not to speak for anyone else.
I am here to fully admit I was wrong at the beginning of the year. I, unfortunately, predicted with my heart again rather than my brain. My original prediction was that this defense would finish the season as a top-10 defense.
Hell, I even said three weeks ago this year’s defense was better than last year’s. Do you remember what we said about last year’s defense? I don’t think you wanted to be reminded. They are officially dead last (32nd) in rush defense and not much better in pass defense (31st).
They allowed a rookie running back (making his first start on Sunday) to have 176 yards. The Bengals gave Kyle Monangai a little bit of false hope, thinking running the ball in the NFL is just as easy as in college.
In reality, the Bengals’ defense made it seem more like high school.
Not only did Monangai have a career game, but tight end Colston Loveland had a career game with 118 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Prior to Sunday’s game, his best game was 38 yards. We’re not stopping there either. Caleb Williams turned into a receiver, catching two passes for 22 yards, but also throwing for 280 yards and three touchdowns.
After telling ourselves, week after week since Week 2, that they would get them next week or that it was just a bad game, this kind of performance is now standard and normal. Don’t get me wrong, I was still excited when Iosivas caught his touchdown pass from Flacco with less than a minute to go to take the lead, but I already knew they gave the Bears too much time.
Not too much time to have a chance to score, but too much time to score. After watching this defense, it’s not a question of if the other team is going to score, but how quickly they will score.
At this point, we’re allowed to throw blame at pretty much everyone besides the quarterback and receivers.
In my opinion, here’s who deserves the most heat for the Bengals’ failures.
- Duke Tobin – Director of Player Personnel (de facto GM)
- Katie Blackburn – Executive Vice President
- Mike Brown – Team Owner
- Zac Taylor – Head Coach
- Al Golden – Defensive Coordinator
Duke and Katie have clearly proven they can’t judge talent after selecting dud after dud in the draft. Zac has shown that a high schooler can predict his play-calling, and he can’t manage a football game strategically at all. I had hope for Golden, and I still have a little bit simply because he didn’t choose most of these players, but you still have to be able to teach fundamental skills that this team does not know or understand.
I never want to be the fan who says the season is over, but unless there is a magical fairy somewhere who can sprinkle ultra-magic dust on this defense, they will not allow this team to win another game.
So, who do you believe deserves the most blame for the Bengals’ failures this season? Let us know in the comments section!
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