What scares you?
There are a lot of things that scare me.
I have a healthy amount of fear for anything with more than four legs. The more legs, the more I’m afraid. Things with no legs, don’t like those either. I don’t like horror movies because I’m not great with jump scares, or gore, or scary atmospheres, or a scary story, or anything scary. And on top of that, I’m a parent and a husband and a son and brother and a friend, so that comes with a whole list of fears as I enter my early 40s that overshadow all others.
I wrote back in 2023, shortly after the Cincinnati Bengals lost to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game, that we were in the good old days, and we should enjoy it while it lasts.
I’m afraid I was wrong.
I’m afraid that, as time passes, we’ll see the current era of Bengals football, with Joe Burrow at the helm, wasted. I’m afraid we’ll watch the Brown/Blackburn family do to Burrow what they did to Carson Palmer.
So my big Bengals fear, at the current moment, is that 2021 and 2022 were the exception, not the rule. I’m afraid those two seasons are going to be a flash in an otherwise cold pan, and by the time everyone realizes it, the best that Burrow has to offer will be gone.
We all know Burrow has a chance to be the best quarterback in franchise history. We also know he can’t do it by himself. He’s getting paid what he deserves now, and Ja’Marr Chase will, too.
But they haven’t drafted well over the last few years, which is why their entire offensive line and the most productive players on defense are all free agents, were drafted by the Marvin Lewis administration (Sam Hubbard and Jessie Bates, before he left) or are linebackers.
Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt can’t do it all by themselves, and the only other productive members of the defense have been free agent signees. That’s about as sustainable as having an entire offensive line built in free agency.
That’s another way of saying it’s not.
So, yeah, as Halloween approaches, that’s my big Bengals fear. I’m afraid that all the little aesthetic changes we’ve seen, like the Ring of Honor and the new uniforms, are just lipstick on a pig, and the family at the head of the table hasn’t really changed as much as we thought.
Now, thoughts on the game:
- This was the team’s opportunity to show who they are. They were fresh off two road wins against inferior teams, and they had a shot to win their first game at home in a white-out, and, outside a couple of offensive drives, they showed nothing.
- The entire team’s soul seemed to collapse on Sunday. The defense just looked completely defeated, and the offense wasn’t much better.
- Evan McPherson is 50 percent from 50 yards or more. His missed field goal on Sunday turned into a touchdown for the Eagles. It was practically a turnover. McPherson has been a huge weapon in the past. I don’t know what has changed, but it needs to be fixed.
- There was no pressure on Jalen Hurts on Sunday. He sat in a clean pocket and found guys open downfield all day, and with receivers as talented as the Eagles’ group, it didn’t take long.
- Alex Cappa struggled badly on Sunday, giving up two sacks. When Orlando Brown Jr. left the game, Cody Ford looked pretty bad, too.
- Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase are the only two reliable wide receiver targets on the team. Mike Gesicki is the team’s third most reliable receiver, and he’s a tight end. Andrei Iosivas, Trenton Irwin, Charlie Jones, and Jermaine Burton haven’t been consistently reliable, and without Higgins, the offense struggles.
- The above statement is especially frustrating, considering the offense SHOULDN’T struggle with an elite quarterback and wide receiver duo. It shows a lack of imagination in play-calling. What are they going to do when Higgins is gone next year, or are they going to find a way to pay both him and Chase at the same time? Don’t make me laugh.
- The Bengals can’t run the ball, or they aren’t good at consistently running. They need to figure out how to be more balanced.
- Think of what this defense could be if they had kept Bates. On Sunday, he intercepted a pass, forced a fumble, broke up a pass, and made five tackles. The Falcons are saying he’s the best safety in the NFL. It was Bates who broke up the pass from Pat Mahomes in the AFC Championship game in 2022 before it dropped into Vonn Bell’s hands. The Bengals let him go and they had the money to keep him, and now they’re paying for it.
- Great teams beat everyone. Good teams beat who they’re supposed to beat and give great teams a run for their money. Mediocre teams beat bad teams and lose to good teams. Bad teams lose to everyone. Who are the Bengals? I’d say, at best, they’re an 8-9 or 9-8 team.
- I thought, at one time, a strength of Taylor’s coaching staff was making adjustments at halftime. Now I’m not sure.
—
If I were in charge, I’d probably pull the plug and start trading assets to build. Higgins might fetch a pretty penny, but with his injury history, who knows if they’d get what they want, which is likely a first-round pick.
I don’t think the Bengals can salvage anything meaningful from the wreckage of the 2024 season so far. I think the best they’ll do is stay relevant or “in the hunt” until late in the season, but all that will give us is more anxiety, false hope, and a pick somewhere in the ‘20s.
I hope they prove me wrong.
I would love to be wrong.
Relevant Song Lyrics:
All our times have come
Here but now they’re gone
Seasons don’t fear the reaper
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain
We can be like they are
