Bengals Week 8 opponent not afraid to take risks when winning is concerned
By Steve Rivera
The Los Angeles Rams are not afraid to roll the dice on personnel moves, especially if they might help the franchise win. It’s a business model not used for the Cincinnati Bengals, where losing is the only model fans know.
The Cincinnati Bengals arrive at Week 8 for a game against the Los Angeles Rams. While in London, they will get an up-close and personal look at a franchise that embraces risks when it comes to building a team. Since the arrival of Sean McVay, Los hasn’t been afraid of free agency or trading for players.
Meanwhile, for Cincinnati, the Bengals have an excellent opportunity before them. The kind of opportunity that an 0-7 team, on the verge of being 0-8, seldom have. They can make a trade or two that would bring back valuable picks, helping to restock the shelves of a franchise running on empty.
Wide receiver A.J. Green remains a hot property a team in contention would love to have. While it’s unsure or unlikely Green would yield a first-round pick, he’s still a player with the kind of value that Cincinnati could desperately use for a trade.
Other names are rumored too. Carlos Dunlap, Tyler Eifert, and even quarterback Andy Dalton have all had their respective names floated. However, it’s also been reported that the Bengals aren’t likely to move anyone. Does that thought process change at all leading up to Week 8 and the Rams? It should, but then again these are the Bengals.
On Sunday, Cincinnati fans will see what it’s like to watch a team that knows that the NFL is all about risk and reward. Most recently, Los Angeles acquired Jalen Ramsey and traded away Marcus Peters, all in an effort to win. The past two seasons have been all about winning for the Rams, including a trip to the Super Bowl last season.
Two years ago, LA wasn’t afraid to sign players like Ndamukong Suh, Peters, Aqib Talib, and Brandin Cooks, all in an effort to win. Granted Suh and Peters are no longer with the team, but that is secondary to the fact that the Rams business model is about winning. Something the Bengals day to day business plan is not.
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Odds are high that Cincinnati losses its eighth straight game to begin the 2019 season when they play the Rams on Sunday. It will also show one fan base that it’s all about winning, and another that it’s all about the comfortable nature of losing.