In the NFL, talent wins football games. For the 0-8 Cincinnati Bengals, a lack of talent was evident not just Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, but also in the previous seven weeks.
In Week 8, the Cincinnati Bengals hung in, at least for a little while, against the Los Angeles Rams. When the first half came to an end in London, Zac Taylor and his team were trailing by only a touchdown, and the idea that Cincinnati might be able to upset his former boss echoed on social media.
And then played the second half.
The Bengals would head home for a much-needed bye week at 0-8 after the 24-10 loss to the Rams. Add to that the timing of the NFL Trade Deadline, a deadline the brain-trust in Cincinnati has said they won’t be participating in, and you have a team rudderless and borderline criminal to its fan base.
It’s not complicated. From a baseline of talent, the Bengals simply don’t stack up. While some fans will point to Week 1 against the Seahawks and Sunday against the Rams as games Cincinnati performed well in, a loss is a loss, and at 0-8, moral victories are an absolute sham in the NFL.
The funny this is, this will be an argument used by those who want to deflect from a completely dysfunctional organization who see pieces like A.J. Green, Andy Dalton, Carlos Dunlap, or even Joe Mixon as building blocks for a team that has already collapsed. At 0-8, things aren’t and won’t get better, at least not much. It’s the eye test, and in London, the eye test said the other teams had better personnel, plain and simple.
In Week 8, the Bengals didn’t have the requisite talent to win. They haven’t for eight weeks. They may not for the next eight games. Additionally, ownership continues to stick it to a fan base who sees through the charade of standing pat and doing nothing, believing fans will accept an inferior product.
The Bengals enter a bye week where changes of the larger variety are needed to right this ship. Based on what the league is hearing, that may not happen, which means the team who is still looking for a first win has not found the necessary smarts to change course. Which is why the second half of the season may not get any better.