The Cincinnati Bengals made a case for being the NFL’s worst team with a blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys in week 14.
Another week, another embarrassing offensive performance for the Cincinnati Bengals. Zac Taylor’s squad showed signs of life out of the gate against the league’s worst defense, but three consecutive fumbles to begin the game dug a hole too deep for the club to climb out of.
Despite another notch in the loss column, backup quarterback Brandon Allen showed promising signs of development in his third start. After two weeks of shaky performances, the former Arkansas Razorback kept the offense churning, despite coming up with a bad ankle in the second half.
Of course, his stat line comes with a grain of salt. The Dallas Cowboys are dead last in stopping the run and they haven’t been much better at defending the pass either.
With contests against the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburg Steelers on the horizon, fans will get a better idea of how much Allen has truly developed. Not to mention, they’ll get to see if he can improve on third and fourth downs, an aspect he struggled in even this week.
While Allen is trending positively, the man at the helm of the Bengals can’t say the same for himself. Taylor was only able to generate a measly seven points against a historically bad defense. Over the past four weeks, his offense is averaging only 10 points per game. For a coach that was marketed to the fanbase as an offensive guru, it’s simply been an unacceptable showing.
Bengals all but guarantee a top-three selection
With things spiraling downward in the Queen City, most of WhoDey Nation has turned their attention to the draft, and it’s hard to blame them. With a loss to the Cowboys, the Bengals tightened their grip on a top-three selection in the upcoming draft.
Quarterbacks Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence are widely expected to go to the current owners of the first and second overall selections, leaving Cincinnati in a position to draft the top offensive tackle prospect, Penei Sewell.
However, it is becoming increasingly clear that the franchise that calls Paul Brown Stadium home will need much more than the talented prospect from Oregon to become competitive in the AFC North and beyond. Simply put, they need all of their injured players to return better than ever, a free agency haul, and a near-perfect draft class.
As the Bengals attempt to reach the finish line of the season, the gear up to face against a single loss Pittsburg Steelers squad in prime time.