The Cincinnati Bengals had a massive win in Week 7 over the Ravens and they rode that high all week long. The New York Jets didn’t seem like much of a threat, especially not to a team that absolutely smoked the Ravens just seven days prior.
Well, as we all witnessed on Sunday, anything can happen in the NFL, including a red-hot Bengals team losing to a not-so-hot Jets team.
Not only did the Jets win this game, but they did it with their backup quarterback leading the way and totaled over 500 yards of offense in the process. The Bengals defense had no answer for Mike White, Michael Carter, or any of the Jets’ offensive weapons. It was frustrating, to say the least.
While the loss is beyond embarrassing, the Bengals are still in a good position moving forward but they can’t let this loss define the rest of their 2021 campaign.
What I mean by that is that the Bengals can’t crumble. They have the Browns on the schedule next week and then a Week 10 BYE, which is much-needed at this point. There’s a massive difference between being 6-3 at the BYE and sitting at 5-4. The Bengals have to take care of business against Cleveland now, even more so than before.
The loss to the Jets sucked, but the Cincinnati Bengals have to move past it.
Teams lose in the NFL all the time. It’s nearly impossible to go undefeated throughout an entire season and losses are bound to happen. The important thing, however, is how teams bounce back after suffering a loss and not just a loss but a humiliating one.
If the Bengals flounder against Cleveland next weekend, fans will certainly start to get anxious. If, however, the guys learn from this loss and look like the team we were just talking about before the loss to the Jets, then we’ll know they can learn from adversity and become a better team when obstacles come their way.
People have short-term memories in the NFL so beating the Browns next weekend would put the Bengals on people’s “positive” lists again entering their Week 10 BYE. They’ll have to deal with some well-earned criticism after the spanking they took from the Jets but that’s how teams grow together.
The Bengals have to learn from this loss or else their chances of being a contender will take a serious hit.