Does saying you're better than a team you lost to foolish?

"We made mistakes, they are not better than us but they played better than us today." I'll be honest, I hate when players say this. Fact is, whether you're better or not has no significance if you lose the game. You can preach all you want about how much better you are. But if you fail to actually beat the team you claim you're better than, then why say anything after the fact?

Now that the Bengals failed miserably to take advantage of a playoff berth for the past two weeks, they are now forced to become Raider fans. But here's another scenario: if the Broncos lose and the Chiefs win, then the Bengals are in. Of course, none of that matters unless you beat the Steelers on Sunday. So take note: don't tell us you're a better team, prove it or we'll see you in August.

I don't rip the team because of their confidence. I too believe the Bengals coulda shoulda woulda. Overthrown touchdown passes, penalties during on-side kick attempts, fumbles by two Johnsons, Chris Henry's tremendous effort; you can make a list as to why the Bengals failure was amplified against the Broncos. But what I do is rip the team when they tell us that they're better but fail to show it. Paper champions are one thing. Winning football games is something completely different.

Bengals' bad luck was as evident as Broncos' good [Rocky Mountain News]
Bengals need win, help [Post]
Bengals now rooting for the lowly Raiders [DDN]
Bengals' dim hopes now rest with others [Baltimore Sun]
Who-dey have to cheer for? [Enquirer]
Why do we have to pull for the Raiders? [Enquirer]