So, the Bengals dominated the Bears for most of the first three quarters, before it all went to hell through a combination of individual screw-ups and substitution issues.
Our offense marched down the field at will (before being good sportsmen and handing the ball over to the other team so they'd have a chance to play), and our defense eliminated the Bears' run game and stopped everyone (not named Brandon Marshall) for the majority of the game. It was a good game, a well played game, where the win really came down to one side being less in control of their energy/excitement for the first game of the year. Sadly, that side happened to be us.
Meanwhile, several hundred miles away, a silly team named the Jets won their game by being slightly less bad than the embarrassing Bucs, winning only after being handed a gift-wrapped field goal opportunity by a bone-headed personal foul on the last play of the game.
So my question for you is this: Would you rather be the Bengals, who played well enough against a probable playoff team to nearly overcome a three turnover differential? Or would you rather be the Jets, who eeked out a win but will probably not win more than a handful of games going forward?
Because people are acting like we're as doomed as the lowly Jags who only managed a Safety, or the Steelers, who lost about 52 players for the season in a single game.
The sky is bright, kids, and the clouds are lined with silver. Look up.