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The Bengals hit some new lows this week. That isn’t surprising after being left as one of the last two teams yet to win a game.
These aren’t for the feint of heart, as you’d imagine. The national media loves to pile onto bad teams, which the Bengals honestly can’t complain about at this point. If you don’t win games, and you don’t look particularly competitive then you deserve criticism.
One thing that should be noted is that the idea Cincinnati should/could part ways with Zac Taylor as their head coach during this season or even this offseason is silly. We just watched Marvin Lewis fumble around for three years, and this roster had too many holes to start the season. He will have his shot at the rebuild, and it looks like he will be aided by a top pick at this rate.
As expected, the line has struggled this season. With three new starters on the line and left tackle Cordy Glenn out indefinitely, it has been a long six games. The Bengals are fifth in the league in yards allowed, 29th in pass block win rate (according to ESPN Stats & Information) and are 30th in rushing. The line’s problems are a major reason for the offense’s overall lack of production under new coach Zac Taylor.
How about this stat to perfectly explain their league-worst 0-6 record — Cincinnati is getting outrushed by 128 yards a week.
Washington Post: 31 (Last week 30)
The Bengals are somehow managing to keep the pressure on the Dolphins in the race to the bottom of the league.
At 0-6, their season is officially over. They have too many injuries impacting the offense right now.
Yahoo Sports: 31 (Last week 29)
I thought the most fluky result of Week 1 (we see one every season that makes no sense by midseason) would be the Titans blowing out the Browns. With the Browns being bad, the weirdest Week 1 result might be the Bengals outplaying and almost winning at Seattle. How did that happen?
Bleacher Report: 31 (Last week 30)
The Cincinnati Bengals have bottomed out. By virtue of Sunday’s six-point loss in Baltimore, the Bengals now sit at 0-6. Facing a Ravens team that entered Week 6 allowing the second-most yards per play (6.7) in the NFL, the Bengals averaged just 4.5. Cincinnati’s offense was offensive all the way around. Quarterback Andy Dalton? 235 passing yards, an interception and a passer rating of 61.4. Tailback Joe Mixon? Eight carries for 10 yards. Wide receiver Tyler Boyd? Three catches on seven targets for 10 yards. All this with a first-year head coach in Zac Taylor who is supposed to be a keen offensive mind. The Bengals are an absolute mess. The offense can’t move the ball with any consistency. The defense (which allowed 497 yards to the Ravens) is every bit as bad as last year’s squad that ranked last in the NFL. Taylor’s tenure at the helm in Cincy may be a short one.
The standings aren’t a surprise anymore. The Bengals are one of two teams that have yet to win a game through six weeks, but they also are the only 0-6 team as the Dolphins have already had their bye week.
Any ounce of optimism for this season is long gone. The best thing fans can ask for is for the team to win just a couple of games that doesn’t lose them the first overall pick. A result that would make everyone happy. Well, happy is a relative term for a season that ended after six weeks.