The Bengals have reached the Dave Shula level of ineptitude

The Cincinnati Bengals kicked off the season with a promising 21-20 road loss to the Seattle Seahawks, a game that came down to a potential game-winning drive from then-starter Andy Dalton.

Since then, this team has hit rock bottom and should easily be considered the league’s worst team. They’re the last winless team in the NFL

With a 17-10 loss against the Raiders this past Sunday, the Bengals have dropped to 0-10. Sadly, rookie head coach Zac Taylor will have his first season remembered for all the wrong reasons.

The 10 straight losses ties Dave Shula for the worst in team history. With the Steelers coming to town next week, another loss would make Zac Taylor the sole holder of the coach with the worst start to a season in Bengals history.

Shula, back in 1993 when the NFL gave team’s two bye weeks, didn’t win his first game till Week 13, a 16-10 victory over the Los Angeles Raiders.

That said, given all the drama in the Queen City, it’s difficult to point your finger at just one person or unit. The defense has shown promise yet at the same time has had trouble getting off the field. Tackling has also been an issue for Cincinnati’s defense.

Overall, the root cause of Cincinnati’s problems on the other side of the ball can almost solely be attributed to the team’s offensive line.

Dalton is a capable quarterback, Mixon is a Pro-Bowl caliber running back and the receiving core, while not great, is far from the reason for the disappointing start. Injuries have hurt, but this team lost the battle in free agency.

However you want to spin it, this will be put on Taylor, and since it’s unlikely he’s given the same leash that Marvin Lewis had, he must start to produce or fear being on the hot seat this offseason.