Decisions have consequences. We are now seeing in full display how crucial decisions made in the offseason have affected the team.

1. Bengals decide to not have a legitimate backup QB. The leadership team felt like having Joe by himself was better then throwing a few $$$ out and getting a quality backup. Dobbs, Darnold, Minshew, Winston or Rush would have given the Bengals an opportunity to sit Burrow early and maybe get him healthy earlier. Instead, the team played an injued Burrow.

2. Safety became an unimportant position. The Bengals let a strength become a weakness over money. Result, we have one of the worst safeties (if not the worst) Nick Scott 38 PFF while Atlanta has our Bates 89.9 PFF playing like a superstar. Even Bell is double Scott's production. Self inflicted wound. How many times can a marginal WR group in the Texans have multiple guys running wide open?

3. Tight Ends are by far the worst position group on the team. Wow, they had one good week. Watching Burrow make a seam throw to Drew Sample, and watching Sample turn that into an interception just hammered home the ignorance of the decision. Hurst would have made that catch. Sample has never been able to run a seam route...EVER. The Bengals let TE after TE go off the board in the draft, didn't trade for one at the deadline and thus end up with disaster.

4. The non extension of Tee Higgins. Tee is playing for his next contract. Anyone with a brain would. This staff learned nothing for the Bates debacle. If you aren't going to extend a player, turn him into controllable assets. It's really that simple. The entire gameplan is a disaster now if Chase and Tee aren't both playing. Why...see point number 3. Tee is not playing because maybe he's hurt or maybe he doesn't have his financial security to play hurt.

This team was on the upswing because of great decisions and drafting. That's been reversed in the last 2 years. It's a shame.