Cincinnati Bengals Eyeing Another Bye-Week Bump Heading Into ’11-Game Gauntlet’

In Week 4 last year, the Cincinnati Bengals had a satisfying mini-bye Sunday after their Thursday night win against the Miami Dolphins, waking up in last place in the AFC North and going to bed tied for first after each of the other three teams in the division blew fourth-quarter leads and lost.

But things didn’t go as well for the Bengals on their Week 7 bye Sunday, as they were the only team that lost anything — losing ground in the standings as Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland all won.

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Can the Bengals Replicate Last Year’s Post-Bye Win Streak?

Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor shrugged off the scoreboard-watching portion of his off day.

“Everybody in the AFC is on our schedule at this point,” he said. “We just have to focus on San Francisco. That’s the message you give to our guys. If we control what we can control, starting with San Fran, then taking it one game at a time after that, everything you want is in front of you. So you don’t need to worry about what everybody else is doing. I think that’s the simplest message that is true, especially at this earliest part of the season.”

The bye has served the Bengals well the last couple of years, regardless of how the other teams in the division have performed.

In 2021, the Bengals went into their bye week with a record of 5-4 after back-to-back losses to the Jets and Browns.

They came out of it with a 32-13 win at Las Vegas and a 41-10 curb stomping of Pittsburgh, setting the tone for their run to Super Bowl LVI.

MORE: Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart

Last year, they also were 5-4 at the bye, although a little less salty after erasing the bad taste from a 32-13 loss on Halloween at Cleveland with a 42-21 rout of Carolina leading into the off-week. Coming out of the bye, the Bengals went to Pittsburgh and won 37-30, one point shy of the most points they have ever scored against the Steelers on the road.

Taylor said he couldn’t think of a common theme between those two post-bye wins or where the team currently sits other than the character of the men in the locker room.

“It does feel separate,” he said. “I don’t look back at those two games necessarily. I couldn’t even have told you, to be honest with you, who we played last year coming out of the bye. I think it’s the character of our team.”

“They get a week off, they handle it the right way, they do the right things, they take care of their bodies, they mentally refresh knowing that we’ve got a gauntlet here of 11 games going down the stretch,” Taylor continued. “So those guys come out of it fresh, ready to roll, thankful that they’re in it and they get to keep playing good football.”

The win in Pittsburgh last year was the team’s second straight in what would become a 10-game winning streak that carried them to the AFC Championship Game.

It may not take another franchise-record winning streak to get them back near the top of the AFC North, but it’s going to take a special run.

MORE: NFL Playoff Picture Week 7 

By the time the Bengals kick off in San Francisco on Sunday, the Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Baltimore games should be finished, which means Cincinnati might drop two games in the win column since the last time it played a snap.

And if the Bengals, who are six-point underdogs, lose to the 49ers, who play tonight against the Vikings? Well, the climb gets even steeper.

Baltimore is 5-2 and a game and a half ahead of Cincinnati. Cleveland and Pittsburgh are each 4-2, a full game ahead of the 3-3 Bengals.

The good news for the Bengals is they are even healthier coming out of this week’s bye than they were last year when the bye truly did come at a good time. Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. did not practice Monday but said he feels good about playing at San Francisco on Sunday.

Orlando Brown Jr. says he feels great and ready to go for SF. pic.twitter.com/uK7eQo36Qa

— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) October 23, 2023

Last year, there were 10 players on the injury report coming out of the bye, and that didn’t include cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, who was already on IR after tearing his ACL.

Starting wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and three backups — Josh Tupou, Dax Hill, and Chris Evans — missed the post-bye game at Pittsburgh due to injuries.

In 2021, it was more similar to the current situation, with only three players appearing on the injury report that week. Backup wide receiver Auden Tate and backup defensive tackle Tyler Shelton missed the game, but center Trey Hopkins started and played the whole contest.

Regardless of past paths, Taylor said focusing on January when it’s still October is pointless.

“We’ve only played six games. Still have 11 left,” he said. “You gotta start with San Francisco. Can’t look beyond that. Gotta give them our best effort, and then after that, we’ll keep taking it one game at a time. That’s the beauty of this league. You’ve got a chance to control your own destiny as long as you do things the right way.”