The Cincinnati Bengals lost more than a football game Saturday night in Pittsburgh. The 34-11 blowout delivered a crushing blow to their hopes of reaching the playoffs for a third consecutive year.
They entered Sunday with an 11% chance of extending their season. So, while it’s unlikely, it is possible. And they will have to wait two more weeks to know whether Saturday night was a death knell or a blip.
Winless Division Record a Sore Spot for Bengals
Head coach Zac Taylor said multiple times during his Sunday news conference that the Bengals still have a lot to play for and that he is excited to see how they respond, echoing comments he made after Joe Burrow went down with the season-ending wrist injury in Week 11 and again several days later after the Bengals lost to the Steelers at Paycor Stadium in Jake Browning’s first career start.
“We’re in no different of a situation right now,” Taylor said. “We need to be at our best this week against Kansas City, and I’m excited to see how these guys respond. I know what they are and how they’re going to respond, and I’m excited to see it.”
“There’s still a lot on the line,” Taylor said. “We’ve got a lot to play for.
The #Bengals mostly had control of their playoff fate, but they threw it away with a humiliating loss to a reeling Pittsburgh Steelers team.
Now they have to win their final two and hope for help.
https://t.co/WEQQmMuwSb— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) December 24, 2023
While it remains to be seen if the loss in Pittsburgh will cost the Bengals a playoff berth, there is far less ambiguity when it comes to assessing what that game means to the team’s collective psyche.
Going 0-5 in the division is a damning indictment of any team, especially one coming off back-to-back division titles and deep playoff runs.
The topic of being winless in the AFC North came up multiple times during Taylor’s news conference today. And he clearly wanted nothing to do with it, offering brief and repetitive answers each time he was asked.
“We’ve got a tough division, and we didn’t do enough to win those games,” Taylor said initially.
“It’s a really good division, and we won it the last two years,” Taylor said. “This year, it wasn’t good enough.”
Attempt No. 3 centered on whether the AFC North has evolved as opponents have had success not just being more physical than the Bengals but also beating them at their own game with quality quarterback play.
“It’s a really solid division,” Taylor said again. “Well-coached. Good offenses, good defenses, well-coached special teams. You just have to come ready to play every game. and that’s what we expect from our guys.”
MORE: Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart
The Bengals are 0-5 in the division and 8-2 against everyone else.
If they are unable to beat Cleveland in Week 18, they will go 0-6 in the AFC North for the first time since its inaugural season of 2002.
The last time a team has gone 0-6 in the division the year after winning it was the 2013 Washington Redskins. The 2006 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 2005 Philadelphia Eagles also went 0-6 against division opponents the year after winning a division title.
Win or lose next Sunday at Kansas City, the topic of being winless in the division won’t go away, not with the Cleveland Browns coming to Paycor for the season finale.
But for now, the sole focus is on moving forward from the Pittsburgh loss and getting ready for the Chiefs with the Bengals’ slim playoff hopes on the line.
“Any time you lose a game, it’s disappointing because of the work we put in,” Taylor said. “There’s a lot of confidence going into games. When you’re in the arena and fall short like that, it’s disappointing. It hurts you.”
“Part of what sets guys apart is they’re able to put it behind them and move onto the next game,” he continued. “We all know how important this one is. It’s exciting. As bad as it felt today, you get an opportunity to get the next one and feel the exact opposite end of the spectrum. That’s the beauty of this league. We’re excited to get back to work and see what we can do next Sunday.”
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