After years of being irrelevant, the Cincinnati Bengals announced themselves on Sunday with a 41-17 humbling of the Baltimore Ravens.
The Cincinnati Bengals are back.
On Sunday, Joe Burrow and the Bengals crushed the Baltimore Ravens, moving into first place of the AFC North with a 41-17 drubbing in Charm City. Burrow threw for 416 yards and three touchdowns, with rookie sensation Ja’Marr Chase went for 201 receiving yards including an 83-yard score to break the game open.
Yet none of the details matter compared to the big picture. At 5-2, the Bengals have announced themselves after years in the doldrums. This is a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game since 1990. In fact, the last postseason win for Cincinnati came against a backup quarterback (Cody Carlson) and a team that no longer exists (Houston Oilers). It’s been a while.
While the Bengals made the playoffs with Andy Dalton for five consecutive years, this is a different vibe. Cincinnati has a quarterback ascending into stardom with elite weaponry around him. The defense, long one of the league’s worst units, has transformed into one of its best. Against the Ravens, the elusive Lamar Jackson was sacked five times while completing fewer than half his passes before being lifted in the fourth quarter.
With road wins over Baltimore and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bengals have exorcised a decade’s worth of demons. They’re winning with blowout victories and comeback thrillers, and doing so behind a young, improving cast. Third-year coach Zac Taylor has found the right offensive balance between Joe Mixon’s legs and Burrow’s arm, with the net result being an offense averaging 27.8 points per game.
Next week, Cincinnati gets to visit the lowly New York Jets before hosting the interstate-rival Cleveland Browns. The Bengals could well be 7-2 as the calendar heads for mid-November, a position Cincinnati hasn’t been in after nine games since 2015, when it started out 8-0.
For Bengals fans, this year must be Camelot. Last season, the glee of selecting Burrow turned to horror when he tore knee multiple ligaments in a Week 11 loss to the Washington Football Team. Then, this offseason, Cincinnati watched star corner William Jackson and edge rusher Carl Lawson leave in free agency, a familiar feeling to the Queen City.
Entering this season, the Bengals were universally picked to finish in last place of the AFC North. And despite it all, Taylor’s club appears poised to make a run at the division title and perhaps more in a wide-open conference.
In the record books, Sunday was merely a nice win against a good divisional opponent on the road. Under normal circumstances, it would be a fine day.
For the Bengals and their fans, it is cause to celebrate. A team long dead, revived and rolling.
Power rankings
Top 10 worst Super Bowl-winning head coaches by win percentage
1. Week Ewbank, New York Jets (.502)
2. Jon Gruden, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (.511)
3. Gary Kubiak, Denver Broncos (.522)
4. Dick Vermeil, St. Louis Rams (.524)
5. Tom Flores, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders (.527)
6. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants; Doug Pederson, Philadelphia Eagles (.531)
7. Mike Shanahan, Denver Broncos (.552)
8. Brian Billick, Baltimore Ravens; Jimmy Johnson, Dallas Cowboys (.556)
9. Mike Ditka, Chicago Bears (.560)
10. Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh Steelers (.566)
Quotable
"“It takes 100% of what you have every single day to be successful and I’m just grateful to have amazing teammates, coaches, to be able to do it for as long as I have is a really incredible blessing in my life. I have great family. I’ve got my little baby girl, who’s the biggest cheerleader in the world and her two brothers, who are great cheerleaders and mom who was out there today rooting … great to have the family here and to win a football game feels really good.”"
– Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady on his historic 600th touchdown pass
Brady has seven rings and is positioned well to fight for an eighth. It’s incredible what the 44-year-old is doing, playing at an MVP level a full decade after most players are finished or leaving their primes. Many fans want Brady gone to see the next generation fully take over, but that’s a mistake. Enjoy and understand the greatness.
Podcast
Random stat
The Carolina Panthers are the only franchise to have 15-1 and 1-15 seasons.
Info learned this week
1. Chiefs humiliated by suddenly enticing Titans
It’s over for the Kansas City Chiefs.
After being down out 27-3 — and that score doesn’t do the beating justice — the Chiefs are 3-4 and clearly not a Super Bowl contender. They can’t be ruled out from a playoff spot, but Kansas City is weighed down by the league’s worst defense in many statistics, and an offense that has a league-high 15 turnovers.
Patrick Mahomes, who for years has been the league’s best player, looks average. The highlights are there, but so are the mind-numbing mistakes. On Sunday, Mahomes had two more turnovers, bringing his season’s total to a league-worst nine interceptions and two lost fumbles.
For the Chiefs, part of their swoon is about poor allocation of defensive resources by general manager Brett Veach. Kansas City has the second-highest-paid defense in football, and it lacks badly in almost every area.
Overall, Veach has done a fine job, but the signing of Jarran Reed and the odorous contract for Frank Clark are fair criticisms. Additionally, the offense is without a third weapon. Of course, Veach can’t control the lack of effort displayed Sunday, nor the questionable coaching decisions which have plagued the Chiefs all year.
Meanwhile, the Titans were terrific for the second time in six days. Tennessee slayed both the Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, doing so this weekend with a much-maligned defense allowing only three points to Kansas City.
At 5-2, the Titans are tied for the best record in the AFC and play in its worst division. Tennessee still has three games left against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans, and that’s with a multi-game lead in the AFC South.
If Tennessee can keep receivers A.J. Brown and Julio Jones healthy, they’re a threat to contend in what has become a wide-open conference.
2. Cardinals keep rolling, and deserve more respect
The Arizona Cardinals, Super Bowl favorites. If not now, when?
After crushing the Texans by a 31-5 count, the Cardinals ran their record to 7-0 as the league’s only unbeaten. Yet few seem to talk about Arizona as legitimate frontrunners, instead focusing on the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Buccaneers and others.
The reasons are obvious. Arizona wasn’t a preseason favorite. The Cardinals also have no postseason experience with the current coach-quarterback combo. The market also matters, with Arizona having a meager fanbase compared to most other NFL teams.
Ultimately, though, none of that changes reality. The Cardinals are loaded and dominant on both sides of the ball. Arizona has smacked the Rams and Browns, both on the road. They’ve outscored opponents by 111 points, the largest margin in the NFL. The Cardinals have scored the second-most points in football and surrendered the fewest of any team which has played seven games.
On Thursday, the Cardinals play their first national game, hosting the Packers. Win that, and they’ll be getting accolades from all corners. Ones they already deserve.
3. Patriots lingering, but can they beat good teams?
What to make of the New England Patriots?
At 3-4, New England has smashed the New York Jets twice and eeked out a victory over the Texans. Their losses have come to the one-win Miami Dolphins but otherwise to playoff contenders in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys.
The bad news? New England is done seeing the woeful Jets and already played Miami at home. A tough slate awaits, beginning with the Los Angeles Chargers this weekend and including dates with the Bills twice, Titans and Cleveland Browns among others.
The good news? Mac Jones has his first 300-yard passing game on Sunday and the defense has consistently kept a limited offense in games. With Bill Belichick on the sideline, the Patriots will always have a quality gameplan and should play above their talent level.
If it can beat the Chargers — who are coming off a bye week — it would say plenty about New England’s trajectory.
4. Browns have to be smart with Baker Mayfield, regardless of ’21
Despite a litany of injuries to star players, the Browns beat the Denver Broncos on Thursday.
At 4-3, Cleveland is alive in the AFC North, trailing Cincinnati and Baltimore by a game each. The Browns are yet to play a divisional game and now have a mini-bye to get healthy. In that vein, reports are swirling about quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is dealing with a fracture and a torn labrum. Somehow, there’s a belief he could play Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
For both Mayfield’s health and the Browns’ long-term future, they can’t allow Mayfield back until he’s healed. If that means season-ending surgery, fine. If it means a more cautious approach with a lesser timeline, fine. But it can’t be a yo-yo where the Browns trot Mayfield onto the field and then watch him limp off after the next big hit.
Without a contract extension, Mayfield is to be commended for playing hurt but also protected against himself.
Cleveland, even if it means potentially punting on 2021, would be negligent doing anything else.
5. Colts climb into AFC race with win over 49ers
At 3-4 and winners of two straight, the Indianapolis Colts are back in the mix.
With a 30-18 over the reeling San Francisco 49ers, Indy remains two games back of the AFC South-leading Titans but has established itself in the wild card race. Carson Wentz was solid in rain-soaked San Francisco, throwing for 150 yards and two touchdowns while running for another.
Most notably, the Colts’ defense showed up once again. After holding the Texans to three points last week, Indianapolis held the Niners to 280 total yards and 18 points. If the Colts can continue limiting opponents, the offense should steadily improve as veteran receiver T.Y. Hilton works his way back from a neck injury.
This week, a critical three-game homestand starts with the Titans coming to Lucas Oil Stadium. After that, the Jets and Jaguars. Indianapolis could be at the start of a huge run.
Gambler’s game
The Chiefs are a 13-point favorite against the Giants on Monday night, per WynnBet. Take New York and swallow the points. Kansas City is the home team, but it’ll be getting booed relentlessly if the first thing goes wrong.
Two cents
We’re approaching the season’s halfway point. It’s becoming clear which teams should focus on the draft.
In a typical offseason, 5-8 head-coaching jobs become available. We should be in said range this winter. In no particular order, the Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, Giants, Broncos, Jaguars and Texans all have to be thinking about who can roam their sidelines next autumn.
For clarity, the Raiders are on the list only because of Jon Gruden’s resignation. Las Vegas is 5-2 and interim coach Rich Basaccia is doing a tremendous job. The Jaguars, who are on the hook for an unknown-but-almost-certainly-massive amount of money with Urban Meyer, have to be begging for a good college job to come open.
The other five potential vacancies seem almost assured. The Broncos and trending towards missing the playoffs for a sixth straight year. Houston, which hired David Culley as a last-ditch option, might not win another game. Chicago might revolt as a city if Matt Nagy gets another chance. The same is true of New York and Joe Judge. Minnesota could save Mike Zimmer’s job with a playoff berth, but the Vikings are uninspiring in every way.
It’s a long way to the offseason, but expect a busy hiring season.
Inside the league
Want to see quarterbacks getting traded? Buckle up.
Before the Nov. 2 deadline, it seems the Texans are motivated to deal Deshaun Watson. Watson is facing 22 civil suits for alleged sexual assault, and hasn’t been active for a game this season but is eligible to play. Still, reports have the Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers interested, while John McClain of the Houston Chronicle says the price starts at three first-round picks.
With the amount of smoke around Miami and Watson, it appears Tua Tagovailoa will be shipped out either this week or in the offseason. At 1-6, the Dolphins are horrid and Tagovailoa has vacillated between being mediocre, bad and hurt. If Miami is even considering giving up three first-round choices, it has already moved on mentally from Tua.
However, this is only the start. Once Watson gets dealt, that starts the clock on the rest of the quarterbacks. Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Jimmy Garoppolo are all trade candidates this winter. They will all command a major return, with Garoppolo being the lesser investment.
Looking around the league, there’s a litany of teams who make sense including the Giants and Eagles, both of whom have multiple first-round picks in 2022. Then there’s the Broncos, Football Team, Saints, Vikings, Steelers, Texans, and Browns who all have short and long-term questions at the position.
Watson is the current storyline, but he’s far from the last.
History lesson
One of the great forgotten teams? The 1991 Washington Redskins.
Under head coach Joe Gibbs, Washington went 14-2 and crushed the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions by the combined score of 65-17 in the NFC playoffs. In Super Bowl XXVI, Washington rolled the Buffalo Bills, 37-24, giving it a third title in 10 seasons.
Gibbs’ squad doesn’t get its proper due in NFL history. Perhaps that’s because it only had three Hall of Famers (Russ Grimm, Darrell Green and Art Monk). Mark Rypien is one of the worst quarterbacks to ever win a Super Bowl, and Washington fell off rapidly after ’91.
Yet for a single season, few if any have been better. Washington outscored its opponents 485-224 and posted three shutouts over the campaign’s first five weeks. All told, the ‘Skins scored the most points and permitted the second-fewest. In an era where scoring 30 points was significant, Washington did it eight times in the regular season and twice in the playoffs.
When we think great teams, we can’t forget Washington in 1991.
Parting shot
The success of players isn’t only about their talent. It’s about their circumstances.
Matthew Stafford is a case study. In 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions, Stafford never won a division nor won a playoff game. In the latter instances, he was 0-3, usually let down by poor coaching and a bad defense.
This season, Stafford is 6-1 with the Los Angeles Rams. He’s leading the NFL in yards per attempt and QBR, all while throwing 19 touchdowns against four interceptions. Surrounded by excellent coaching and talent, Stafford has the look of an MVP candidate.
For so many players, the reality is their careers are largely dictated by where they’re drafted.
What happens to Patrick Mahomes with the Chicago Bears or Jacksonville Jaguars, both of whom could have drafted the Texas Tech product. In 2005, what if the Oakland Raiders — who drafted Jamarcus Russell two years later — selected Aaron Rodgers? How different would Eli Manning’s career have been if the San Diego Chargers kept him around?
The questions are endless and the answers impossible. Nobody knows, but logic says all the aforementioned players would have endured far tougher careers. Instead, they went to the right team, with the right coach and infrastructure.
Circumstances matter. Just ask Matthew Stafford.