Williams: Reality check time amid Cincinnati Bengals' 2-game NFL winning streak
If you’re going to be bad, at least be entertaining.
The Cincinnati Bengals and Tennessee Titans treated their fans to a must-see, three-hour, three-ring circus on Sunday afternoon in Nashville. It was such a bad display of football, it was good. And silly. And sloppy. And ugly. 10 combined turnovers. 26 combined penalties.
All you can do is laugh, especially if you're a Bengals fan after Cincinnati's 37-27 victory. Nice to see the Bengals let loose a bit and get a relatively easy win as Cincinnati plays out the string of an underachieving season.
Now back to reality.
How will the Bengals’ front office view the team’s success the last few weeks? It doesn’t take a hardened cynic to wonder if ownership is thinking this after road wins against Dallas and Tennessee: See, we’re not that far off. We don’t need to make drastic changes in the offseason.
The front office may have already been thinking that before the Bengals defeated teams that have a combined 9-19 record, given that seven of the Bengals' eight losses have each been by a score. There's a good chance the Bengals will be riding their first three-game winning streak of the season by this time next week after facing the lowly Cleveland Browns at Paycor Stadium.
This late-season, fool's gold schedule could be the worst thing for the Bengals. Remember, they're getting to play this watered-down schedule because they finished last in the AFC North in 2023. The player personnel evaluators should look at Sunday's game no different than they did most of the Bengals' losses.
The defense still stinks. The Bengals were gifted four interceptions by Will Levis and Mason Rudolph, quite possibly the worst quarterback duo in the league. That's a Titans offense that mustered all of two field goals last week against woeful Jacksonville.
Bengals safety Jordan Battle spoiled a big opportunity when he carelessly fumbled the ball out of the end zone for a touchback on a surefire scoop-6 in the third quarter. He's one of several recent defensive draft picks who've fallen short of expectations this season. No doubt his unforced fumble left Bengals fans shaking their heads and saying: "The 2024 Cincinnati Bengals, ladies and gentlemen."
Wins should never be totally poo-pooed. Even the bad teams in the Legion of Parity can pull off a couple wins a season against good and mediocre teams. But nothing about the last two weeks says the Bengals are close. They still need a major upgrade at defensive tackle, edge rusher, cornerback, safety and on the interior offensive line.
That shouldn't be forgotten as the Bengals trend toward making their record look respectable in this underperforming season.
Contact columnist Jason Williams at jwilliams@enquirer.com