CINCINNATI — No more teasing. No more unrealistic hoping. No more praying to the Who Dey gods for that glimmer of playoff hope.
The Bengals were officially eliminated from the NFL playoffs following Sunday’s embarrassing 24-0 shutout loss to Baltimore at a frigid Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.
For the past few weeks, faithful and delusional Bengals fans racked their brains to find any substantial hope and odds for making a playoff run.
“IF the Bengals win out and IF the Steelers and Ravens drop this game or that game, they might sneak into the playoffs,” were the thoughts of many Cincinnati followers. “IF the defense can hold teams to under 25 points and IF Joe Burrow comes back and doesn’t throw five interceptions in three games and IF your pet starts talking to you while you get a Fed Ex delivery for a year’s supply of free bacon, the Bengals MIGHT make the playoffs. They JUST MIGHT.”
But after Sunday — poof! All hope is gone for 2025.
The sad truth is the Bengals are just a bad team right now.
They don’t deserve to make the playoffs, and they won’t this year — and that’s official.
Two weeks ago, the Bengals (4-10) defeated Baltimore (7-7) on Thanksgiving on Thursday Night Football and looked amazing.
Two weeks later, the Ravens got revenge and shutout the Bengals 24-0. It was the first time in the Joe Burrow era the Bengals did not score.
Burrow threw two interceptions, one of which was a pick-six, for the second week in a row, and the loss eliminated the Bengals from playoff contention for the third straight season.
“This is a team effort,” Burrow said after the game. “You know, at the end of the day, players got to play better on the field. Today was me. I got to be better.”
Burrow finished the day with 225 yards passing and completed 25 of 39 passes with two interceptions and no touchdowns.
The meeting with members of the media turned into a confessional at times — but there was no priest — only reporters.
“I want everything on my plate,” he added. “That’s the position I want to be in.
There’s not a team in the NFL that would have won the game today if I was a quarterback.”
Burrow didn’t blame anyone but himself — which can be refreshing at times. He did not blame the weather or the officials or his teammates or his coaches.
That’s what fans do. They look for someone else to blame.
“I think this is one of the worst games that I’ve played,” he said. “I’m honest with myself and my play and I hold myself to a high standard and today didn’t come close.”
What does this loss mean for the rest of the season? Can the team bounce back?
Can they recover?
Some fans might take consolation in Burrow’s reaction and be motivated that the leader takes the responsibility for the loss and the team missing the post-season again.
Every time Burrow has sat out with a significant injury, he has come back with vengeance and furry the next season.
The Bengals QB has won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award twice — in 2024 and 2021.
Last year, he played at an MVP level and led the league in touchdowns (43) and passing yards (4,918) following wrist surgery. But they still missed the playoffs.
But after Sunday’s loss, something must change in the front office.
The defense is just terrible. The morale in the locker room is at an all-time low.
“Yeah, it’s frustrating,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said once again. “This is a team that I thought was a talented team that was going to have a chance to do big things this year.”
Taylor has used the word frustrating every week it seems for the past 11 weeks or more.
Everyone had high expectations.
Those expectations are nice and can be a motivator. But the Bengals did not come close. Taylor uses the phrase “we just came up short” a lot.
That’s an understatement.
When a team as talented at the Bengals has a record of 4-10 when it should be 10-4 then there is another issue.
The team is not ready to play. And that is the job of the head coach.
“Just hang with us,” Taylor pleaded to the fans. “It’s been frustrating. We’re still pouring our hearts onto this thing and find a way to win, and it’s been a frustrating season. I understand that.”
Those words fall on deaf ears to fans who have seen season-ticket prices continue to rise.
“They’re professionals. You know, that’s why you build the locker room the way you do it so that you don’t have to worry about guys like that,” Taylor said about trying to motivate his players for next week against Miami. “Go out there and put your best foot forward and I absolutely trust that these guys will do that.”
But why should fans turn out for the final two home games against Arizona and Cleveland in January? It’s going to be cold, and the Bengals, Cardinals and Browns are all terrible.
Fans want ONE reason to come out — just ONE. Give them one. At this point, they don’t necessarily want a win — but rather they want effort. And a win would be nice too. But let’s not get greedy.