Speechless

This team has left everyone with a whole lot of questions and no answers.

The Cincinnati Bengals’ 44-38 home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers left many speechless.

Where do we even begin with this team?

Front office?

Coaching?

Talent?

Let’s hit on each of them.

This front office has given the fans a lot of mixed feelings over the last few years. From letting Jessie Bates and DJ Reader walk, among others, to extending Logan Wilson and Joe Burrow, and from not touching free agency and trades to making some of the best free agent acquisitions and trades in franchise history, it might be time to start asking questions. Is it time for the younger generation to start listening to the older generation…once again?

This front office has to see what the entire fan base and players see, right? They’re professionals.

For years, this front office has been known for being cheap. Then, there was a false sense of hope when the team makes it to the Super Bowl in ‘21 with one of the worst offensive lines this team has ever seen. The team hears the fans, and they go get a handful of what we think is a good group of lineman. Everyone thinks, finally this team has acquired a group of “glass-eaters.”

Somehow, Burrow is still getting hit and ultimately scrambling to another season-ending injury. Once again, they see an issue, and they draft the team’s future right tackle, Amarius Mims, and they think they finally have our line.

Then the season starts. The team has yet another slow start, then pick up the pace. As the season starts rolling along, it doesn’t take long for everyone to notice something startling.

The offense begins clicking, which everyone knew they would, under the authority of Burrow. This defense is atrocious. I hate to say, but that’s an understatement.

Seeing that stat above is truly embarrassing.

There is A LOT you can blame on this defense, but there’s also quite a bit you can blame on coaching. Before last season, this was Zac’s team. Most people had a world of confidence in Zac.

Last season happened, and the team missed the playoffs for the first time since the Super Bowl. This team made it to the biggest stage just two years ago, then missed that same stage by just one game.

Then this season comes along, and they begin to have one of the most unpredictable seasons in franchise and NFL history. With arguably the league's best quarterback-receiver duo, they have lost seven games by one score. If they win those games, they are sitting on the complete opposite side of the spectrum once again, beginning to stare the postseason in the eyes.

But after each loss, we hear the same responses from head coach Taylor. Either he’s sickened by the outcome, or he feels sick for those guys in the locker room, or I still have confidence in these guys, or we have to find a way to...