09-09-2022, 10:06 AM
The Bengals followed up the 88 Super Bowl appearance with a pedestrian 8-8 record in 1989 and then barely made the playoffs in 1990, after which about 15 years of bad seasons went on. That all seems like ancient history, though.
While last year's great season IMO was definitely not a fluke, still a whole bunch of things helped them along such as all the Ravens' injuries, the Browns being the Browns, Ben's decline leading to a lesser year from the Steelers and the Raiders beating the Chargers on the last day (I'm unsure the Bengals would have beaten the Chargers in the first playoff game).
This year, the Bengals, with their improved offensive line, have to deal with a tougher schedule along with the presumed resurgence of the Ravens. As the AFC champion, they also have a target on their back. So, whether they delight us all by going 13-4 or something with a first round bye and another trip to the Super Bowl, or they end up closer to 500 with a one-and-done, I will still be their fan. I was a fan in 2019 after all, and have been since the '70s.
While last year's great season IMO was definitely not a fluke, still a whole bunch of things helped them along such as all the Ravens' injuries, the Browns being the Browns, Ben's decline leading to a lesser year from the Steelers and the Raiders beating the Chargers on the last day (I'm unsure the Bengals would have beaten the Chargers in the first playoff game).
This year, the Bengals, with their improved offensive line, have to deal with a tougher schedule along with the presumed resurgence of the Ravens. As the AFC champion, they also have a target on their back. So, whether they delight us all by going 13-4 or something with a first round bye and another trip to the Super Bowl, or they end up closer to 500 with a one-and-done, I will still be their fan. I was a fan in 2019 after all, and have been since the '70s.
