Were the pre-Joe Bengals as bad as most think?

[Shake n Blake]

The media seems to paint the Bengals as an abysmal franchise. Tbh, I don't think they down any other team quite like the Bengals. I'm under no delusion that the Bengals were one of the better teams by any stretch, but were we the worst? Or even bottom 5?

12 teams have never won a Super Bowl. Among those teams, the Bengals are one of 4 with multiple appearances.

From 1968 (the year the Bengals were founded) to 2019 (our last year without Joe), here is each non-champion's % of seasons making the playoffs:

Vikings - 57.7% (amazing that they haven't won one)
Titans - 36.5%
Texans - 33.3%
Panthers - 32.0%
Bills - 28.8%
Jags - 28.0%
Bengals - 26.9%
Falcons - 26.9%
Chargers - 26.9%
Browns - 26.5%
Lions - 23.1%
Cardinals - 15.4%

Now here's the % of seasons these teams won their division:

Vikings - 40.4%
Texans - 33.3%
Panthers - 24.0%
Bengals - 19.2%
Chargers - 19.2%
Browns - 16.3%
Jags - 16.0%
Cardinals - 15.4%
Bills - 13.5%
Falcons - 13.5%
Titans - 13.5%
Lions - 5.8%

Then you have some teams like the Jets that won 1 title (in the first year of the Bengals' existence), but they only have one SB appearance and 6 fewer division titles. Are they on a different level than the Bengals?

Also, I looked at the Chiefs for fun (and also bc I know they were nothing special prior to Reid and Mahomes), and they would be middle of the above pack in playoff appearances (14) and division titles (7) prior to Reid and Mahomes. They did win one SB way back in 1969 with Len Dawson.

So why didn't the media try to talk Herbert, Allen, Lawrence or Mahomes out of signing with those teams? Why does it feel like the Bengals get dismissed more than any of these teams?

How is the Chiefs getting Reid and Mahomes any different than us getting Zac and Burrow? Neither franchise had a great history prior to getting them.