11-19-2023, 10:54 PM
(11-19-2023, 08:49 PM)QueenCity Wrote: Hey guys remember in 2023 when we won 2 more games when Burrow went down? What a gutsy performance.
Said literally no one ever.
That's how I view people who refuse to acknowledge that tanking will literally make the Bengals better in 2024.
One of my lasting memories is Ryan Finley beating Pittsburgh on MNF in 2020 after Burrow had been lost for the season.
The Bengals had no hope for the playoffs. But they beat a 10-2 Pittsburgh team, with third stringer Ryan Finley. It was also the game where Von Bell laid out Juju Smith-Shuster, sending him flying backward and fumbling. This after Smith-Shuster had danced on the Bengals logo before the game.
I suppose the tankers would have preferred a loss. You know, helping the Bengals' draft position. But for those rooting for the Bengals, it was one of the more memorable and satisfying victories.
I'd love to see the Bengals beat Pittsburgh. May not happen. But I'm sure as hell not going to be rooting for the Steelers with an eye to draft position.
As it was, the Bengals overcoming the odds in a MNF game, with a backup QB, help set the tone for the team's Super Bowl run. Something tanking would never do.