The Bengals have 3 elite players...and a bunch of average or less players

[Millhouse]

When the Patriots won their last 3 Super Bowls in that particular latter part of the Brady era, they also had about 3 or 4 elite players. Maybe 5. But what made them so good was that they were able to draft, make various trades, and work free agency to fill out their roster with solid "blue collar" players across the team. These are the players no one hears about, but did a great job filling the roles they were coached to do, as their Super Bowls would attest.

The Bengals are currently on a downslide of not being able to reload the roster with quality "blue collar" players, and it is now showing this season. Coaching hasn't helped either, starting out the season way they did in particular. Lou can only do so much with the roster he has to work with. And for a franchise that has Burrow front and center of it, they have failed to give him better support players as they have. But in my opinion, these few offseasons has really decimated this defense to where they are struggling against good offenses while Bengals offense is putting up points.