***Week 5 GameDay Thread - Cardinals @ Bengals***

[Bengalzona]

https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/10/1/20892655/winless-teams-0-4-dolphins-washington-jets-cardinals

Quote:3. Cincinnati Bengals (0-4)
How did we get here?

Is there a more blandly terrible team than the Bengals? Cincinnati ended the eternal purgatory of the Marvin Lewis era this offseason, hiring Zac Taylor presumably because he once had a cup of coffee with Sean McVay. But they changed little else and had a troublingly quiet offseason. (Let me tell you, googling “Bengals offseason moves” is pretty high up on the Google Search Misery Rankings, which are coming next week.) The Bengals entered 2019 looking like one of the NFL’s worst teams, and so far, they’ve lived up to that billing. Through three weeks, before Monday’s trouncing at the hands of the previously winless Steelers, the Bengals ranked 31st in DVOA. Sure, A.J. Green is hurt, and the team has lost a few close games, but it’s tough to explain this. Fans could soon find themselves pining for the mediocrity of the Lewis era.

How miserable is it?

The Bengals have an Andy Dalton decision to make. The 2011 second-rounder, who is somehow a three-time Pro Bowler, has seen his team make the playoffs five times (and win zero playoff games) during his tenure. But Cincy can move on from the Red Rifle this offseason and not eat dead cap money. It may sound enticing, but unless the Bengals find themselves in the running for Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, can we be sure that they’ll be getting an upgrade? Dalton is the kind of quarterback who can steer a talented team to January. There’s no guarantee his successor could do the same.