The Bengals are the first team eliminated from playoff contention.
Week 11 matches the earliest a team has been eliminated since at least 2002. pic.twitter.com/wRXotfbQ8l
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) November 18, 2019
The Cincinnati Bengals have officially been eliminated from playoff contention.
No shocker there — the 0-10 start means first-year head coach Zac Taylor has matched Dave Shula for the worst start in Bengals franchise history.
Funny in a dark sort of way, though, is the tweet above from ESPN. Not only are the Bengals mathematically out, they managed to do it faster than any other team since — and this is a notable part — “at least” 2002.
The latest stumble, a 17-10 loss in Oakland, showcased a decent defensive performance but brought up more questions about Taylor after his offense struggled again.
Taylor and Co. have fully embraced evaluation mode as the rebuild kicks into high gear. A soft-looking schedule could still produce one or two wins the rest of the way, but it was clear after the first month or so that the playoffs were off the table.
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