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A week ago coming out of a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, some Cincinnati Bengals players noted a lack of urgency or energy in that homestand.
Some of the team’s bigger names like Zac Taylor and Joe Burrow pushed back against the idea, though based on the eye test, some fans probably agreed.
Now the team has to confront the same issue on the Monday following a heartbreaker of a loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
After the game, cornerback Mike Hilton said the team didn’t enter the game with enough energy and had this pretty telling quote when asked about the lack of urgency:
“It’s a multitude of things. Guys are just not coming prepared, we’re not making plays as we should and as a team, we’ve got to count on each other. If the defense is struggling, the offense has to bail us out and vice-versa, so we’ve just got to find ways to win games.”
Sunday was the worst possible time for the Bengals to have these issues again. It was meaningful December football and with Baltimore losing, the team had a chance to take first place in the AFC North — which would have meant grabbing the fourth seed in the playoff race.
Instead, the Bengals had to scramble back from a 20-6 deficit off some Joe Burrow miracle work, only to lose in overtime.
As we’ve written all season, these rollercoaster games are to be expected of a young team like this — and they’re never out of a game with a quarterback like Burrow under center.
But in December with playoffs on the line, it’s unfortunate the team isn’t hitting its postseason stride and instead continues to grapple with these issues.
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