Is there a song to describe the 0-3 Cincinnati Bengals?
Even with Joe Burrow as the frontman, will the Bengals' song remain the same? (Mike Bass Photo)
By Mike Bass
mbass@mikebasscoaching.com
If you want a weekly smile about the Bengals, the Bengal Boys have a parody song video for you.
And can you ever use a smile now.
Before Week 1: “Welcome Back, Nine.” To the tune of “Live and Let Die.” About Joe Burrow’s return.
Before Week 2: Week 2: “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.” To the tune of “Tequila.” About the opening loss.
Before Week 3: “Don’t Start the Season Going 0-3.” To the tune of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.” About another 0-2. Beginning this way: “I can’t lie. We’re used to the darkness. The first two weeks don’t seem to pay out as we planned. I’m getting tired of blaming refs for losing. Fumbling balls, playing like our team’s outmanned. It’s too late to alter two games’ outcomes. Now is our chance to change and make it right.”
So much for the Bengals making it right.
Washington 38, Cincinnati 33 on Monday Night Football turned the season inconceivably wrong.
Less than two years after singing “Defensive Line” to the tune of “Sweet Caroline,” the Bengal Boys quote-reposted it Tuesday on X by adding, “Life comes at you fast :(”
And when someone replied, “Bruh 🫠,” @thebengalboys wrote, “Is it bad workplace practice to UberEats a thing of baileys to my office to ‘help’ my coffee this morning?”
Sometimes a little humor helps. When a Super Bowl vision devolves into the worst start in the Burrow Era, you look for ways to cope. In our weekly day-after-game X chat, I asked you as Bengals fans how you were holding up.
The Bengals Boys joined in with us, too.
“Tempering our expectations and kind of accepting what it is right now,” @thebengalboys wrote. “Reminds me a lot of the 2006 team, who despite high expectations, faltered due to beating themselves at crucial moments. I can only hope for Hill, Murphy, and Rankins to make speedy and effective recoveries. But until then, accepting the fact that it may get worse before it gets better [also hoping i'm wrong hahaha].”
How about that for step-back perspective?
Once the pain and shock of 0-3 have passed, accepting reality and adjusting expectations can help you move forward. It is not always easy or immediate. You have to feel the disappointment before letting it go.
I felt it, too.
“I don't know how anyone can take this team seriously the rest of the season,” @BengalsMike wrote, “myself included.”
This mattered, or it wouldn’t hurt so much. You have history rebounding from 0-2, not from 0-3.
This wasn’t supposed to happen after the near-upset of Kansas City. How could a rookie quarterback from a seemingly underwhelming opponent ravage your defense like that?
Some 24 hours after the Reds fired David Bell with just five games left in a disappointing season, the Bengals compounded their own instead of reversing it.
“Feel like we are wasting Joe Burrow’s time here,” @brandonmariemil wrote. The defense was SO bad. I don’t think the season is over yet, but it’s very disappointing. 😬😩😡”
An 0-3 start is not a mandatory life-without-postseason sentence, not with today’s expanded schedule and playoffs. Burrow is playing relatively well, and @Joyfulcincygal called him “the Palm Tree” that “provides shade and shelter” and reason the Bengals will “bounce back.” If the Bengals go on their annual rebound tour, even if a game later than usual, they still can advance.
“I’m still holding out hope,” @JeffATrennepohl wrote, “last year 10 wins would’ve got us into the playoffs so we can only lose four more.”
You can lower expectations and still have hope. You can think smaller than the Super Bowl and see what happens. You can think a lot smaller and just focus on Sunday.
That means Carolina. The Panthers looked better after switching quarterbacks, but at least the Bengals are familiar with this one. Nothing seems like an easy win anymore, but this game still appears relatively winnable.
“Oh boy,” @JNJournalist posted. “It’s there. The team, the skills. It’s all there. We just aren’t all the way there yet. The losses aren’t astronomical but the missteps are costing us severely. An L is still an L. Time to go beat Andy (Dalton) next week and secure our first of many Ws. ... PS. Where did our defense go??”
Good question.
It sounds a little like a song by the Supremes.
The Bengal Boys could do a lot with that.