CINCINNATI -- The Bengals took it on the chin from Bill Simmons this week during the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast. The top media personality compared Cincinnati to the lowly history of the NBA's Clippers' franchise after they failed to trade away Trey Hendrickson at the trade deadline.
Cincinnati is 3-6 with eight games remaining, but Simmons declared their season completely over.
"Their season ended on Sunday, and it was probably over already, but it definitely ended on Sunday with Caleb Williams hitting Colston Loveland over the middle, and three guys blowing the tackle. I like searching the team Reddits. It's one of the only Reddit searches I do. I just like to check the mood. Bengals Reddit is a grim place.
"Man. That is, like, about as dark as you're gonna get out of the 32 teams, they don't spend money, they don't care about anything. They're basically like the Clippers when Donald Sterling owned them, just happy to cash all the media paychecks from the league, spending just enough money to seem like they care, but not really. And then the team they put together this year just to pay Burrow, and two wide receivers have no offensive line and no defense, and they think that was going to work. It was idiotic."
Cincinnati has deteriorated slowly but surely since the team went to the Super Bowl a little less than four years ago.
They consistently cannot draft solid talent on the defensive side of the ball, and it's left them with arguably the biggest chasm in the league this season between offensive and defensive success.
Cincinnati has the second-worst chances of any three-win team to make the playoffs on ESPN's Football Power Index (6.3% chance, only Washington is lower).
Make sure you bookmark BengalsTalk.com for the latest Bengals news, exclusive interviews, insight, film breakdowns and so much more!