Cincinnati Bengals: Takeaways from close Week 14 loss to Chargers

Be Glad They Didn’t Actually Win

That sentiment always sounds somewhat strange and unwelcome, both to hear and to give. When it comes to the NFL, it can feel especially unwanted and somewhat impossible to imagine, particularly when there is a giant mass of players always teetering on the edge of losing their roster spot (and their livelihood) if luck isn’t on their side every step of the way.

Still, in terms of Cincinnati’s long-term outlook, having them fall short in their best outing in a month is by far the best outcome a fan could hope for.

This all comes down to the future. While they aren’t mathematically out of it, the playoffs would be the furthest sort of pipe dream even if they had all their best players in tow; were they to get there, they would put forth the most depressing postseason loss we’ve seen from them in the Marvin Lewis era.

Speaking of Lewis, the loss stands as another possible nail in the coffin of his time as head coach for this franchise. Even had the team won here and won out, his job should’ve been in extreme jeopardy, but every loss makes the seemingly obvious possibility of him being removed from his post come closer to fruition.

Owner Mike Brown has proven to be as conservative as it comes in terms of his decision-making for the franchise in Lewis’ time here; it appears to take near-complete, undeniable levels of awfulness (or a sizable bill) for him to make any sort of changes.

That early 4-1 start and the laundry list of injuries (over a dozen guys on injured reserve, including the majority of Cincinnati’s best players) have left the door eerily open for him to look at the perceived promise of the early season and think “Let’s run it back one more time.” Add in his frugality and the fact that Lewis still has time on his contract, and it doesn’t appear like it would take much for Brown to rest on his laurels for another season and hope for the best.

Having this loss puts the team one step closer to their worst possible record, and at least in theory it makes sense that the worse the ending record, the lower the odds for Lewis to accidentally flop backwards into keeping his job for the second straight season.

A worse record could also put Cincinnati in much better draft position this offseason. As things stand entering this week, Cincinnati’s 5-8 record leaves them in a three-way tie (with the Lions and Giants) for the eighth-worst record in the league. With games against Oakland, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh remaining, these Bengals could end anywhere between 5-11 and 7-9. Based on the remaining schedules of everyone, there’s a decent pathway for Cincinnati to end up with a top five pick in the 2019 draft.

That opens up their options in terms of possibly grabbing a top talent; be it a new franchise quarterback, a potential star defensive piece, or a trade down for a rich package of picks to help quickly fill an emaciated defensive cupboard, a pick that high would give this team the exact sort of addition (through one high-end guy or multiple decent lower picks) this roster is starving for.

If they don’t pile on as many losses as possible to end 2019, all that possible excitement is no longer available. A likely head coaching change turns into Lewis maybe sticking around. A possible top five selection could instead be as low as #14, essentially costing the Bengals an extra first rounder’s worth of value in the process.

Winning games at this stage of the season just isn’t the smart move for Cincinnati. They won’t (and shouldn’t) outright tank games on purpose from here on out of course, but it is undeniable that their future certainly has more to gain from an outcome like what we saw against the Chargers than actually coming away with the victory.

As they say, “no pain, no gain”.