Some national pundits agree, while others have shared commentary suggesting otherwise. The Bengals find themselves in a tough position but can begin their turnaround with a victory Sunday.
“I think it’s funny because 10 weeks from now they gonna be all trying to be on our wagon and trying to be a part of what we overcame and going to start saying, ‘I told ya so. I knew y’all was gonna do this and that,’” Boyd said. “But at the end of the day, we’ve got to do it. Whether they are on the bandwagon or not. We’re not playing good football, so we can’t look at it like, ‘Aw, man.’ We’ve got to pick it up. If we don’t pick it up, we can’t say nothing either way, so we’ve got to look at ourselves like we’ve got to get better.”
Boyd was drafted right after Cincinnati went to five straight postseasons, and he suffered through a five-year playoff drought to begin his NFL career before the Bengals drastically turned things around in 2021 en route to a Super Bowl appearance.
The worst was in 2019, during Zac Taylor’s first season when the team went 2-14, but that brought Joe Burrow as the No. 1 overall draft pick and the start of a roster overhaul. Now the Bengals are struggling while the player they built around is dealing with a calf injury, and Boyd refuses to believe there isn’t enough talent around Burrow to overcome deficiencies in his game right now.
“I’ve been through worse,” Boyd said. “Just gotta stay the course, keep my head down and work, and things just happen. We just have to go out there and play collectively together and work together. We can’t have eight guys buying in and the other guys just out there. Not saying that’s who we are, but we need everyone to win their matchups on more plays than not. If we get that done, regardless of if Joe is maneuvering or not, if we win our one-on-one matchups and execute the plays, we’ll be right back where we left off.”
Taylor said he likes the confidence players are showing despite the slow start. He even made mention Monday of some of the interviews he has seen shared from open locker room with media that were good examples of players buying in and believing.
That included some comments by wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase that went viral after the context of the question was excluded, making it seem like he was bashing Burrow for not getting him the ball. Asked if it’s been more difficult to create separation because of the speed at which Burrow has been having to get rid of the ball, Chase said he is always open.
“There’s obviously initial frustration when you walk off the field, but once you’re around the players in that environment when they’re all surrounding you and listening, the confidence is re-instilled in you that we’re going to be in great shape,” Taylor said. “We have to make the most of this week and that has to be where our focus is and not worrying about what’s down the road, not worrying about what our record is at this point. You have to learn from these games we just had because there are great moments we had to learn from like we’ve had in years past. I’m confident our guys will be able to do that.”
The Bengals were 0-2 last year but bounced back with two straight wins before falling to 2-3, and they were 5-4 at the bye. Cincinnati can get to 2-3 with a win this week at Arizona, and another victory Oct. 15 against the Seahawks would even the record going into this season’s bye.
Linebacker Logan Wilson said the Bengals are rallying around one another, rather than “pointing fingers,” and that’s why they share the belief they can turn things around before playoff hopes are truly squashed.
Boyd believes they play better when the pressure is on. That was a theme throughout the Super Bowl run in 2021-22, and as Cincinnati rebounded last year. The Bengals started the year with high expectations for another Super Bowl run, coming off back-to-back AFC Championship appearances, but the 1-3 start puts them in a hole that historically most teams haven’t been able to climb from to make the playoffs.
“Every game is a must win at this point,” Boyd said. “I wish we were 4-0 right now, but we ain’t. I think it’s better. I like playing with a chip on my shoulder because that’s how my upbringing was. I had to fight that adversity my whole life and throughout my whole career here. I believe and I know we’ll get the train rolling.”
SUNDAY’S GAME
Bengals at Cardinals, 4:05 p.m., Fox, 700, 1530, 102.7, 104.7
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