A season that brought so much promise for the Cincinnati Bengals has turned south in a hurry.
Over the offseason, the Bengals went against the grain for much of their franchise’s history by investing real money into the team. Star wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins were signed to massive new contracts. And even after contract drama around All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson and first round pick Shemar Stewart, both were signed and ready for the new season to begin.
But then Joe Burrow got injured and everything changed.
Since Burrow’s injury, the Bengals have lost two games in dreadful fashion. After backup Jake Browning engineered a home victory over the Jaguars, the Bengals have lost two straight to the Vikings and Broncos by a combined score of 76-13.
And as the final seconds ticked down on a pitiful effort on Monday Night Football where Cincinnati lost in Denver by a score of 28-3, ESPN announcers Joe Buck and Troy Aikman didn’t hold back on just how bad it was.
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman didn’t sugarcoat their recap of the Bengals’ performance.
“They’ve got more penalties than first downs tonight…they just frankly, after their first possession, didn’t compete.”
“This has been an embarrassing effort by the Cincinnati Bengals.” pic.twitter.com/YeSzAzsWpY
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 30, 2025
The Bengals actually held a 3-0 lead at one point in the first quarter, but those would be the only points they would score all game. They ended up getting outgained 512-129 in yardage, had more penalties (11) than first downs (9), and held the ball for just 22 minutes. It could and should have been much worse than the scoreline indicated.
The performance from the Bengals was so bad that it led Troy Aikman to question the overall quality of the NFL product. Monday Night Football has done a lot to improve their schedule over recent years, and ESPN and the NFL are closer than ever before thanks to the upcoming equity deal between the two sides. But sometimes the games are what they are. And seeing the Bengals on one screen and the winless Jets and Dolphins on the other in an MNF doubleheader was hardly the best advertisement for the NFL.
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