CINCINNATI — ESPN’s Mina Kimes is surprised the Bengals’ front office isn’t taking more heat from national voices amidst one of the most disappointing seasons in team history.
Cincinnati has woefully underperformed expectations, especially defensively, where they’ve spent a ton of resources for little impact.
“I’ll probably go the Cincinnati Bengals there,” Kimes said on DraftKings GoJo and Golic. “And I said this before, but I really believe if the Bengals were in a different city, like, I don’t know if they were the Jets or something, there would be a bigger outcry over this season from Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase being wasted on offense. I believe it’s close to historically unprecedented, right? Like what they’re doing respective to the team’s win record. But throw out the stats when you watch every week. It is jarring to me, the ways in which this defense has let them down.
“And it’s a defense that clearly has not been built well, and they’ve thrown resources, it’s a very expensive defensive line, and they have drafted and they have continuously tried to address it, and it’s been an obvious failure, not just this year but going forward. I don’t look at this defense and see like cornerstones per se, and I really feel like the front office deserves so much more heat for that than they’ve been getting—because it’s been such an unbelievable let down this year.”
“Obvious failure” is spot on from Kimes.
The Bengals have spent a whopping 23.87% of its salary cap on the defensive line this season (the next closest NFL team spent 20.76%), for basically nothing outside of Trey Hendrickson’s All-Pro caliber year.
It’s impossible to predict an illness like the one Sheldon Rankins has dealt with, but that among other issues has completely crushed the team’s ceiling this season.
“Biggest NFL letdown relative to expectation from the start of the season this year?” @mikegolicjr
“I would probably go with the Cincinnati Bengals there. I really believe if the Bengals were in a different city, there would be a bigger outcry over this season, with Joe Burrow… pic.twitter.com/Odam6yzPNR
— GoJo and Golic (@GoJoandGolic) December 26, 2024
My point wasn’t that Bengals fans aren’t mad–it’s that the front office/ownership deserves more heat from *national* folks. That’s the 4th most expensive defense in football! https://t.co/940YkKjTkp
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) December 26, 2024
For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and watch the video below:
Make sure you bookmark BengalsTalk.com for the latest Bengals news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
You May Also Like:
Watch: Patriots Veteran Kendrick Bourne Recruiting Bengals Star Tee Higgins Ahead of Free Agency
Cincinnati Bengals Quarterback Joe Burrow Says He’s Past Wrist Injury
Cincinnati Bengals Playoff Picture: Where They Stand After Win Over Cleveland Browns
Watch: Geno Stone Posts Hilarious Video Following Bengals’ Win Over Browns
Cincinnati Bengals Have 99 Problems and the Cleveland Browns Aren’t One
Watch: Zac Taylor Tosses Out Game Balls Following Bengals Victory Over Cleveland
Sam Hubbard Speculates About Knee Injury Following Bengals’ Win Over Titan
Watch: Zac Taylor Hands Out Game Balls Following 37-27 Win Over Titans
Watch: Current, Former Bengals Reunite Following Cincinnati’s Win Over Tennessee
Winners and Losers From Cincinnati Bengals’ 37-27 Win Over Tennessee Titans
Bengals Stars Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase Set More NFL Records in Win Over Cowboys
Joe Burrow Shares Update on Injured Knee Following Bengals’ Win Over Cowboys
—–
Join the 46,000+ Bengals fans who subscribe to us on YouTube.
Follow us on Twitter: @BengalsTalkSI
