Good or just good enough?

Is this Bengals squad still finding their identity or just squeaking by?

After Week 9, how exactly are fans supposed to view this Cincinnati Bengals squad?

Are they a good team still trying to find their identity this late in the season, or are they a team that just keeps winning against subpar teams?

It’s a debate you don’t want to have, but you have to.

All bias aside, it’s a mixture of both.

I get it, it’s hard not to just say, quit it, this team is not good, but actually watching the games, watching the highlights, there are glimpses of their ‘21 run to the Super Bowl. This offense, for the most part, is still performing at a high level, but they can’t pick and choose when they want to play well and score. But it’s tough to defend the defense (pun intended)

I actually told a friend of mine that this defense would finish the season as a top-five defense. It’s not looking good for me. Granted, the season isn’t over yet, but certain aspects show me that won’t happen. Now, I’m not saying that they can’t get better or find their groove in the next several weeks, but there’s a lot to fix still.

One thing I have noticed, that makes me still believe in this team, is the players take full accountability when they don’t perform well, but they still believe in themselves.

Another player you have to respect and be impressed by is Burrow. He’s having a career year. Throws for five touchdowns, the only quarterback to do so this season, but isn’t satisfied.

I’m sure he’s happy with a win, but to him, that’s all it is. His team is still under .500 more than halfway through the season. They are sitting at 4-5 when they could and should be at 8-1, sitting atop the AFC North and AFC. That’s four games in which they either underestimated their opponent and didn’t show up or made stupid mistakes to lose, most of them out of Burrow’s control. So yes, it’s a win, but they’re still a losing team, according to the record. But again, that means they can’t continue to improve each week to clinch the playoffs.

There are several small things the team has to fix or continue to do, whether it’s maintaining a good, complementary run game or having sensible plays and play calling. At the end of the day, it comes back to the defense. Minus a couple of games, the defensive line (with the exception of Trey Hendrickson, who now leads the NFL in sacks [11]) needs to create pressure.

Our defensive backs have to play better, plain and simple. There have been way too many receivers wide open, or the DBs are getting beat and causing penalties. They also need to clean up their tackling.

Injuries have certainly not helped this team. Higgins has hamstring and quad issues, Sheldon Rankins has missed the first few games, BJ Hill is banged up, Orlando Brown has missed the last game, Trent Brown is out for the season, and now Erick All is out with his second torn ACL.

But this team has shown it can still perform at a high level. Everyone always says defense wins games, but when the clock hits 0:00, your team still has to score more points.
It seems like we have been saying it every week, but Thursday in Baltimore is a must-win. It is the biggest game of the year thus far, especially with how the season has gone. It is a huge divisional game, but so far, the Bengals have played better on the road. After a few unfortunate plays at the end of their last matchup, the Ravens came out on top, but there is no reason the Bengals can’t do the same to them.

This season is far from over. This Bengals squad just has to hold on tight if they still want a chance to play in January and February.