Cincinnati Bengals' Identity Helps Them Overcome Adversity, Injuries to Key Players

Cincinnati has won three-straight games. They're 8-6 on the season.

Identity. It can be the main focus of conversations surrounding sports teams at any level. 

The Bengals' staff and players have been asked about their identity a lot over the years. The identity of an NFL team can make or break their chances, especially when they hit the rockiest points of the year.

The Bengals had to deal with adversity before the season started. Joe Burrow suffered a calf injury on July 27, missed the entire preseason and they started the season 1-3. 

The themes of cohesion and confidence underpinned the next four weeks. At 1-3, players continued to make promises that they would stick together and rebound after a slow start. With Burrow's health improving, it was an easy concept for most fans to hold onto. 

At 1-3, Cincinnati was knocked down, but got right back up and continued to fight, winning four games in a row against Arizona, Seattle, San Francisco and Buffalo.

Belief on the outside was restored, but being knocked down only to get back up is part of Cincinnati’s identity.

The hits kept coming. A loss to Houston in Week 10 was rough and they lost Burrow for the season four days later when he suffered a wrist injury against Baltimore. 

Less than 24 hours later they found out that Burrow's injury required season-ending wrist surgery.

Many thought Week 12 would be the KO of the 2023 Bengals. 

A Steelers team who’s foundation under Mike Tomlin has been built to be physical and suffocating lived up to their reputation in the 16-10 win. Pat Freiermuth had a career-high nine catches for 120 yards. Pittsburgh ran the ball 33 times for 153 yards and they completely smothered any hopes of getting a ground game established as Joe Mixon saw just eight carries touches for 16 yards. Chase Brown didn't get an offensive snap and the Bengals fell to 5-6 on the season. 

Fans gasped as their team was on the floor of the AFC fighting ring again. The Bengals continued the fight, despite being bloody and bruised—they were ready to fight another round.

Zac Taylor didn't panic and vowed to make changes ahead of their matchup with the Jaguars on Monday Night Football. 

A bedrock of Cincinnati’s identity is to fight even harder when their backs are against the wall. 

Jake Browning's rise has helped Cincinnati get back into playoff contention. He outplayed Trevor Lawrence in primetime, helping the Bengals beat Jacksonville in overtime. His success continued in each of the past two games. Browning led a fourth quarter rally last week against Minnesota, helping Cincinnati win their third-straight game.

Browning has completed 79 passes for 953 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions over the past three weeks, leading the team’s charge from an ugly Pittsburgh loss to three straight wins in under two weeks.

“Jake is unbelievable, he's had the trust of this team for a while,“ Ted Karras told All Bengals. “He’s such a great guy and I’m so happy for him that he gets this opportunity to be the guy and play that role and win and lead our team because he’s an exceptional leader. He’s playing out of his mind, I think for the first time in the NFL with 1,000 yards passing 75% completion rate. That’s special, in the NFL those are really special moments and he’s earned every bit of this and he’s going to continue to play well for us because we are going to try and make our way into the dance here.”

Though the Bengals were winning, the hits continued. The Bengals lost one of their most important and talented defensive players last wee when  DJ Reader suffered a torn quad tendon on the second defensive snap of the game.

A distinguishing characteristic of this team is to see the next man step in and continue the fight. Last year when Reader went down, Josh Tupou stepped in, the Bengals defensive line fought tooth and nail, posting a 4-2 record without Reader.

The backups prepare just like the starters and every player is ready to go the moment their number is called.

“Even though you’re a backup, you’re still supposed to watch as much film as the starters, you never know,” Josh Tupou told All Bengals. “Unfortunately, that’s what happened last week with DJ (Reader).”

How have they been able to overcome injuries to so many key players?

“Roster building that this organization has with so many great young men, and guys really own it and take advantage of opportunities,” Karras said. “We have so many talented players on this team and a great coaching staff. When guys have gotten their shot they’ve stepped up big time and really that’s what its about in December, January, February football and if you can string wins together at that time of year, you usually have chance in the postseason.”

Many wondered how the Bengals defensive line was going to progress this season after seeing defensive tackle BJ Hill play more snaps than anyone else in his position group at a 78.8% clip.

Another piece of Cincinnati’s identity stems from the leadership of their veteran players. Instead of taking an invitation to complain about overuse, Hill stepped up to record two interceptions in back-to-back games, while compiling five passes defensed, four sacks and 17 quarterback hits. When you’re around the same people constantly like NFL players are, the way one carries himself and goes about his business is noticed.

“We know what we have in this room, we have a lot of confident young guys ready to fill in," Zach Carter told All Bengals. “The older guys always do a good job of making sure we’re up to par so I feel like we are ready for the challenge, we are ready to dominate.”

The way Browning carries himself when the hits start coming radiates through the team. The way Burrow sits in meetings or on the sidelines with a headset and right arm in a sling to help the team utilizing his football IQ, one of his biggest strengths has an impact on the team.

The Bengals entered the fourth quarter trailing the Vikings 17-3 last week. Some packed it in and expected to see a loss. Not the Bengals. Instead, they got up and kept throwing punches to the tune of 21 fourth quarter points to force overtime and ultimately win it with the ultra reliable Evan "Money Mac" McPherson.

The Bengals continue to shock the NFL world with their grit, but their ability to fight when bruised and battered is not a surprise or a convenience. It’s an expectation.

The biggest rounds are still yet to come and Cincinnati will look to exact revenge on Saturday in what has been a grueling, season-long fight to the postseason. A win against Pittsburgh won’t come without added injuries or black eyes. Heck, they might even lose some teeth in this fight, but from what we’ve seen so far this year, you can expect them to come in ready, focused, and with a refusal to back down no matter the circumstances.

“I think it would mean a lot especially with the playoff implications,” Tupou said. “They’re fighting for a spot, they’re still in the hunt, there’s a couple of other teams in the AFC like Buffalo and those guys so we have to continue to win to keep some distance, Cleveland is in front of us, every game counts now.”

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