Blowout loss stings Bengals’ pride
Marvin Lewis went to sit in his chair and realized someone had lowered it. The chair didn’t cooperate as he struggled to get it to a comfortable level.
“I guess that’s what happens when you get beat up,” the Cincinnati Bengals coach joked.
Beat up, and then some.
The Bengals unraveled in prime time yet again, playing their worst game on the Sunday night stage. A 45-10 loss at Kansas City was the second-most-lopsided defeat during Lewis’ 16 seasons in Cincinnati, surpassed only by a game in which they rested starters to get ready for the playoffs.
There was a lot at stake in this one: national recognition and first place in the AFC North. The game was flexed from an afternoon slot to Sunday night so fans nationwide could see a pair of up-and-coming teams in an offensive showdown.
Instead, the Bengals (4-3) were dominated in every respect as millions watched.
“That’s when your pride gets affected,” receiver Tyler Boyd said Monday. “That hurts more than anything.”
Cincinnati has lost nine straight on Sunday night, when it’s 3-16 overall. The Bengals’ last such win was over the Dolphins in 2004. They’re 6-15 in primetime games since 2011, when Andy Dalton and A.J. Green arrived.
Back on the big stage, they missed tackles, botched coverages, missed blocks, messed up a fake punt and had an interception returned for a touchdown. They struggled to get even the simple things done right.
“It’s a bad look for the whole team to see this happen,” linebacker Preston Brown said. “It’s such a big score difference. You never want to go out there and get blown out on a Sunday night, (especially) when it’s been something we’ve been waiting to show the whole league what we can do.” Falcons running back Tevin Coleman runs against Giants defensive tackle Damon Harrison during the game Monday night in Atlanta. FALCONS 23, GIANTS 20: Matt Ryan passed for 379 yards and a touchdown as host Atlanta (3-4) held off New York (1-6). The Giants scored on Eli Manning’s 1-yard pass to Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley’s two-point
conversion run with 5 seconds left, but the Falcons recovered the onside kick. COWBOYS GET COOPER FROM RAIDERS: The Dallas Cowboys traded a first-round draft pick for Oakland Raiders receiver Amari Cooper.
The Cowboys gave up their top pick in the 2019 draft in hopes of giving quarterback Dak Prescott another weapon just a few months after releasing franchise touchdown catch leader Dez Bryant in a cost-cutting move.