How About Two Out of Five? A Positive Spin on the Bengals' Playoff Appearances

I am a lifelong NFL fan, but a relatively new Bengals ' fan.  I moved to Lexington, Kentucky in 2003 and, after watching the Bengals play each week, I soon became a die-hard fan.  I'd come home from church and relax with my family while watching our newest Sunday afternoon house guests.

I heard a comment from a talk show on 700 WLW which said that Cincinnati is a "drinking city with a football problem" after their 37-0 embarrassment by the New York Football Jets .  That comment encapsulated a mindset of, "Uh oh, here we go again" pessimism which seems to expect the worst from the Bengals.  Given the history, I can appreciate that.

Yet, one comment keeps coming up that, frankly, needs to go away.  The comment, in all its variations, carries this theme:  "This is only the 2nd playoff appearance in 19 years."  Those appearances, as we know, are January 2006 and January 2010. 

Can we spin this another way?

Let's try this on for size:  "The Bengals make their 2nd playoff appearance in five years."  It's accurate, to the point, optimistic.  "Optimistic?"  Yes. 

How many franchises would KILL to make the playoffs twice in five years?  Let's see: the Detroit Lions ?  The Oakland Raiders (who haven't sniffed the playoffs since the 2002 postseason)?  The Houston Texans (never in their existence)?  The Cleveland Browns (once since their re-inception)?  The Atlanta Falcons ?  The St. Louis Rams ?

I could go on--but while our Bengals may have issues (which team doesn't at some point), they have made it to the playoffs twice in five years. 

After all, doesn't that sound better than twice in 19?  Yeah, I thought so, too!

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Dr. Matthew Perry is Pastor of the Boone's Creek Baptist Church, Lexington, KY, and an avid Bengals fan.  You can read more of his articles on various other topics at http://www.grippedbythegospel.com .