Not the Same Old Bengals: Comeback Victory Over Steelers Gives Cincy Fans Hope

On a breezy afternoon at Paul Brown Stadium, every Bengals fan could feel it slipping away. A promising 1-1 start was morphing into what promising starts in Cincinnati nearly always do—another disappointing season.

Hines Ward, a guy not exactly renowned for being respectful of other teams in their parks, was saying on the field what everyone in the sports world was thinking: “Same old Bengals.”

The defense, which had been so brilliant the first two weeks, couldn’t stop the Steelers. The offense couldn’t move the football—the first three series yielded no completions, no first downs, and -10 yards.

But something different happened in the second half. The poise that had been missing for so many years in difficult games was suddenly there.

Sunday’s game was the type of game the same old Bengals used to lose. Down 13-0 with nothing working, the old Bengals would have packed it in.

These guys didn’t.

Maybe that’s because they really aren’t the same old Bengals out on the field.

Laveranues Coles, a free agent signing in the offseason, came up with a huge five-yard reception on 4th-and-2. Brian Leonard, a guy the Bengals traded for in the offseason and who overcame a tight roster battle, made a leaping 11-yard gain on 4th-and-10. Both plays came on the game-winning drive.

Andre Caldwell, a third-round draft pick from a year ago, caught the game-winning touchdown pass. Rey Maualuga, this year’s second-round pick, left the field on a cart but then somehow came back in and played the rest of the game.

These aren’t the same old Bengals. They’re new faces, bringing a new attitude and a fresh look to Cincinnati. They don’t give up. They don’t choke in the face of adversity.

At least not yet. Another big test comes next week in the shape of the Cleveland Browns. This is another game the old Bengals would lose—a broken team in search of direction, a should-win situation for Cincinnati. But they’ve found ways to lose to the Browns in the past when they should have won.

So do the same old Bengals still exist? Are they hiding in the locker room of Paul Brown Stadium just waiting to come out? It’s hard to say.

But each gritty performance by these new Bengals gives hope to the Cincinnati faithful that they’ve finally seen the last of the same old thing.