The Cincinnati Bengals are an interesting case to watch in Week 18 as they play a “meaningless” game against the Cleveland Browns in the season finale.
One of the bigger takeaways from last weekend’s loss to the Chiefs that eliminated the team from the playoff race was the lack of chances for speedy younger players.
From the sounds of it, head coach Zac Taylor and Co. won’t use the Week 18 game to get those guys more run, either.
“Our No. 1 objective is to win this game by any means necessary. However that looks is however it looks,” Taylor said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “The fans that have continued to support us and cheer for this team and put their heart and soul into supporting us, get a chance to watch us play hard in a home game and find a way to win.”
Understandably, fans are probably worried about 2024 NFL draft positioning and seeing some of the younger members of the long-term plan get some critical game reps against the Browns.
But at least based on how the coaches have talked about it so far, despite not being able to play spoiler to a Browns team that has already locked in the fifth playoff seed in the AFC, the Bengals figure to have plenty of veterans out there striving to win.
