Frankie: Sunday finally felt like a new dey

CINCINNATI — Of all the things Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said immediately after the Bengals 41-10 destruction of the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium, one comment directed towards the fans stood out. Below is a question Taylor was asked about home field advantage and the answer he gave.

How important is it to get the home field advantage back after the Cleveland game with a win like the one you had here today?

“I agree with that. For me, we need the energy of this crowd. These people pay good money to watch us play, and we need to win it at home. It’s fun to win on the road and go shut up some other crowds, but for us, our fans need to be rewarded. They’ve supported us through some really difficult times, so we need to go put a winner out there that they can cheer on and be proud of. To send a divisional rival home with a loss and let our fans enjoy that, that’s important to us. It’s important for us as players and coaches to get this win and feel it in the locker room, it’s just as important for our fan base to feel this and get to enjoy this from week to week.”

I directly related to that because I was at the home games during those tough times. I was at every home game in 2019, some with half of the stadium empty. I almost forced myself to go sometimes. Why am I doing this? Why am I wasting my money on these games, for a franchise that’s not giving me what I and a whole fanbase deserve which is winning. Hell, I even went to three of the final four home games after Joe Burrow got injured last year, in the middle of a global pandemic no less. Two of those games I went to after pulling the formerly dreaded midnight-to-8 a.m. overnight shift at 700WLW. Why am I doing this to myself? Why don’t I just get sleep? Because someday I’m going to be thankful I went to the games during the tough times. That someday came Sunday.

There are few things better in life as a Bengals fan than kicking Pittsburgh’s a$$. Sunday was the best game I’ve ever been to, without a doubt. So much so that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to recapture all the moments as I was able to see them live.

The Bengals were in control from the opening drive Sunday. That opening drive gave me the sense that the Bengals were potentially in for a very successful afternoon, and that feeling was especially validated after Eli Apple’s interception return to the Pittsburgh five-yard line.

Now only scoring a field goal after the interception and then allowing Pittsburgh to score three points on their ensuing drive made me think, okay, this is going to be a four-quarter game. But then the Bengals scored a touchdown on their ensuing drive, and again on their next one. 24-3?! Against the Steelers at home?! What is happening?! Then just as the Bengals were on the doorstep of scoring again before halftime, Joe Burrow was intercepted by Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Please don’t let be the play that lets them back into the game, especially since the Steelers have the ball to start the second half.

But then, the play that shattered all narratives of not being able to beat Pittsburgh, being their little brother, weaker than them, softer than them, not making as many plays as them, etc.. Mike Hilton, the ex-Steeler, picking off Big Ben Roethlisberger on the very. next. play. and running it back for a touchdown. Game over. IN THE FIRST HALF! AGAINST PITTSBURGH!! As my friend Kat wrote in her single Role Models: Talking about your demons doesn’t get you ahead; exorcising them does.

It’s so fun being a Bengals fan right now. There’s a swagger to this team. There’s a confidence within this team. I don’t have that dread anymore of what could go wrong. Not against Pittsburgh. Not against any team. Sunday was the first time I was ever at a home game where the Bengals beat the Steelers. I think there will be many more to come.

I have no idea how these next six weeks will play out. It’s fun, though, heading into December playing meaningful football with the chance to clinch a playoff berth, maybe even a division title. But after shattering the old narratives from playing the Steelers Sunday, I’m not worried about how this season might end as opposed to just enjoying every game week as they come. This team feels fresh, like a world away from Bengals teams in the past. Sunday finally felt like a new dey, and where it goes remains to be seen.