The Cincinnati Bengals left Gillette Stadium on Sunday night as leaders of the AFC North with a 3-1 record. That’s the “glass half-full” approach.
Yet many Bengals fans aren’t exactly adopting that mindset.
The Bengals, of course, were blown out 43-17 by a New England Patriots team that looked ripe for the taking after a humiliating loss to the Kansas City Chiefs a week before. Bengals fans laid into their team after Sunday night’s loss, with many claiming they had given up on Cincinnati after its poor showing.
On Monday, Bengals players fired back.
“Let them jump off (the bandwagon),” safety George Iloka told reporters, via ESPN.com. “I’m not worried about the people who jump off. We don’t want them as fans anyway.
“We look to the Patriots, how they came out and lost on Monday night in prime time and saw all their fair-weather fans jump off the bandwagon, and they’re probably back on after they beat us.”
Offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth was no less harsh, calling out Bengals fans for failing to sell out the team’s two home games so far this season, both wins.
“They didn’t come to the games when we were 3-0, so I don’t know what to say to them,” Whitworth said. “That stuff’s just garbage. I’m not worried about the fans or the media or any of that crap.
“The same people thought Tom Brady should quit football and retire from the NFL a week ago, so I bet they don’t think that now.”
The Bengals host the Carolina Panthers next Sunday, and it appears that all they need to do is win to silence the team’s critics.
Photo via Andrew Weber/USA TODAY Sports Images
