The sun has finally popped out over the last few days, and we have officially made it to February. January without Bengals playoff football makes for a long month, but we are finally approaching warmer weather and some baseball action.

With the freezing cold temperatures, the snow days keeping us inside, and no Bengals football or Reds baseball currently, I am certainly starting to get cabin fever.  

As I have stated week after week over the last few months, there is a lot to be excited about in the Queen City. The anticipation is building and the Reds are no longer expected to just surprise us with some wins; in 2024, it is going to be expected.  

After pulling out a win on Sunday against the Browns to secure Cincinnati’s first AFC North victory of the year (thanks Jeff Driskel), Cincinnati officially ends the season with a winning record of 9-8.  

After losing a tight battle at Arrowhead Stadium on New Year’s Eve, the Cincinnati Bengals have officially been eliminated from playoff contention. In terms of the whole season, this year was quite a disappointment, and it is a testament to how quick things change in today’s NFL.  

Jake Browning once again shocked the football world over the weekend by putting up another impressive performance in a 34-14 blowout against a solid Colts team. I have to admit that I didn’t trust that he would have the Bengals in a position to still be in the hunt, but I was completely wrong.  

The Reds organization does a fantastic job with fan interaction, and I can’t think of another professional team that does a better job in allowing contact with the athletes and past members of the organization.

I never thought I would be saying this, but the Cincinnati Bengals will be finishing last in the AFC North this season and in all honesty, I am not sure they win more than one more game.  

Anyone who reads my columns each week should know by now that they are often quite positive. Of course, I use my “negatives” to put out some frustration, but I rarely ever say it is time to move on from someone.  

Lou Anarumo’s magic and the Cincinnati Bengals defense failed to show up this past Sunday, which resulted in a loss to the Texans with a score of 30-27.

Joe Burrow thrives in primetime games and displayed his skills on Sunday Night Football this week which led to a Bengals victory over the Buffalo Bills.  

In a must-win game for Cincinnati against the Arizona Cardinals on the road Sunday, Ja’Marr Chase put the city on his back and had a historical performance to get this team back on track.  

Cincinnati handled business on primetime television on Monday and all of Bengals Nation was finally able to exhale in relief. It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but pretty doesn’t matter in the NFL.