As the Cincinnati Bengals prepare for the second act of their three-game homestand in Week 8 versus the New York Jets, they're battling an immortal force. An intangible enemy of human nature. The letdown.
Pardon my drama geekdom for a second, but bear with me here. In a traditional three-act dramatic structure that dates back to Aristotle's Poetics and persists in modern day, Act 1 establishes a new world. It tends to climax on a positively-charged denouement, only for the feces to hit the fan in Act 2.
Welp. Here we are. The Bengals spun a fresh, new yarn last Thursday eve when Joe Flacco threw for 342 yards in a 33-31 victory over Pittsburgh, snapping a skid of four straight losses.