Fascinating new subplot to Bengals' lost season should keep fans locked in

Cincinnati Bengals v Washington Commanders - NFL Preseason 2025 | G Fiume/GettyImagesThe Cincinnati Bengals have had a disappointing season. No matter how often head coach Zac Taylor wants to sugarcoat the harsh reality, this is a 4-9 football team.

All the adversity they're facing now isn't relevant, at least to the fact that they're missing the playoffs again in all likelihood. So what's left to play for? Root for? We can start with the mere hope that Joe Burrow keeps finding enjoyment in football and doesn't have his spirit broken.

While that's something we can all agree on, there's another juicy narrative to watch down the stretch of the season that just popped on Wednesday. It was a…