It’s been a long year for the Bengals, and we’re only a week into October. It could get even longer.
The Bengals have lost five in a row to start the season, with a pair of home games played before less than capacity crowds. According to the official NFL gamebook, only 50,666 attended the Week Two loss to the 49ers. Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals featured only 46,012.
Paul Brown Stadium has a capacity of 65,535.
Visual evidence from Sunday’s game shows how sparse the crowd was. As the Bengals continue to sink, the crowds will only get smaller.
The Bengals next play at home in 13 days, against the Jaguars. Next comes a Week 10 meeting with the Ravens, a Week 12 game against the Steelers, Week 13 against the Jets, Week 15 against the Patriots, and Week 17 against the Browns.
That translates to three home games in December. Which will translate to short lines for the bathrooms, short waits for hot chocolate, and plenty of elbow room.