Ted Karras Labels Bengals Perfectly Following 20-18 2025 Season Finale Loss To Cleveland

CINCINNATI — Ted Karras came up with a perfect term for the Bengals 2025 season after the 20-18 Sunday loss to Cleveland: The Would-Be Kings.

Cincinnati blew way too many close games in the final moments this past campaign to end up with a 6-11 overall record, the team's worst since Joe Burrow's rookie season.

Karras's crew went 3-5 in one-score games.

"I would say that this season is the season of the would-be kings," Karras said on Sunday. "We come up a play short in about seven games, and that's reality in the NFL, 6-11. So it's the would-be year. Very grateful for all my teammates and coaches, and didn't win the Battle of Ohio today."

Karras maintained his play this season with a 63.1 overall Pro Football Focus grade compared to a 63.4 mark last year.

That stability, paired with much better play next to him at each guard spot, helped Cincinnati post its best pass-blocking season of the Burrow era, but one unit playing well won't get you into the NFL Playoffs.

"We're one play away," Karras said. "It is what it is, this is the NFL, so you have to finish the game, and we've, gosh, I've never been a part of so many drives to win, and then it doesn't, I mean, that's just how the ball rolls. So, no, I'm not going to sit here and say anything needs to be changed. We need to win ball games."

Chase Brown echoed the impact of this offensive line in his postgame comments. Cincinnati can keep the whole starting unit together if it re-signs Dalton Risner this offseason.

"I think we were just connecting on all levels," The Bengals star running back said about why the team went 3-3 down the stretch after entering the final six games with three wins total. "The O-line was doing a good job in run blocking, (and) we were making big plays down the field. When that all comes together, that's the Cincinnati Bengals offense. We were mostly grateful to find it, which is not always easy, especially given the struggles we had been going through at the start. In hindsight, it does feel great to find that."

There are pillars to build around the "Would-Be Kings," but the front office has to take meaningful measures to do it.

For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and watch the video below as part of our in-depth coverage of the team. Prefer to listen? Check out Cincinnati Bengals Talk on Apple, Spotify, and Amazon Podcasts.

Make sure you bookmark BengalsTalk.com for the latest Bengals news, exclusive interviews, insight, film breakdowns and so much more!

Also, check out the podcast, Locked On Bengals, wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple: bit.ly/BengalsApple

Spotify: bit.ly/BengalsSpotify

YouTube: bit.ly/LOBengalsYouTube

-----

Follow us on X: @BengalsTalkSI

Like Our Facebook Page

Follow on TikTok