“I Smell an Oscar”: Chris Long in Awe of Chad Johnson’s ‘Acting’ Skills After Watching Former WR Cry on Nightcap

Chad Johnson represents a large number of Bengals supporters who are crying after seeing their team perform every week. The former Cincinnati wideout busted into tears during the latest episode of the Nightcap podcast, following his former team’s loss against the divisional rivals, the Steelers.

The video of him crying incessantly and inconsolably made rounds on social media, attracting the attention of his colleagues, including Chris Long. Long appeared on ‘Inside the NFL’ and humorously ribbed on Ocho:

“Do’ya’ll smell that? I smell an Oscar or an Emmy. That was unbelievable. You could be in Hollywood dude.”

Last week, Ocho saw the Bengals’ hope of making the postseason come to a frustrating end but that wasn’t the only reason behind his getting him all teary-eyed.

It was because he made a bet with his colleague and former Steelers Safety, Ryan Clark that Cinci would win against Pittsburgh. The duo bet something more important than money- Ocho agreed that if he lost the bet, he wouldn’t be eating from McDonald’s until next year.

Ocho took Long’s comments in jest, taking the opportunity to point out his prior experience of working in drama and theater during his high school days. Unfortunately, despite his fantastic performance, Ocho still cannot indulge in McDonald’s goodies as part of the bet.

Cinci’s playoff hopes are dead and gone

Ocho’s tears are the reflection of the tears of all the Cincinnati fans out there who started the season full of hope and optimism. Joe Burrow returned from injury to take them to the playoffs this time around after narrowly missing out last season. But it wasn’t on the cards as with the loss to the Steelers all their hopes ended.

The Bengals are 4-8 and are yet to win a game against a team with a winning record. Their struggles this season can be traced to their defense. Defensively, the Bengals rank 27th overall, surrendering nearly 370 yards per game, a figure alarmingly close to last season’s 31st ranking when they allowed 374 yards per game.

When it comes to offense they boast the league’s 9th-best overall offense and the top passing offense, averaging 356 yards per game—a testament to the brilliance of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. This is a significant improvement from last season when they ranked 22nd overall and 15th in passing offense.

However, their run game remains a glaring weakness, ranking 27th with just 91 yards per game—though still a slight improvement over last season.

While their offense has allowed them to stage comebacks, it hasn’t been enough to secure victories.

What’s more concerning is their inability to prevent scoring. This season, they’re giving up 28.3 points per game and have already allowed 41 touchdowns in just 12 games. In comparison, last season, they allowed 22.4 points per game and the same 41 touchdowns—but across 17 games.

Their defensive decline becomes even starker when compared to their 2022 performance, where they ranked 3rd overall, allowing just 335 yards and 18.9 points per game. Unfortunately, personnel losses over the past two seasons have eroded their once-dominant defense.

Until the Bengals address their defensive woes, the future looks bleak for their fans—Chad Johnson included.