ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker

The David Klingler years were pretty bad.

So was the Akili Smith era.

Remember Ki-Jana Carter? Ok, sorry for bringing him up.

But the one thing all of these players had in common through the years is they never went winless with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Worst Bengals Team Ever? Here is a look at Cincinnati's all-time worst starts and how the team finished. Year Start Finish 1978 0-8 4-12 1991 0-8 3-13 1993 0-10 3-13 1994 0-8 3-13 2008 0-8 ?

With the way this season is progressing, the Bengals (0-8) appear to be in danger of setting an all-time low for futility. Cincinnati's lowest win total for any season is two. Looking at its schedule on paper, this year's team appear hard-pressed to surpass that number.

So that brings us to the multimillion-dollar question: Is this the worst Bengals team ever?

There are a lot of bad Bengal teams to choose from. Cincinnati has had double-digit losses 15 times in its franchise history.

Arguably the worst Cincinnati team ever was the group that started 0-10 in 1993, led by a cast that included Klingler at quarterback, tailback Harold Green and receiver Carl Pickens. But Cincinnati rebounded late by going a respectable 3-3 in the final six games to finish the year 3-13. The 2002 team also could make a strong case after finishing 2-14. But that team did earn its first win in its eighth game.

This year's Bengals are certainly earning their way into the conversation. With November games against the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4), Philadelphia Eagles (4-3), Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) and Baltimore Ravens (4-3), it's very possible the Bengals surpass their franchise-worst 10 straight losses to start the season. The only win that looks somewhat safe to project is a Dec. 28 home date against the Kansas City Chiefs (1-6) in the season finale.

Reporters are starting to ask players about the possibility of going 0-16. Receiver Chad Ocho Cinco actually believes the Bengals can finish 8-8. Teammate T.J. Houshmandzadeh wouldn't go that far, but he did guarantee the Bengals would not go winless this year.

Stay tuned.