Former Cincinnati Bengals safety Solomon Wilcots always keeps his opinions real when he's In The Trenches with Dave Lapham, presented by First Star Logistics.

Like all Bengals fans, Wilcots did not like what he witnessed Halloween night when the Cleveland Browns knocked down and bloodied some noses on their way to a dominating 32-13 win over the Bengals.

The loss has many, including Wilcots, wondering if the Bengals can find the magic they enjoyed after their bye week last season on their way to the Super Bowl.

The loss in the "Battle of Ohio" gave the Bengals their third loss in the AFC North for the season after going 4-2 last season, and injuries continued to mount with the loss of Chidobe Awuzie, who joins Ja'Marr Chase, D.J. Reader, Josh Tupou, and others since the start of the season.

Wilcots knows the Bengals spent the money and entrusted offensive line coach Frank Pollack to rebuild the weakest part of last year's squad with free-agent signings Alex Cappa, Ted Karras, and La'el Collins, along with drafting Cordell Volson.

Sunday, Joe Burrow will look to lead the Bengals to their fifth win against the Carolina Panthers, who are playing hard-nosed football despite their 2-6 record for interim head coach Steve Wilks.

A win and the Bengals head to their bye week matching their won-loss totals at the same point as last season.

Deep Dive with Wilcots and Lapham as they talk about the highs and lows of this season, dealing with injuries, what the Bengals must do to right the ship, and more.