The trade deadline came and went and the Bengals stayed pat.

"We're good."

It's the two words that head coach Zac Taylor used on Tuesday.

Their actions said otherwise. The Bengals agreed to a deal that would've brought Arnold Ebikete to Cincinnati. Instead, that deal fell through in embarassing fashion. Our own Russ Heltman has the details here.

That failed deal will get the attention it deserves, but it didn't have to be the story of the deadline for the Bengals. They still had hours to add to their roster.

The same roster that has Joe Burrow playing at an MVP level. The same roster that has Dexter Lawrence in position to make a real run at Defensive Player of the Year. Tee Higgins is playing the best ball of his career. Ja'Marr Chase is the best receiver on the planet.

The Bengals have a ton of talent and can make a real run at a Super Bowl. So why add?

That's what contenders do.

AFC Contenders Make Moves

The Buffalo Bills are considered the top team in the AFC. They didn't sit on their hands at the deadline. They went out and got the guy that intercepted three of Burrow's passes in Week 8. Amani Hooker is a heck of a football player and gives the Bills a real playmaker at safety.

Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes has a new weapon to throw to. Josh Downs is headed to Kansas City. The slot receiver has a chance to make a major impact for the remainder of the season. The Bengals face the Chiefs in December.

The Jaguars made three trades on Monday, including a deal for Jessie Bates that would've been a costly, but worth it type of deal for the Bengals. Bates was a great player for the Bengals. He got even better in Atlanta and would've been a plug-and-play piece in the back-end of Cincinnati's defense.

Even the Broncos got in on the fun. No, they didn't add another weapon for Bo Nix. Instead, they addressed arguably the Bengals' biggest weakness: linebacker. They made an in-division trade with the Chargers for linebacker Daiyan Henley.

All four of these AFC contenders addressed needs with big moves. All four of these teams are much better today than they were on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Bengals didn't get the deal done for Ebiketie after botching the compensatory pick implications and didn't follow it up with another move to bolster their roster.

Never count out Joe Burrow or Ja'Marr Chase, but the Bengals didn't get better on Tuesday. Their biggest competition did.

For more, watch the video below where we break down all things Bengals trade deadline.