Category: Cincinnati Sports

Based upon who the Bengals have beaten thus far, I really didn’t think they had a chance today. There’s still 4 minutes to go and they are down by 11. Indy just flat out wasted a possession and they are giving us the ball back with 3:49 to go. *That* I don’t understand.

Indy is good, that good. Are the Bengals that good? not yet, but they did impress me a bit today. I had pegged them losing today 31-17. The fact that they put up 34 points at this point impresses me because they’ve been getting it handed to them all day and they didn’t fold. That is HUGE.

Yes, I’m going to say it. The Bengals are for real, they are a top 8 team in a league of 32 teams. Top can 8 get you to the playoffs, and luck might carry you to the SuperBowl but you’ll probably be blown out when you get there. You need to be a 4 team to be a dominating force, to truly be respected on both sides of the ball.

Palmer was just sacked and they just gave up another 5 yards on top of that with a false start penalty. Top 6 teams don’t do that.

Yeah, I’m hard on the Bengals. They’ve sucked for so long. They got us all hyped up for the Pittsburgh game and got their butts kicked. This game wasn’t all that different. It was a game at halftime sort of but they were behind and hadn’t shown any ability to stop Indy all day. The feeling in the gut at halftime wasn’t good.

Their only saving grace was that Baltimore beat Pittsburgh today. But we play Baltimore next week and they aren’t as bad as they have been.

We ran all over Indy, what do you think Pittsburgh will do? Pittsburgh has a better chance to knock off the undefeated I believe, if they have Ben back.

The Bengals gave them a game though, at least offensively. Again, Bengal mistakes led to their loss. They stopped stopped themselves, more than the Colts stopped them, and that’s not a good thing.

All and all though I’m pleased with the way the Bengals played. It’s still a loss, but it’s a respectable loss given the opponent and our lack of any away to stop them what-so-ever.

Wow what a game.

Beating the Ravens was critical, and doing it in their house even better. The Ravens are certainly hurting, but they are still a brutal physical team even without the likes of one Ray Lewis.

The Bengals however proved today that they too can be a physical team. They took some hits and dished out quite a few of their own.

Roll on Bengals roll on.

Wow, the Bengals are 6-2.

Let’s keep things in perspective. The teams the Bengals have beaten have a combined record of: 12 -31. Except for the Bears, who are now 4-3, everyone else is 2-5 or worse. (Yikes)

So the Bengals can keep it together and beat the the really downtrodden, something that was not always possible in the past.

But what they used to be able to do, was get up for big games, and surprise you. Remember undefeated Kansas City? Part of that I’m sure was other teams taking Cincy for granted which they simply no longer do.

But Sunday’s game against Green Bay. Lordy, 5 turn overs. That’s amazing. Erich at work predicted Bret would throw 4 interceptions.

But that’s the problem. They had taken the ball away 4 times and had scored 0 points off of those turn overs. After four picks, Green Bay was still in it. With minutes to play in the 3rd quarter you could feel that Green Bay was going to pull this out, or that the Bengals, in typical Bengal fashion was going to throw it away.

Thankfully the Defense pulled yet another rabbit out of the hat for the 5th turnover of the day, of which we converted.

Still, Bret, brought them back. Yeah, this is the NFL and any team on any Sunday, yadda, yadda. But you know what. Pittsburg doesn’t say that. They say, come to our house and we’ll kick the livin snot out of you, and they usually do.

Giving the Bengals their due; they didn’t fold. They kept their poise. Chris Perry is the man, he’s a thinking back, he stayed in bounds and kept the clock running unlike a wide reciever who blew an opportunity to add 3 points at the end of the half.

Marvins got the boys moving. They should make short work of Baltimore, they should make a statement and beat them by 21 or more. Again the Bengals didn’t cover the spread against Green Bay. They should whoop the Ravins and get prepared for Indy.

Wow, flash back.

What a disappointing game. So far this year the Bengals are 0-2 in games that really matter. Fair weather fan? Nope. I want so badly for this team to win. But 12 years bitten I’m just a little bit skeptical.

Jacksonville took them to task and made the D look flat out bad against the run. Today, Pittsburgh manhandled them.

Oh, we had our chances in the first quarter, and I think Chad’s catch was a TD. His elbow was in, but that’s how the ball bounces.

Still the Bengals got owned by what appears to be the best team in the AFC North. The team that brings a swagger into the game and makes you play their style of football. That’s what the Bengals don’t have (yet). All the attention they’ve garnered in the last 6 weeks they pretty much blown.

Yes Palmer and Chad have game, but they can’t do it alone. Our secondary is opportunistic and that’s outstanding, but they got burned today big time by Hines Ward, even AFTER he was hurt. That was sad.

I understand our run defense is young and we’ll certainly end up with a wild card birth this year. But next year will be the year. The next two games for the Bengals are critical. They will play a very hungry Green Bay and then Indy. A loss to either or both could take play off hopes away and we could again be looking at an 8-8 season.