Bengals got absolutely screwed around on all the post-Buffalo game stuff, but that chapter is closed so may as well move forward.
Joe Burrow is such an X-factor, I mean he makes that team so damn good. The best part is that he knows it too. His ability on the field and swagger off the field is really what makes that team go.
The Excellence of Execution, the Best there is, the Best there was, the Best there ever will be!
I’m not sure the chapter is closed. If Buffalo and Cincy win this week. Who knows what the weather will look like in Buffalo 2 weeks from now. That game being played in Buffalo as opposed to a neutral site pissed me off more than the coin flip because I felt confident that the Ravens weren’t going to present a real challenge without a QB and Dobbins. The weather in Buffalo is such an X factor that you can’t prepare for. Any CIN/ BUF matchup or any KC/ BUF matchup should have been played at neutral sites. Making the Bengals go to Arrowhead is fine because even if the game was played against Buffalo and the Bengals won, KC would still be the 1 seed.
Don't know if anyone else noticed, but, once Cincinnati jumped out to a lead yesterday it sort of seemed like they kind of shut it down offensively. They were content not to show much of anything really. Presumably because they knew they would be playing Baltimore again in 7 days.
Could just be my incorrect observation.
When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less.
I was hoping this was the case, too. The Ravens came in willing to rest their starters while the Bengals were still holding out hope for a #2 seed.
I’m glad we got home field advantage (even though that should never have been in question), but after playing lights-out for the first half it definitely seemed like we went vanilla and were on the verge of pulling starters until that facemask non-call kept it closer than it should have been. I’m actually hoping this is part of a longer term misdirection plan that started against New England. We started hot there, too, and let our foot off the gas. If the real Bengals are the ones we see in the first half of the past few games (including Buffalo) look out!
Hopefully the lack of rest is a non-issue, hopefully the Ravens didn’t learn anything useful while they sat starters, and maybe the Dolphins can pull off an upset in Buffalo and close the door on the NFL’s mismanagement of the whole situation.
The biggest factor to that game being even remotely close yesterday was that Joe Burrow overthrew three balls badly that would've all probably been TD's, all in the first half, I believe. His accuracy was very uncharacteristically bad. A lot of people complaining about play calling and such, but even Joe said after the game that he played like s--t. I love me some Joe Burrow, but I hope he got that all out of his system yesterday.
This was my thought as well. Once they got up 17-0, and especially after the D got the fumble TD, didn't expect to see much in terms of offensive creativity knowing they'd likely meet again next week when it really matters.
But as cecsix mentioned, Burrow was also off. Especially the throw to Higgins that should have been an easy wide open TD. Even Boyd threw a finger up mid-play when he saw it was there but Burrow missed. I expect Joe to be dialed in next week.
Burrow also had 2 deep TD passes that hit off the hands and were dropped by both Higgins and Chase. Bengals as a team were just kind of sleep walking yesterday. I don't expect that next Sunday night.
Bullets will be back to save the season, and Stroud's dignity.
I was at the game and there seemed to a sort of lethargy all around, both from the crowd and the team. Maybe Damar Fatigue? An emotional relief that after every bad thing that could have happened, none did? Damar is okay. Maybe the knowledge that they would be playing again next week? My thoughts were they were holding something back, but then, I felt that way about Day and the Bucks before the Michigan game.
One thing, though, ever player who went down yesterday, Tyler Boyd in particular, the crowd held its breath. I think it will be a long time before normalcy returns to a Cincinnati home game.
I was really hoping for the score to be 24-0 at half and the Bengals could've shut down Burrow & Chase, maybe Higgins. The fast start definitely let them to relax a bit.
Getting that defensive score before half almost made it a sure thing as Baltimore wasn't exactly explosive with Anthony Brown and a 3rd string RB... I certainly expect one of the other QB's to play this week. Huntley has looked capable at times. JK Dobbins and Mark Andrews a big step up in talents as well.
The right side of the O line is going to be an adventure for the Bengals. Crazy they went nearly the whole season with same 5 and now it looks like it'll be Adeniji & Sharping? Joe better be on his toes!
That's been their M.O. for much of the winning streak, playing one EXCEPTIONAL half of football and one bad half. In eight drives the second half they had 5 three and outs, a TO on downs, they stunk it up but perhaps it was lack of focus.
This team has IT. I've said ad nauseum, just get in the playoffs, and there is NO OTHER qb I would rather have. Throw in all the weapons, elite weapons Burrow has at his disposal and I'm good.
This defense is so good, they play together and sound for the most part. I also believe that yesterday we only played basic on offense, didn't show too much at all. Same with the blitz on defense. Save it all for Sunday night.
Dare I say it: Zach Taylor might just be COY. Yes having Burrow helps, but he took that superbowl hangover stuff and said kick rocks! Beat Baltimore Sunday night, and I'm eating crow over my attitude towards Taylor. WHO DEY
Veni, Vidi, Vici. I came, I saw, I conquered.
The Buckeye Way
Bengals were very basic on offense, and especially on defense, once the lead was established. Mainly rushed four and played a little man with the Cover 2 and Cover 3 being played the majority of the time. They will be much more exotic this Sunday, when I think they will see Huntley. I didn't realize that Lamar hasn't even been on the practice field once during this time. Hasn't done anything. No way he will be ready to come back. That is why they sat Huntley, because they wanted him ready.
Because the Bills are getting the benefit of the doubt and the Bengals are not. If the Bills get a neutral site against KC for a game they might have won, the Bengals should get the same against the Bills for a game they were leading. KC has a better record than Buffalo.
Because the Bengals lost the opportunity to have a better record because a head-to-head contest they were playing with Buffalo, in which they were already winning and driving for more points. The NFL made conditions and exceptions to the existing rules to benefit every other team who might be affected EXCEPT Cincinnati.
If the game between the two teams had finished it seems likely to me the Bengals and Bills would have the same record, with the Bengals having the tiebreaker.
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Because the game that was supposed to happen would have decided who got the home game in that potential playoff matchup. I get the Bills have a better record, but they wouldn’t have if the game had been played and the Bengals won. The field should decide who gets home field. In this very rare situation, the field couldn’t decide it so it should have been a neutral site.
After watching yesterday's game, I forgot how much I dislike the Rat Birds, particularly their defensive players. They remind me a lot of TTUN....ganging up on a player who's separated from his teammates (Jackson Carman), aggressive nudges after the whistle's blown (Raquon Smith on Chase), and questionable targeting shots against offensive players.
I like the Bengals' chances this weekend, but it's going to be a physically tough game. I'd much rather play the Dolphins, or Jax or the Chargers even with their on-a-tear QB"s. I had really hoped for the Patriots who the Bengals would be out to knock around Mac Jones.
Tee Higgins played like he was in funk yesterday. Missed a couple blocks and catches.....I was really hoping that missed TD pass from Joe Brrr would have lit his spark. Hopefully he's 100% ready this weekend.
My biggest concern in the 2nd half was that the Ravens would try to take out some players to give them a better chance next week.
Cappa's injury looked like just an unfortunate football play, but #41 (Mosley?) seemed liked his main goal was to do some damage to our WRs. I think there was one play where Burrow threw a bad pass that he could've picked off, but instead his eyes were on lining up to deck the receiver so the ball went right by him.
We had 1 offensive touchdown yesterday..like previous posts have said, hopefully it was because they didn't want to show too much, but they played against a lot of backups and the second half had me kinda nervous..what was up with that Jackson Carmen block out of bounds though? Dude gets into the game and blocks a guy 30 yards away from the play and into the other teams bench then gets swarmed..
The Ravens had their starters out there on defense. The backups were on offense and that showed.
Joe was off, guys were dropping passes, and yes, I don't think they went too deep into the playbook. But if our offense had just executed the plays at an average level this game would've been a 3-4TD blowout.
He finished his block lol. I'm sure he seen all the Bush leauge shit happening from the sideline. Have no problem with him driving and planting his man 30 yards into the Ravens sideline.
Bullets will be back to save the season, and Stroud's dignity.
KInd of reminded me of the Blindside Movie, "I was taking him to the bus coach, it was time for him to go". I actually liked to see Carmen make that block and keep playing to the whistle, he's lacked that edge since he was drafted.
And if you watch the play, about 5 yards before they hit the sideline, the Ravens player grabbed the back of Carmen's helmet and basically pulled him back into him.
“Questionable” with a left ankle injury was the only update I saw, and that was during yesterday’s game. I’m sure we’ll get more clarity during the next presser.
Was a bad bad roll up. When I initially saw the replay I thought it looked like a broken leg or blown out knee. Was really surprised to hear it was just an ankle. He will have his MRI today and we will find out the extent. I be absolutely shocked if he isn't out at least 2 weeks. But I've heard rumors that Cappa played or tried to play with a broken ankle for the Bucs in the playoffs.
Bullets will be back to save the season, and Stroud's dignity.
Taylor said it would be “tough to see him this week” when talking about Cappa. Scharping will start at RG. Obviously could be Taylor putting up a smoke screen but sounds like Cappa could be back next week for the Bills or the following for the Chiefs. Big good
I'm not expecting Cappa to play this week putting us back where we were last season on that side of the line-weak. The team definitely shut down most of the offense in the second half and went pretty basic, so likely saving things for this week.
Guys were pretty salty about Baltimore players CTB- "“It was a lot of late stuff,” he said. “Just after the play, doing dirty stuff you shouldn’t do in football. Aiming at guys’ legs and stuff and other dirty hits. We don’t play like that. We’re gonna remember that.”
So the right side is going to be weak, Burrow is going to be running for his life, and the Ravens are likely to play dirty… Here’s hoping Joe doesn’t end up von Oelhoffen’d.
Calm down, it'll be ok. Sharping is a solid pro and they very wisely brought him in despite him having a pretty big cap number (over 2.5 million). His strength is pass protection and he did fine against the Ravens the rest of the game.
Adeniji actually has played pretty well at RT, which is his natural position. Their idea last year to put him at guard was a complete disaster but now that he's back at his natural spot his talent is evident. Collins was SEVERLY banged up and gutting it out this entire season. He had good stretches but also had a bunch of stretches where he just got beat like a drum.
Bottom line, I expect the pass protection to be more or less the same moving forward. Where they'll lose something is the run game, but it is what it is. Just have to make adjustments which I am confident Callahan and Taylor can do.
Sorry, that was just the visual that came to mind reading about the line, low hits, and a dirty division rival all in one post. I meant it in jest, but I guess 17 years is still too soon.
I concur. And in a weird way. Injuries to major contributors like Reader and Awuzie have helped the Bengals build some much needed depth. I thought for sure when Awuzie went out for the year that our defense would take a big step back. But Cam Taylor-Britt has really started coming around into solid corner. And our defensive line playing weeks and months without guys like Reader, Hendrickson, Hubbard has really allowed some of the backups to get much needed experience. Ossai comes to mind. Really sucks losing both Collins and Cappa this late into the season. Our run game was starting to get itself asserted. But that means more passes for Burrow to distribute to a healthy core of Hurst, Higgins, Chase, Boyd, Mixon, Perine, Trent, and Trenton.
Bullets will be back to save the season, and Stroud's dignity.
I think the Bengals kept it vanilla, especially after jumping out to that lead. I also think Lamar, if he plays, will be rusty. I expect Lou's D to shut them down and us to win by double digits.
Jackson is still not practicing for Baltimore. Higgins is apparently sick, and Taylor-Britt has a groin injury for Cincinnati (no cool graphic for the Bengals, sorry)
remains unstable. Im still in good spirits, as I continue with treatments on the road to recovery. I wish I could be out there with my guys more than anything but I cant give a 100% of myself to my guys and fans Im still hopeful we still have a chance.
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) January 12, 2023
Another day, another sign that Jackson will not be available for the Ravens on Sunday. This basically confirms it.
Tyler Huntley is likely who the Bengals are going to see. Not a bad backup, but he’s obviously not Lamar. He also hasn’t played in two weeks, and just started throwing yesterday.
Not sure what this means. 49ers definitely ran the ball. Other teams certainly tried to establish the run but were less successful. Ravens are averaging under 4 yards a carry right now.
Huh? I’m not a Bengals fan, so, I’m a neutral observer here. I think Collinsworth is usually pretty positive when discussing his old team. He’s not a complete and total homer like Boomer or Dave Lapham are, but, it’s not his role to be that.
I dunno... Mikey Boy is already alluding to Burrow giving the hometown discount... yeah, he needs to shut the hell up and let the kids spends some money.
I don’t think this is happening at all. Burrow wants to be here. The Brown family wants him to be here. Burrow will get paid whatever he asks for.
The only question is whether he’s willing to leave enough money on the table that we can afford his favorite receivers and a decent line. I think he’s smart enough to realize that’s the best way for him to make more money in the long run.
Smart observation by Collinsworth. Joe is changing all of the plays at the LOS. Trying to keep Mike Macdonald off balance. It almost seemed like they knew what the Bengals were running in the 1st half.
When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less.
Burrow is a damn dawg.
The Bengal wrs are getting inside ratbirds heads, keep attacking them, they can't keep up or maintain their composure. We are a 2nd half team, always seems to be the case.
Veni, Vidi, Vici. I came, I saw, I conquered.
The Buckeye Way
Burrow is a damn dawg.
The Bengal wrs are getting inside ratbirds heads, keep attacking them, they can't keep up or maintain their composure. We are a 2nd half team, always seems to be the case.
Veni, Vidi, Vici. I came, I saw, I conquered.
The Buckeye Way
Apple is just hot fucking garbage. The fact that he is our "best" corner after the injury to Awuzie by some people's estimations speaks volumes to how badly we need to address this.
Ravens are going to win this game. You can see it coming. They are more physical in the lines and are not making the bonehead mistakes the Bengals secondary has.
Was thinking the Bengals were ok until they completed that prayer to Andrews. Been about 3-4 plays where the Bengals had them for a big loss or a stop and they made some miraculous play.
I blame the play calling much more on that one. Play works if the QB is 6'6 and has incredible reach like Lawrence - it fails if he's 6'1 and doesn't like Huntley. No clue why they'd call for that play.
Looked it up... Andrews ran a 4.63 at the combine. Hubbard ran a 4.9+ at OSU's pro day. That's a pretty significant difference for guys that are about the same size and in the same draft class.
I noticed that too. I think they (Vonn Bell) must have been watching himself on the jumbotron because there's other reason why he wouldn't just step in front of Andrews to slow him down. The refs didn't call the obvious block in the back (thank goodness).
The NFL’s total mismanagement of the Bills game comes back to bite us like we knew it would (a neutral site game for this one should have at least been discussed)
We’re on injury watch for Williams and the possibility Cappa can get back. And I’m sure the “bring Whit out of retirement” crowd won’t get quieter now that we’re officially hurting at LT.
Buffalo looked pretty bad today, too. If the Dolphin receivers caught any of the balls that hit them in the hands or face today, we’d be playing them instead. (Technically I guess that would mean we’re playing Jax, but the point stands)
Found a way to win which is all that matters. We should be playing at a neutral site next week but for some reason the Cheifs get the benefit of the doubt and the Bengals dont. I hope Cappa can play and honestly you cant play much worse than Jonah Williams has. Maybe Carman works out better.
Jackson Carman keeps proving to be absolute ASS.
Every time I see his jersey on the field it pisses me off they would waste a 2nd rd draft pick and a single dollar on that piece of shit.
Per becoming a Bengals fan at age 8 in 1986, I’ll take it! Just being in the conversation for the Super Bowl is rarified air. I’m thankful to have football to watch that matters rather than only getting excited for the NFL draft. I can’t be disappointed by anything after the 1990s. It’s all a fun treat!
That Ravens defense is probably the worst matchup for the Bengals offense in the entire league. The talent in that secondary is just insane. Marcus Peters, Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton let’s them have elite dudes everywhere. That’s on top of Patrick Queen and Roquan Smith at LB.
Bills are missing both starting safeties and has a huge speed issue in their back 7. I imagine next week looks a lot different
Have to find a way to reconfigure our oline. Burrow had zero time tonight. Guys can just push their man back and collapse the pocket in under 2 seconds. That's probably worse then last years playoff team. And Carman can't be the blindside protector. Needs to move to RG or RT. Adenji would be a better option at LT. Maybe bring Prince back up.
Bullets will be back to save the season, and Stroud's dignity.
Yea it really sucks man. I honestly believe with a 100% oline that the Bengals are the best team in the NFL. Without those 3 dudes we will be lucky to hang with Buffalo. Anything can happen though. And the defense has made it a habit of coming up clutch in the Playoffs.
Bullets will be back to save the season, and Stroud's dignity.
I was thinking the same exact thing this morning. The Bills may have more wins, but the Ravens are a worse matchup for the Bengals. They match up better with the Bills and Chiefs. Just my opinion.
I think the only problem with playing the Bills is our corners are average/above average and their receivers are elite. Stefan Diggs is a monster and Gabriel Davis turns into Cris Carter in the playoffs. Tough to expect CTB and Apple to do well against that
Also can’t give them much help because you have to have an extra man in the run game for Allen
I think the Bengals can get pressure on Allen without having to play much man coverage. The Bills defense is not that good and I think even with the five OL they ended with last night will protect him. I think they need to reshuffle the OL like mentioned above, but I think the Bengals will score a lot of points and get a couple of spots on D to win.
Duke Tobin and the front office deserve so much credit. The young guys were incredible last night
DE Josseph Ossai has developed into exactly what we wanted and is a monster pass rusher right now. The last 4 games he is near top of the league in pressure rates. It’s taken him a little bit but he is reaching where we thought he could get to
CB Cam Taylor Britt as a late second rounder has filled in as a really solid corner in his rookie year. Can’t overstate how important that is
DT Zac Carter similar to Ossai took a few weeks to begin to contribute but man that dude is a nice DT. Definitely showed his athleticism and burst making abunch of plays last night. He was thought of as a pass rushing DT but he used his burst to shoot abunch of gaps in the run game and chase down backs.
DL Cam Sample, the broadcast did a great job explaining what they did with him but he turned into a monster run stopper on the edge to stop the Ravens early running success. He’s like the 7th best DL and is making a huge contribution during the playoffs, crazy to have that much depth
LG Cordelle Volson was a fourth rounder and may be our best OL right now lol
S Dax Hill, yeah I get it the penalties were terrible. But when Apple went down they put Hill at outside corner for a little bit and he gave up 0 completions. What safety has the athleticism to do that lol
CTB is physical, hits like a train and tackles well but he's always just that two inches away from preventing the catch which is something I expect will change next season. He has the potential to be a lock down corner, always in the right position just the slightest bit off. I have zero concern about Hill being the starting safety next year, hopefully with a re-signed Bell to guide him.
Jonah Williams has been BAD this season, rated one of the worst in the league and was horrible in last nights game before he was injured. I wonder if he's been hurt this season and we don't know it, was bull rushed all game long. Still room for improvement on that line through the draft or FA. I think they picked up his fifth year so he will be around next season but he needs to improve.
Not sure what you do with Jonah. They already picked up his 5th year for $12M but I doubt he could get that on the market. Do you extend him after a mostly crappy year? They have no way of going to get a top free agent they simply don’t have the money.
But Collins also showed he struggles so I don’t think you want to keep him around. Gonna have to draft an OT I think and we’ve seen how well they draft lineman lol
Focus now of course is on this current playoff run, but after that the off-season has to address both tackle spots. Williams and Collins were not very good this year, and now looks like both have significant knee injuries that will keep them from being 100% when next season starts.
Bengals won't ever be in position to draft an elite tackle, and track record of finding value at OL in the draft obviously isn't good. At the same time, so many key players at other positions to consider paying (Tee, LBs, etc) and the big Burrow contract coming up will make it hard to solidify the OLine long-term.
May not be popular but given the o-line injuries anything else in the playoffs is gravy to me. Having to replace 3 starters against this competition is going to be really tough. I'm thrilled that they won the North and knocked the Ravens out of the playoffs.
Nah I'm full on gotta see the Bills lose mode. From what Florio reported Bengals gave them 1 day to makeup the game when they offered to forfeit, Bengals didn't know they left town hours later. Bills drag their feet on forfeiting (despite offering Monday) or rescheduling bc they hope the league will give them special treatment, bc of the optics. The league does, over Cincinnati's noted objections.
Now the games in Buffalo when it would be in Cincy with a forfeit. Ticket holders went from 1 and 1 bills games to none
Yeah obviously not popular to say but the Bills exploited the situation to essentially get a win out of a game they were losing. League was perfectly fine obliging them. With how much they want to push this Mahomes vs Allen thing I would love to see Burrow beat Allen
But I agree with the thought that it’s hard to expect much more here. Down 3 starting OL and your #1 corner. On the other hand the Bills don’t have both starting safeties along with Vonn Miller
I have been a Bengals fan all of my life and this is really the first time in my fandom that I can say they are tough. This team is tough as nails and that has a lot to do with the leadership. It wouldn’t surprise me if they got back to the Super Bowl.
Yeah obviously not popular to say but the Bills exploited the situation to essentially get a win out of a game they were losing. League was perfectly fine obliging them
And every single person who denies this uses signaling terms like "a man died" and "bigger than football" without actually addressing the chain of events of Bills offer forfeit-> receive delay-> leave -> reap benefit from cancellation
Make no mistake, I want to beat Buffalo and KC since the whole NFL seems intent on screwing the Bengals. I'd love to win the SB, but I'm happy with how they've done and not sure given injuries if they can keep it up.
NFL is dying to take that Bill's vs Chiefs match up and put it down in Atlanta and treat is as a 2nd Superbowl. They want that Georgia vs tOSU feel to it where ppl know it's the real National title game. Let's hope our defense has something to say about it. We need to treat Buffalo the way the Ravens did to us. Hard physical high contact on every catch. And when Allen or the RB breaks containment on the edge we need guys flying in at hard on those legs. It makes you reexamine how bad you want to fight for any extra yardage, and leaves just a little doubt in the back of the mind.
Bullets will be back to save the season, and Stroud's dignity.
Jonah dislocated his knee cap just like he did earlier this year and did not miss a game. Having an MRI today to see if there's any additional damage. Dislocating both knees in one year is very odd!
The last update we had on Cappa seemed to suggest he could be back for the Divisional round. If it’s not more extensive than a dislocation for Williams, maybe the O-line has a chance to be at 80% instead of 40%.
We probably need to use some caution here since these same people also told us Collins had dislocated his knee cap and would be returning soon. Only to go into the MRI and find out the guy's knee was toast with torn ligaments.
Bullets will be back to save the season, and Stroud's dignity.
Oh, for sure. I’m expecting the worst - and I would guess that the staff is planning for the same. But the fact that there’s still a sliver of hope for anything better is better than I was expecting ~18 hours ago.
Frankly, anything better than a line made of toothpicks and used toilet paper has me optimistic given what Burrow & Co. pulled off last year.
It is unlucky for sure. Sometimes if you try to do too much with one leg injury you can make the other more prone to injury. I am sure with the training staffs, crutches and so on being used properly the risk of that particularly problem is pretty much gone but it does happen.
After that bone-crushing hit the Bills put on Miami's receiver, I hope Lou Anarumo shows the Bengals defensive room what the poor ole' Bills are out there doing and encourage Vonn Bell and company to LAY THE WOOD. fast, hard, and with bad intentions. Make the Bills sorry they ever screwed with us.
And if our O-line can somehow give Burrow an extra half-second more than last year's playoffs, we go back to the SB.
Okay might be a stretch. If he's the left tackle for an entire game, do you accept 1 holding penalty and 1 sack allowed as okay? If the right side of the line was intact you'd probably take that. My fear is with a gameplan to attack Carman and Adenijii that the Bills will be in the backfield all day...
Cappa still on scooter, no shot but hoping for next week. Jonah off crutches but still limping and can’t run yet. Much more likely to be ready next week but highly doubtful for this week.
Burrow did step up under those ridiculous circumstances in last year's playoffs so at least he's shown he can do it. And this year's defense has even more resolve than last year's. So why NOT us? (Again)
That's where I am. At least it isn't the Ravens or Stealers d lines. That would be very problematic for an entire game. I think he will light up the Bills on Sunday.
While the Bengals o-line has injury issues Buffalo's o-line ain't that great. They gave up 7 sacks to Miami last week and here's their rankings for the year-
If they want to have a chance to beat Buffalo the play calling cant be as stupid as it was against Baltimore. Almost every 1 st down play in the 2nd half was a dumb run up the middle with Mixon for 1 or 2 yards. It was ridiculous. They had like 0 first downs for 10 minutes or more.
That healthy Ravens defense was probably the best in the NFL and the only one equipped to shut down our receivers. They with two deep safeties all night you kinda have to run.
They went 12-4 a year after making the superbowl. At what point do we just say the coaches are good and hope we win?
I have this feeling that Burrow and the receivers are due for a big game - IF - the line can give him time... I expect Buffalo to score 24-27 so 4 td's could win it.
Not to re-open old wounds, but a neutral party in the national media finally laid out all the ways the Bengals got screwed by the NFL’s handling of the Bills game:
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Bengals got absolutely screwed around on all the post-Buffalo game stuff, but that chapter is closed so may as well move forward.
Joe Burrow is such an X-factor, I mean he makes that team so damn good. The best part is that he knows it too. His ability on the field and swagger off the field is really what makes that team go.
The Excellence of Execution, the Best there is, the Best there was, the Best there ever will be!
I’m not sure the chapter is closed. If Buffalo and Cincy win this week. Who knows what the weather will look like in Buffalo 2 weeks from now. That game being played in Buffalo as opposed to a neutral site pissed me off more than the coin flip because I felt confident that the Ravens weren’t going to present a real challenge without a QB and Dobbins. The weather in Buffalo is such an X factor that you can’t prepare for. Any CIN/ BUF matchup or any KC/ BUF matchup should have been played at neutral sites. Making the Bengals go to Arrowhead is fine because even if the game was played against Buffalo and the Bengals won, KC would still be the 1 seed.
Don't know if anyone else noticed, but, once Cincinnati jumped out to a lead yesterday it sort of seemed like they kind of shut it down offensively. They were content not to show much of anything really. Presumably because they knew they would be playing Baltimore again in 7 days.
Could just be my incorrect observation.
When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less.
I was hoping this was the case, too. The Ravens came in willing to rest their starters while the Bengals were still holding out hope for a #2 seed.
I’m glad we got home field advantage (even though that should never have been in question), but after playing lights-out for the first half it definitely seemed like we went vanilla and were on the verge of pulling starters until that facemask non-call kept it closer than it should have been. I’m actually hoping this is part of a longer term misdirection plan that started against New England. We started hot there, too, and let our foot off the gas. If the real Bengals are the ones we see in the first half of the past few games (including Buffalo) look out!
Hopefully the lack of rest is a non-issue, hopefully the Ravens didn’t learn anything useful while they sat starters, and maybe the Dolphins can pull off an upset in Buffalo and close the door on the NFL’s mismanagement of the whole situation.
The biggest factor to that game being even remotely close yesterday was that Joe Burrow overthrew three balls badly that would've all probably been TD's, all in the first half, I believe. His accuracy was very uncharacteristically bad. A lot of people complaining about play calling and such, but even Joe said after the game that he played like s--t. I love me some Joe Burrow, but I hope he got that all out of his system yesterday.
This was my thought as well. Once they got up 17-0, and especially after the D got the fumble TD, didn't expect to see much in terms of offensive creativity knowing they'd likely meet again next week when it really matters.
But as cecsix mentioned, Burrow was also off. Especially the throw to Higgins that should have been an easy wide open TD. Even Boyd threw a finger up mid-play when he saw it was there but Burrow missed. I expect Joe to be dialed in next week.
Burrow also had 2 deep TD passes that hit off the hands and were dropped by both Higgins and Chase. Bengals as a team were just kind of sleep walking yesterday. I don't expect that next Sunday night.
Bullets will be back to save the season, and Stroud's dignity.
I was at the game and there seemed to a sort of lethargy all around, both from the crowd and the team. Maybe Damar Fatigue? An emotional relief that after every bad thing that could have happened, none did? Damar is okay. Maybe the knowledge that they would be playing again next week? My thoughts were they were holding something back, but then, I felt that way about Day and the Bucks before the Michigan game.
One thing, though, ever player who went down yesterday, Tyler Boyd in particular, the crowd held its breath. I think it will be a long time before normalcy returns to a Cincinnati home game.
I was really hoping for the score to be 24-0 at half and the Bengals could've shut down Burrow & Chase, maybe Higgins. The fast start definitely let them to relax a bit.
Getting that defensive score before half almost made it a sure thing as Baltimore wasn't exactly explosive with Anthony Brown and a 3rd string RB... I certainly expect one of the other QB's to play this week. Huntley has looked capable at times. JK Dobbins and Mark Andrews a big step up in talents as well.
The right side of the O line is going to be an adventure for the Bengals. Crazy they went nearly the whole season with same 5 and now it looks like it'll be Adeniji & Sharping? Joe better be on his toes!
That's been their M.O. for much of the winning streak, playing one EXCEPTIONAL half of football and one bad half. In eight drives the second half they had 5 three and outs, a TO on downs, they stunk it up but perhaps it was lack of focus.
Sani
This team has IT. I've said ad nauseum, just get in the playoffs, and there is NO OTHER qb I would rather have. Throw in all the weapons, elite weapons Burrow has at his disposal and I'm good.
This defense is so good, they play together and sound for the most part. I also believe that yesterday we only played basic on offense, didn't show too much at all. Same with the blitz on defense. Save it all for Sunday night.
Dare I say it: Zach Taylor might just be COY. Yes having Burrow helps, but he took that superbowl hangover stuff and said kick rocks! Beat Baltimore Sunday night, and I'm eating crow over my attitude towards Taylor. WHO DEY
Veni, Vidi, Vici. I came, I saw, I conquered.
The Buckeye Way
Bengals were very basic on offense, and especially on defense, once the lead was established. Mainly rushed four and played a little man with the Cover 2 and Cover 3 being played the majority of the time. They will be much more exotic this Sunday, when I think they will see Huntley. I didn't realize that Lamar hasn't even been on the practice field once during this time. Hasn't done anything. No way he will be ready to come back. That is why they sat Huntley, because they wanted him ready.
The sad thing is if the Bengals win, they very well might have to go to Buffalo. That is hardly fair.
Should be a neutral game in Cleveland. I mean. That's the only way there will be a playoff game in that town!
Nicely done! Conveyed indignation and burned Cleveland in one stroke!
How is it not fair that Cincinnati has to play on the toad against a team with a better record?
Because the Bills are getting the benefit of the doubt and the Bengals are not. If the Bills get a neutral site against KC for a game they might have won, the Bengals should get the same against the Bills for a game they were leading. KC has a better record than Buffalo.
Because the Bengals lost the opportunity to have a better record because a head-to-head contest they were playing with Buffalo, in which they were already winning and driving for more points. The NFL made conditions and exceptions to the existing rules to benefit every other team who might be affected EXCEPT Cincinnati.
If the game between the two teams had finished it seems likely to me the Bengals and Bills would have the same record, with the Bengals having the tiebreaker.
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Because the game that was supposed to happen would have decided who got the home game in that potential playoff matchup. I get the Bills have a better record, but they wouldn’t have if the game had been played and the Bengals won. The field should decide who gets home field. In this very rare situation, the field couldn’t decide it so it should have been a neutral site.
The Ravens only rested starters on offense. Their defense played at full strength and the Bengals did a really good job against it in the first half.
I believe this team will go full throttle for the entire game(s) now that the playoffs have started.
After watching yesterday's game, I forgot how much I dislike the Rat Birds, particularly their defensive players. They remind me a lot of TTUN....ganging up on a player who's separated from his teammates (Jackson Carman), aggressive nudges after the whistle's blown (Raquon Smith on Chase), and questionable targeting shots against offensive players.
I like the Bengals' chances this weekend, but it's going to be a physically tough game. I'd much rather play the Dolphins, or Jax or the Chargers even with their on-a-tear QB"s. I had really hoped for the Patriots who the Bengals would be out to knock around Mac Jones.
Tee Higgins played like he was in funk yesterday. Missed a couple blocks and catches.....I was really hoping that missed TD pass from Joe Brrr would have lit his spark. Hopefully he's 100% ready this weekend.
Definitely a lot of chippy plays. Seems like the defense is ready to use that as fuel this week.
https://bengalswire.usatoday.com/2023/01/09/bengals-players-slam-ravens-...
Don't forget their DL going low intentionally on Alex Cappa and probably ending his season.
It was hardly intentional. The guy got double teamed and Volson knocked the him sideways into Cappa's leg.
My biggest concern in the 2nd half was that the Ravens would try to take out some players to give them a better chance next week.
Cappa's injury looked like just an unfortunate football play, but #41 (Mosley?) seemed liked his main goal was to do some damage to our WRs. I think there was one play where Burrow threw a bad pass that he could've picked off, but instead his eyes were on lining up to deck the receiver so the ball went right by him.
A lot of this comes down to if Lamar plays (highly doubtful after not practicing for over a month).
We had 1 offensive touchdown yesterday..like previous posts have said, hopefully it was because they didn't want to show too much, but they played against a lot of backups and the second half had me kinda nervous..what was up with that Jackson Carmen block out of bounds though? Dude gets into the game and blocks a guy 30 yards away from the play and into the other teams bench then gets swarmed..
Mixon ran for one, Chase caught one. That’s two.
The Ravens had their starters out there on defense. The backups were on offense and that showed.
Joe was off, guys were dropping passes, and yes, I don't think they went too deep into the playbook. But if our offense had just executed the plays at an average level this game would've been a 3-4TD blowout.
He finished his block lol. I'm sure he seen all the Bush leauge shit happening from the sideline. Have no problem with him driving and planting his man 30 yards into the Ravens sideline.
Bullets will be back to save the season, and Stroud's dignity.
KInd of reminded me of the Blindside Movie, "I was taking him to the bus coach, it was time for him to go". I actually liked to see Carmen make that block and keep playing to the whistle, he's lacked that edge since he was drafted.
Sani
And if you watch the play, about 5 yards before they hit the sideline, the Ravens player grabbed the back of Carmen's helmet and basically pulled him back into him.
Cappa still hasn't been ruled out, correct? I know it looked bad, but it was encouraging to hear it was an ankle injury and not a knee injury.
“Questionable” with a left ankle injury was the only update I saw, and that was during yesterday’s game. I’m sure we’ll get more clarity during the next presser.
Was a bad bad roll up. When I initially saw the replay I thought it looked like a broken leg or blown out knee. Was really surprised to hear it was just an ankle. He will have his MRI today and we will find out the extent. I be absolutely shocked if he isn't out at least 2 weeks. But I've heard rumors that Cappa played or tried to play with a broken ankle for the Bucs in the playoffs.
Bullets will be back to save the season, and Stroud's dignity.
Taylor said it would be “tough to see him this week” when talking about Cappa. Scharping will start at RG. Obviously could be Taylor putting up a smoke screen but sounds like Cappa could be back next week for the Bills or the following for the Chiefs. Big good
Scharping was a good experienced pick-up. The Bengals front office did well.
You Got Barbecue Back There!?!?!?!
I'm not expecting Cappa to play this week putting us back where we were last season on that side of the line-weak. The team definitely shut down most of the offense in the second half and went pretty basic, so likely saving things for this week.
Guys were pretty salty about Baltimore players CTB- "“It was a lot of late stuff,” he said. “Just after the play, doing dirty stuff you shouldn’t do in football. Aiming at guys’ legs and stuff and other dirty hits. We don’t play like that. We’re gonna remember that.”
JWilly3
So the right side is going to be weak, Burrow is going to be running for his life, and the Ravens are likely to play dirty… Here’s hoping Joe doesn’t end up von Oelhoffen’d.
Calm down, it'll be ok. Sharping is a solid pro and they very wisely brought him in despite him having a pretty big cap number (over 2.5 million). His strength is pass protection and he did fine against the Ravens the rest of the game.
Adeniji actually has played pretty well at RT, which is his natural position. Their idea last year to put him at guard was a complete disaster but now that he's back at his natural spot his talent is evident. Collins was SEVERLY banged up and gutting it out this entire season. He had good stretches but also had a bunch of stretches where he just got beat like a drum.
Bottom line, I expect the pass protection to be more or less the same moving forward. Where they'll lose something is the run game, but it is what it is. Just have to make adjustments which I am confident Callahan and Taylor can do.
Sorry, that was just the visual that came to mind reading about the line, low hits, and a dirty division rival all in one post. I meant it in jest, but I guess 17 years is still too soon.
Still better than the oline that was on last year's SB team.
You Got Barbecue Back There!?!?!?!
Very true.
The Bengals are clearly the best team in the AFC. I'm not worried about them at all.
Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect - Woody Hayes
I concur. And in a weird way. Injuries to major contributors like Reader and Awuzie have helped the Bengals build some much needed depth. I thought for sure when Awuzie went out for the year that our defense would take a big step back. But Cam Taylor-Britt has really started coming around into solid corner. And our defensive line playing weeks and months without guys like Reader, Hendrickson, Hubbard has really allowed some of the backups to get much needed experience. Ossai comes to mind. Really sucks losing both Collins and Cappa this late into the season. Our run game was starting to get itself asserted. But that means more passes for Burrow to distribute to a healthy core of Hurst, Higgins, Chase, Boyd, Mixon, Perine, Trent, and Trenton.
Bullets will be back to save the season, and Stroud's dignity.
This game scares me. Gotta be truthful. Hope we can pull it together and get the 9th W in a row.
PCSjr
I think the Bengals kept it vanilla, especially after jumping out to that lead. I also think Lamar, if he plays, will be rusty. I expect Lou's D to shut them down and us to win by double digits.
You Got Barbecue Back There!?!?!?!
I like your optimism! Let’s hope you’re right.
Jackson is still not practicing for Baltimore. Higgins is apparently sick, and Taylor-Britt has a groin injury for Cincinnati (no cool graphic for the Bengals, sorry)
https://www.bengals.com/team/injury-report/
Another day, another sign that Jackson will not be available for the Ravens on Sunday. This basically confirms it.
Tyler Huntley is likely who the Bengals are going to see. Not a bad backup, but he’s obviously not Lamar. He also hasn’t played in two weeks, and just started throwing yesterday.
Ravens are reportedly going to use both Huntley and Brown at QB tonight. Hopefully the old adage “if you have two QBs, you don’t have one” holds true.
https://www.nfl.com/news/ravens-plan-to-play-tyler-huntley-anthony-brown...
Typical Ravens being mouthy and dirty. Man I hate them!!!
They’re not being very nice.
And stupid Dax Hill gives the Ravens a TD instead of a FG with a face mask.
Benchwarmer
Dobbins breaking my heart.
Bengals cannot let Ty Huntley beat them. Not a good look on that 17 play drive.
Always thought they should change the breaking of the plane rule to make it so you have to control the ball through the play.
Just my opinion.
Let's Go BUCKEYES!!!!!
Well this is already going south. Not picking up good vibes, even before that fumble.
They're about to put Carman in at LT if that tells you how this game is going right now.
Jonah Williams done.
You Got Barbecue Back There!?!?!?!
Oweh was his worst nightmare tonight, couldn’t handle him
Yep. He may have seen his last game as the Bengal's left tackle.
You Got Barbecue Back There!?!?!?!
Perhaps Left Sackle would be a more appropriate position for him?
Lol
You Got Barbecue Back There!?!?!?!
Here we go again. No offensive line. Can't stop the run. Some nobody QB making plays for them.
Eli Apple down.
You Got Barbecue Back There!?!?!?!
This is going badly.
Bungles gonna Bungle. Same as it ever was…
Let's be fair. After last year, it's "Same as it usually is."
Yeah they need to draft Marvin Harrison Jr., the star receiver out of USC.
Ravens are 100% playing dirty and of course the refs are letting them.
Ravens are the first team I’ve seen in the playoffs that actually try to establish the run.
Not sure what this means. 49ers definitely ran the ball. Other teams certainly tried to establish the run but were less successful. Ravens are averaging under 4 yards a carry right now.
Collinsworth is the worth. He openly roots against the Bengals in every game he calls for them. I wish we'd run him out of town.
Huh? I’m not a Bengals fan, so, I’m a neutral observer here. I think Collinsworth is usually pretty positive when discussing his old team. He’s not a complete and total homer like Boomer or Dave Lapham are, but, it’s not his role to be that.
The turf at PBS/Paycor makes the turf in the Horseshoe look attractive by comparison. Typical Mike Brown cheapness.
Ah once again you talk out of your ass. The Bengals haven't been "cheap" for years. So please go fuck yourself. You're not even a fan.
I dunno... Mikey Boy is already alluding to Burrow giving the hometown discount... yeah, he needs to shut the hell up and let the kids spends some money.
I don’t think this is happening at all. Burrow wants to be here. The Brown family wants him to be here. Burrow will get paid whatever he asks for.
The only question is whether he’s willing to leave enough money on the table that we can afford his favorite receivers and a decent line. I think he’s smart enough to realize that’s the best way for him to make more money in the long run.
Carman still looks like a fucking q-tip.
Ravens are playing their style. Injuries are accumulating fast. McPherson is officially experiencing a sophomore slump.
None of that is a reason for this team to lose to the Ravens and a backup QB, though. Lots of time left, and that goal line stand is encouraging.
Apple appears fine. No concussion. Bengals need to get their running game going.
Too many o-line injuries, now with Carmen having to play. Might need a defensive touchdown to win.
JWilly3
OL just needs to hold up a little bc Ravens can't cover the Bengals WRs.
Smart observation by Collinsworth. Joe is changing all of the plays at the LOS. Trying to keep Mike Macdonald off balance. It almost seemed like they knew what the Bengals were running in the 1st half.
When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less.
So are the adjustments working or is Jonah Williams just awful?
Carman actually performed well on that series. Like they got their running game going too.
Back in bidness in CIncy.
When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less.
Great drive!
JWilly3
Burrow is a damn dawg.
The Bengal wrs are getting inside ratbirds heads, keep attacking them, they can't keep up or maintain their composure. We are a 2nd half team, always seems to be the case.
Veni, Vidi, Vici. I came, I saw, I conquered.
The Buckeye Way
Burrow is a damn dawg.
The Bengal wrs are getting inside ratbirds heads, keep attacking them, they can't keep up or maintain their composure. We are a 2nd half team, always seems to be the case.
Veni, Vidi, Vici. I came, I saw, I conquered.
The Buckeye Way
Apple blew that coverage, geez
JWilly3
Nice one Eli
Apple is just hot fucking garbage. The fact that he is our "best" corner after the injury to Awuzie by some people's estimations speaks volumes to how badly we need to address this.
3 and out. Great.
Ravens are going to win this game. You can see it coming. They are more physical in the lines and are not making the bonehead mistakes the Bengals secondary has.
Benchwarmer
Was thinking the Bengals were ok until they completed that prayer to Andrews. Been about 3-4 plays where the Bengals had them for a big loss or a stop and they made some miraculous play.
Talking about miracle plays
Holy shit what a play!!!
The o’le Buckeye with a huge play.
What a boneheaded play by the Raves QB, and what horrible playcalling. Run the ball on first down for the love of Pete.
I blame the play calling much more on that one. Play works if the QB is 6'6 and has incredible reach like Lawrence - it fails if he's 6'1 and doesn't like Huntley. No clue why they'd call for that play.
Nice to see Hubbard get that
Amazing defensive touchdown!
JWilly3
Sam Hubbard!!! Wow!!!
P.S. I thought Sean Clifford was “The Cincinnati Kid”.
I'm always happy to see Buckeyes make plays. Love that Tirico reminded everyone where Sammy played.
BOATS and HOES.
14 point play for Hubbard. Couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy
Former Buckeyes on both sides making an impact!
Sam Hubbard sure isn’t going to lose to John Fucking Harbaugh.
Hell nah.
When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less.
When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less.
Holy shit! That is exactly the type of play that other teams historically would get against us, not the other way around. I'll take it!
Ryan Shazier - esque
Indeed! Monte Ball agrees.
Didn’t know Andrews had that kind of speed, he almost caught Sam and I thought they might call a penalty on the push…whew
Looked it up... Andrews ran a 4.63 at the combine. Hubbard ran a 4.9+ at OSU's pro day. That's a pretty significant difference for guys that are about the same size and in the same draft class.
The Anti-Tuck Rule…
Yeah, everybody on the planet except the refs had that one right from the beginning
Clearly an incomplete pass. Arm was coming forward and he had control of the ball.
That was ridiculous there were 3 bengals players there and they almost allowed Andrew’s to make a tackle.
I noticed that too. I think they (Vonn Bell) must have been watching himself on the jumbotron because there's other reason why he wouldn't just step in front of Andrews to slow him down. The refs didn't call the obvious block in the back (thank goodness).
Jimi Hendrix makes me want an Acura now.
It's hard to beat the same team twice in a season, much less twice in 7 days.
When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less.
Killing drives by trying to run up the middle. Two in a row.
A Chrisman miracle!
Oscar worthy performance there
Carman is still trash
He’s total cat butt.
There’s the Carman we know
Let’s go defense!
I’d rather have Eric Carman…”Allllll by myself, don’t wanna be…”
Second drive in a row Carman has killed
Jesus christ Dax Hill is awful.
Buckeyes making big plays. Wolverines making dumb ones.
Who’s going to stop the Harbirds? Crunch time.
I wonder how many sports betting apps on the phones of ref's wives?
Looking like the end of the Super Bowl.
I want the Bengals to win but Harbaugh has horribly mismanaged the clock on this drive.
Runs in the family.
Is that ref a potential lost Harbaugh brother?
What a finish! WhoDey!
JWilly3
On to Buffalo!
The NFL’s total mismanagement of the Bills game comes back to bite us like we knew it would (a neutral site game for this one should have at least been discussed)
We’re on injury watch for Williams and the possibility Cappa can get back. And I’m sure the “bring Whit out of retirement” crowd won’t get quieter now that we’re officially hurting at LT.
Harbaughs are both alike. When they lose it’s a very quick handshake……sore losers
That was some terrible football. Cincinnati is going have to play much better to win again.
Joe barely had 2 hundo passing, but the Ravens are tough on D
I need to take a walk around the block after this game, but I’ll save it for another time. Too close for comfort!
Wasn't pretty, but was a win. Definitely going to have to find something more against Buffalo.
Buffalo looked pretty bad today, too. If the Dolphin receivers caught any of the balls that hit them in the hands or face today, we’d be playing them instead. (Technically I guess that would mean we’re playing Jax, but the point stands)
About an hour ago I said the might need a defensive touchdown- thank you Sam Hubbard!
JWilly3
I dig your good juju.
I put on my #80 Collinsworth jersey on at halftime. I’m not sure if it’s lucky, but I suddenly started every other sentence by saying “Here’s a guy…”
In Joe, we go. I’m just thankful to survive and advance.
Found a way to win which is all that matters. We should be playing at a neutral site next week but for some reason the Cheifs get the benefit of the doubt and the Bengals dont. I hope Cappa can play and honestly you cant play much worse than Jonah Williams has. Maybe Carman works out better.
Dax Hill, the reason you dont draft garbage from Michigan...
Die Living // PT*42
yes they won, and I love that fact, but Hill was responsible for 4 huge penalties tonight
Die Living // PT*42
Special teams penalties have nothing to do with Dax Hill as a position player lol he is fine it’s a game to learn from
the facemask was not a special team and was abhorrent and very costly, he should know better than to commit that foul 10 years ago
Die Living // PT*42
I'm willing to give Hill some slack but he aint no Jessie Bates or Mike Hilton. And Taylor-Britt is a better CB.
PCSjr
Jackson Carman keeps proving to be absolute ASS.
Every time I see his jersey on the field it pisses me off they would waste a 2nd rd draft pick and a single dollar on that piece of shit.
"Put ya' weight on it"
And clock management.
Papa Harbaugh should buy both of his sons a clock for their next birthdays. A gift that they could both use.
Zac Taylor and Joe Burrow both move into the franchise record for most playoff wins as a QB and coach. Taylor isn’t even 40 and Burrow is in year 3.
Bengals win playoff games in back to back years for the first time ever
Special time right now
Per becoming a Bengals fan at age 8 in 1986, I’ll take it! Just being in the conversation for the Super Bowl is rarified air. I’m thankful to have football to watch that matters rather than only getting excited for the NFL draft. I can’t be disappointed by anything after the 1990s. It’s all a fun treat!
That Ravens defense is probably the worst matchup for the Bengals offense in the entire league. The talent in that secondary is just insane. Marcus Peters, Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton let’s them have elite dudes everywhere. That’s on top of Patrick Queen and Roquan Smith at LB.
Bills are missing both starting safeties and has a huge speed issue in their back 7. I imagine next week looks a lot different
Have to find a way to reconfigure our oline. Burrow had zero time tonight. Guys can just push their man back and collapse the pocket in under 2 seconds. That's probably worse then last years playoff team. And Carman can't be the blindside protector. Needs to move to RG or RT. Adenji would be a better option at LT. Maybe bring Prince back up.
Bullets will be back to save the season, and Stroud's dignity.
We’re running out of dudes.
Yea it really sucks man. I honestly believe with a 100% oline that the Bengals are the best team in the NFL. Without those 3 dudes we will be lucky to hang with Buffalo. Anything can happen though. And the defense has made it a habit of coming up clutch in the Playoffs.
Bullets will be back to save the season, and Stroud's dignity.
I was thinking the same exact thing this morning. The Bills may have more wins, but the Ravens are a worse matchup for the Bengals. They match up better with the Bills and Chiefs. Just my opinion.
I think the only problem with playing the Bills is our corners are average/above average and their receivers are elite. Stefan Diggs is a monster and Gabriel Davis turns into Cris Carter in the playoffs. Tough to expect CTB and Apple to do well against that
Also can’t give them much help because you have to have an extra man in the run game for Allen
I think the Bengals can get pressure on Allen without having to play much man coverage. The Bills defense is not that good and I think even with the five OL they ended with last night will protect him. I think they need to reshuffle the OL like mentioned above, but I think the Bengals will score a lot of points and get a couple of spots on D to win.
Thats exactly why i said i didnt want the Ravens back-to-back to start a playoff run. I would have loved to have either the Dolphins or Chargers.
Now, have got to do something on the OL
PCSjr
Duke Tobin and the front office deserve so much credit. The young guys were incredible last night
Throw in Dru Crissman as a FA…..MacPherson is looking so shaky this year btw..
Crazy to think about how much Volson has improved since getting manhandled by Cam Hayward in week 1.
CTB is physical, hits like a train and tackles well but he's always just that two inches away from preventing the catch which is something I expect will change next season. He has the potential to be a lock down corner, always in the right position just the slightest bit off. I have zero concern about Hill being the starting safety next year, hopefully with a re-signed Bell to guide him.
Jonah Williams has been BAD this season, rated one of the worst in the league and was horrible in last nights game before he was injured. I wonder if he's been hurt this season and we don't know it, was bull rushed all game long. Still room for improvement on that line through the draft or FA. I think they picked up his fifth year so he will be around next season but he needs to improve.
Sani
Not sure what you do with Jonah. They already picked up his 5th year for $12M but I doubt he could get that on the market. Do you extend him after a mostly crappy year? They have no way of going to get a top free agent they simply don’t have the money.
But Collins also showed he struggles so I don’t think you want to keep him around. Gonna have to draft an OT I think and we’ve seen how well they draft lineman lol
Let's use Jonah Williams as a case study to negatively recruit against Bama for lineman recruits lol.
He was considered a sure fire NFL stud at LT... blew out his knee and has never been better than average.
I don't think was the case. Many thought he might end up at guard in the NFL
Focus now of course is on this current playoff run, but after that the off-season has to address both tackle spots. Williams and Collins were not very good this year, and now looks like both have significant knee injuries that will keep them from being 100% when next season starts.
Bengals won't ever be in position to draft an elite tackle, and track record of finding value at OL in the draft obviously isn't good. At the same time, so many key players at other positions to consider paying (Tee, LBs, etc) and the big Burrow contract coming up will make it hard to solidify the OLine long-term.
May not be popular but given the o-line injuries anything else in the playoffs is gravy to me. Having to replace 3 starters against this competition is going to be really tough. I'm thrilled that they won the North and knocked the Ravens out of the playoffs.
JWilly3
Nah I'm full on gotta see the Bills lose mode. From what Florio reported Bengals gave them 1 day to makeup the game when they offered to forfeit, Bengals didn't know they left town hours later. Bills drag their feet on forfeiting (despite offering Monday) or rescheduling bc they hope the league will give them special treatment, bc of the optics. The league does, over Cincinnati's noted objections.
Now the games in Buffalo when it would be in Cincy with a forfeit. Ticket holders went from 1 and 1 bills games to none
Number 11, huh?
Yeah obviously not popular to say but the Bills exploited the situation to essentially get a win out of a game they were losing. League was perfectly fine obliging them. With how much they want to push this Mahomes vs Allen thing I would love to see Burrow beat Allen
But I agree with the thought that it’s hard to expect much more here. Down 3 starting OL and your #1 corner. On the other hand the Bills don’t have both starting safeties along with Vonn Miller
I have been a Bengals fan all of my life and this is really the first time in my fandom that I can say they are tough. This team is tough as nails and that has a lot to do with the leadership. It wouldn’t surprise me if they got back to the Super Bowl.
And every single person who denies this uses signaling terms like "a man died" and "bigger than football" without actually addressing the chain of events of Bills offer forfeit-> receive delay-> leave -> reap benefit from cancellation
Number 11, huh?
Make no mistake, I want to beat Buffalo and KC since the whole NFL seems intent on screwing the Bengals. I'd love to win the SB, but I'm happy with how they've done and not sure given injuries if they can keep it up.
JWilly3
NFL is dying to take that Bill's vs Chiefs match up and put it down in Atlanta and treat is as a 2nd Superbowl. They want that Georgia vs tOSU feel to it where ppl know it's the real National title game. Let's hope our defense has something to say about it. We need to treat Buffalo the way the Ravens did to us. Hard physical high contact on every catch. And when Allen or the RB breaks containment on the edge we need guys flying in at hard on those legs. It makes you reexamine how bad you want to fight for any extra yardage, and leaves just a little doubt in the back of the mind.
Bullets will be back to save the season, and Stroud's dignity.
Jonah dislocated his knee cap just like he did earlier this year and did not miss a game. Having an MRI today to see if there's any additional damage. Dislocating both knees in one year is very odd!
The last update we had on Cappa seemed to suggest he could be back for the Divisional round. If it’s not more extensive than a dislocation for Williams, maybe the O-line has a chance to be at 80% instead of 40%.
We probably need to use some caution here since these same people also told us Collins had dislocated his knee cap and would be returning soon. Only to go into the MRI and find out the guy's knee was toast with torn ligaments.
Bullets will be back to save the season, and Stroud's dignity.
Oh, for sure. I’m expecting the worst - and I would guess that the staff is planning for the same. But the fact that there’s still a sliver of hope for anything better is better than I was expecting ~18 hours ago.
Frankly, anything better than a line made of toothpicks and used toilet paper has me optimistic given what Burrow & Co. pulled off last year.
Jonah is week to week essentially meaning he won’t play this week. Probably a little early for Cappa but who knows.
I would guess the hope is to have them both back for the KC game
It is unlucky for sure. Sometimes if you try to do too much with one leg injury you can make the other more prone to injury. I am sure with the training staffs, crutches and so on being used properly the risk of that particularly problem is pretty much gone but it does happen.
After that bone-crushing hit the Bills put on Miami's receiver, I hope Lou Anarumo shows the Bengals defensive room what the poor ole' Bills are out there doing and encourage Vonn Bell and company to LAY THE WOOD. fast, hard, and with bad intentions. Make the Bills sorry they ever screwed with us.
And if our O-line can somehow give Burrow an extra half-second more than last year's playoffs, we go back to the SB.
"Put ya' weight on it"
Carman actually played okay. It just sucks that the offensive line now has to rely on backups at this point of the season.
Okay might be a stretch. If he's the left tackle for an entire game, do you accept 1 holding penalty and 1 sack allowed as okay? If the right side of the line was intact you'd probably take that. My fear is with a gameplan to attack Carman and Adenijii that the Bills will be in the backfield all day...
He single-handedly killed two drives….
That holding was iffy at most. The sack he was supposed to get chip help. He did well, considering.
"Make Helen Well"
What’s the latest word on Williams and Cappa?
Cappa still on scooter, no shot but hoping for next week. Jonah off crutches but still limping and can’t run yet. Much more likely to be ready next week but highly doubtful for this week.
Need to bust out the 2021 no OL gameplan lol
Burrow did step up under those ridiculous circumstances in last year's playoffs so at least he's shown he can do it. And this year's defense has even more resolve than last year's. So why NOT us? (Again)
"Put ya' weight on it"
It looks like I'm back to the days of just wanting Burrow to survive the game without blowing out a knee.
That's where I am. At least it isn't the Ravens or Stealers d lines. That would be very problematic for an entire game. I think he will light up the Bills on Sunday.
While the Bengals o-line has injury issues Buffalo's o-line ain't that great. They gave up 7 sacks to Miami last week and here's their rankings for the year-
JWilly3
If they want to have a chance to beat Buffalo the play calling cant be as stupid as it was against Baltimore. Almost every 1 st down play in the 2nd half was a dumb run up the middle with Mixon for 1 or 2 yards. It was ridiculous. They had like 0 first downs for 10 minutes or more.
Benchwarmer
That healthy Ravens defense was probably the best in the NFL and the only one equipped to shut down our receivers. They with two deep safeties all night you kinda have to run.
They went 12-4 a year after making the superbowl. At what point do we just say the coaches are good and hope we win?
I have this feeling that Burrow and the receivers are due for a big game - IF - the line can give him time... I expect Buffalo to score 24-27 so 4 td's could win it.
The two OL are out officially. Need to survive and advance and hopefully get those two back for next week.
Bills will be trotting out Dane Jackson and Dean Marlowe as starters in the secondary. Gotta throw it on them boys
Not to re-open old wounds, but a neutral party in the national media finally laid out all the ways the Bengals got screwed by the NFL’s handling of the Bills game:
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-botched-the-handling-of-bengals-b...
That dude is the son of former long-time Bengals' kicker Jim Breech, so not sure I'd exactly call him a neutral party.
Bengals couldn’t even get a neutral site game in the Super Bowl last year!!!
Hehe, a weird coincidence too.