Well well, look who popped up at #9 on PFF's list of top free agent signings of 2024.

9. G KEVIN ZEITLER, DETROIT LIONS

How does one of the NFL’s best offensive lines remain elite? Adding a player like Zeitler, who has slotted in seamlessly at right guard. In 2024, Zeitler has recorded career highs in PFF overall grade (90.0) and PFF run-blocking grade (88.7) while still posting a 97.8 pass-blocking efficiency. Zeitler sits as the third-best guard in PFF overall grade this year and is playing at a level transcendent to his one-year, $6 million contract.

Hindsight is always 20-20, but how many of this year's close losses go the other way if the Bengals had invested $6 million in PFF's third best guard?

For that matter, would Super Bowl 56 have turned out differently if it was Zeitler and not D'Ante Smith blocking Aaron Donald on that last play?

The highest-graded Bengals in Week 15 vs the Titans:

? Geno Stone - 92.8
? McKinnley Jackson - 87.5
? B.J. Hill - 81.6
? Mike Hilton - 81.6
? Myles Murphy - 79.0

(min. 25 snaps) pic.twitter.com/LYQlixKxWF

— PFF CIN Bengals (@PFF_Bengals) December 16, 2024

Sam Hubbard-PCL injury should be our for the rest of the year but Zac won't commit to that
Cody Ford had the flu, and couldn't eat for several days...should be ok for Sunday
Alex Cappa-concussion


Browns
will be without Nick Chubb and David Najoku

Stefanski will not name a starter at QB yet

I'm old enough to have seen Fran Tarkenton.  His ability to scramble and avoid sacks until a receiver got open.  Not a running quarterback, but Tarkenton could buy extra time to beat defenses.  I'm seeing that now out of Joe Burrow.  He reminds me of Hall Of Fame Fran Tarkenton.  Not a running quarterback, or a mad scrambler on every play.  Fran Tarkenton was the Best at it, and Bob Griese was pretty good. Staubach, Montana and Elway could scramble and buy time.  

As I watch Joe Burrow, he is starting to add that Fran Tarkenton to his game.  The ability to avoid sacks, scramble out, buy time, and in doing so, a Bengals gets open.  Defensive coverage breaks down after a few seconds.  

I knew Joe Burrow at LSU could run the Hurry Up Offense and wear out Defenses running plays before Defense can catch their breath.   I knew Joe Burrow at LSU could see the whole field and would throw the ball to many receivers hitting the open man like basketball.  I did NOT know Joe Burrow had this Fran Tarkenton elusive ability to dodge tacklers and extend plays until somebody does get open.  

For those of you who never saw Fran Tarkenton, go on internet and pull up footage of him.  You will then see Joe Burrow is doing a lot of Fran Tarkenton out there trying to win games.  Burrow isn't a running quarterback, but he isn't a tackling dummy pocket quarterback either.  Defenses are finding Burrow slippery and hard to catch as Fran Tarkenton was.

GO BENGALS

First off, yes, Hubbard has been bad defensively this year... I know this.

But why in the world do we even have to get cute and use Hubbard on offense in that situation? Why does Zac Taylor have to try and be the smartest guy in the room all the stinkin' time?

We have SEVERAL TE's on this roster. We have two in particular that are known are blocking TE's, so let's not try to say "well Hubbard would be a good blocker here"...

We have a defense that has been god awful and an offense that has been clicking....... so we're going to start using defensive players on offense too?

I just can't fathom the logic behind it. At all. Someone make it make sense for me.

I see no reason to want Bengals to lose to Browns.

I know some fans went Bengalized and wanted Bengals to lose rest of games for the Draft. I said on a post like that, any team or players in NFL who lose games on purpose should be kicked out of the NFL forever. Also people who buy tickets and TV Networks should sue those teams and the NFL for breach of contract. There is NO QUIT in football. Anybody that has ever played or coached the game knows that. You do not do the 1919 Chicago White Sox and lose games on purpose.

The Battle For Ohio. Bengals could climb to 7-8 on the season with a chance for a winning record and maybe even sneak into play-offs.

It will not be an easy game. Browns have Chubb and a stable of running backs healthy again. Winston is putting up a passing game. Browns defense is tough. The Browns gave Steelers a hard time in their recent games, so Browns are no easy win.

So my thoughts are not on free agency in March and the draft in April. My thoughts are on The Battle For Ohio, CB vs CB. Do you notice how Paul Brown did that. He started the Browns and won what I consider Super Bowls, for they were the NFL Championship Game. Art Modell fired Paul Brown, but a few years later Paul Brown started his own team again. He could have put it anywhere. He stayed in Ohio, and his old coaching cap that said CB now stood for Cincinnati Bengals, not Cleveland Browns. THE BATTLE FOR OHIO. Some may think Woody Hayes the Ohio Football Legend, but Paul Brown won at Ohio high school level. and won NCAA Title at Ohio State, Won what was the Super Bowl with 1950's Cleveland Browns, and built Cincinnati Bengals and as owner saw them in 2 Super Bowls.

I say WIN The Battle For Ohio.....I say BEAT CLEVELAND.

Burrow, Chase, Higgins, Chase Brown, Hendrickson and others give Bengals a chance to WIN. I predict a good, hard game, but BENGALS WIN. The heck with the draft, this is football season. BENGALS WIN and BEAT BROWNS.

I see no reason to want Bengals to lose to Browns.

GO BENGALS

At like 6:44 left in the 4th qtr we got the ball back up 10 and had opportunity to close out this crazy ass game. And I remember thinking "please run the ball some and eat clock" PLEASE.

And we came out and pass- incomplete, pass- incomplete, and I was like hells bells they're gonna let em have a chance and with our shower curtain D, oh lord. And we passed again but an amazing play by JB and Tee and we got the first.

Then something amazing happened. We ran the ball on 7 of the next 8 plays, 4 of em under center and actually closed out a game. YIPEEE Next 3 plays Chase Brown ran for 25 yards and made Tennessee burn up their time outs. Then ran it on 3 more plays and Chase Brown got another 1st with a big 10 yard gain.

It made me super happy to see us burning clock running the ball and getting first downs closing out the game. It's a key element we've been unable to do much. Yes it got crazy at the end with penalties, delay of games and confusion but up to that point I was

Next season I'm so hoping we can fix the interior Oline and JB will agree to some under center and more play action. We need the ability to run the ball in situations like this and others.

I'm liking what I see from Chase Brown

Gesicki has officially passed CJ Uzomah for the most receiving yards by a Bengals TE in a season (497 vs 493) since Eifert's All-Star 2015 season where he put up 615.
While that feels not that long ago, that was 9 seasons ago.

Gesicki is well on his way to passing 500 yards and could potentially pass 600 by season's end.

He's been a solid FA signing, especially for the price.

I don't know why I care, but these last couple of wins have kinda pissed me off.
They're only hurting the Bengals draft position!

Someone talk me off the ledge and give me some positive things about the last 2 weeks.

Lou "Buttermaker" Anarumo and the Bad News Bengals


Quotes form Lou Buttermaker after the Tennessee game today:

"Those Titans are real turds"

"Hey pusshead! Are you crazy fumbling the ball on the 1 yard line getting ready to celebrate to early?"




Thank god the Titans offense lost this game with their horrible decision making and execution because the defense still let those bafoons score 27 points!