I am on NFL.com's playoff picture page.
The Bengals are currently 9th in the seeding.
If they win this weekend, they have a 55% chance to make the playoffs.
If they lose, just a 8% chance to make it, needing a win against the Browns (who could rest starters next week now that they have clinched playoff spot) and other teams to lose.

For all intents and purposes, this is a must-win for the Bengals.
Also need the Colts, Texans, and/or Bills to lose.

I sure hope he plays...and makes plays come Sunday.

Ja’Marr Chase had quite the edge after practice today addressing reporters. Said Chiefs don’t have anyone that stands out on defense. “It’s not really like have a Jalen Ramsey on their squad.” pic.twitter.com/1kurBwcOLF

— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) December 28, 2023

“They talk the most shit, that’s why. I love it.” Ja’Marr Chase on why he loves going after Chiefs with smack talk pic.twitter.com/i1RP5M1hNA

— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) December 28, 2023

Orlando Brown missed the birth of little Sonny because he was in Pittsburgh. Mama went into labor a couple of weeks early right at the start of the game. She gave birth, with Orlando Facetiming with her, while he was still in the locker room post-game. You have to wonder how this may have affected his play

I've been a fan since 1968, and I don't remember Bengals losing every division game. Not even in 1968 in AFL West, I think they beat the Chargers once. Bengals have had their 4 win seasons or less, but they seemed to always include a division game win.

If anybody knows another season that Bengals got swept by the division teams, please let me know which season.

OK, Bengals haven't been swept yet, there is still the Cleveland Browns game at end of season. This however is not the last place Browns that Bengals got some wins off of in some of Bengals worst seasons. Bengals still have one last chance to avoid The AFC North Sweep.

Again, if anybody knows a season Bengals did not win a division game, please post the season. As a long time fan, I can't remember one.

Coach Lou pretty much affirming everything that many of us have been thinking and saying for much of the season.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/the-future-is-today-bengals-dc-lou-anarumo-says-young-secondary-needs-to-grow-up-now/ar-AA1m7GSS?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=19ce5a2f6c274788b2207901ccd40b05&ei=77

Quote:Fifteen games into a 17-game season, Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo doesn’t want to talk about the youth in his secondary being the reason for another explosive performance by an opponent, this one an offensively challenged one that had just benched its backup quarterback for its third-string guy.

The first pass Pittsburgh’s Mason Rudolph threw as a starting quarterback in more than two years was a five-yard slant that wide receiver George Pickens, with help from the Cincinnati defense, turned into an 86-yard touchdown on Saturday afternoon.

And things somehow only got worse for the Bengals as Pickens burned them for a 44-yard reception to set up a field goal at the end of the half and a 66-yard touchdown early in the third quarter of Pittsburgh’s 34-11 win.
Why Is the Cincinnati Bengals’ Defense Getting Burned So Much?
“I don’t want to make excuses for anything, but we can’t win a football game if we give up 200 yards on three plays. We can’t,” Anarumo said Wednesday.

“I told them the other day, I said, ‘We are what we are right now. These things have to stop in order for us to be a consistent defense. These are things that have not shown up in a long, long time, but they’ve shown up this year. So whatever the reasons are, we will keep working at it like we’re doing, but they can’t continue.’

“We got punched right in the lip,” Anarumo added. “We’ll bounce back, but we have to stop these big plays. Let’s call it what it is.”

The Bengals have given up 59 completions of 20 yards or more this season. Only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have allowed more (62). Since the NFL went to the 17-game schedule in 2021, the most allowed in a season is 74 by the 2021 Baltimore Ravens. The 2021 Bengals are third on the list with 65, and this year’s 59 ranks 11th.

Cincinnati’s offense offset the 65 chunk plays in 2021 with its own explosives, but that’s been missing in 2023 with Joe Burrow playing through a calf injury for most of the year and backup Jake Browning starting the last five games following Burrow’s wrist injury.

A secondary coach before he became the Cincinnati defensive coordinator in 2019, Anarumo has stayed away from playing rookies most of his career, but this year’s defense features one safety who is a rookie third-round pick in Jordan Battle and another who is in his first year starting in Dax Hill.

Rookie second-round pick DJ Turner II has started 11 games at corner, and 2022 second-round pick Cam Taylor-Britt is in his first full season as a starter after taking over at midseason last year.

“A lot of firsts,” Anarumo said. “Some of it is still lessons that these guys are learning, and we will be better for it in the future. I keep saying that, but unfortunately, the future is like today. And we have to get better at these things immediately.

“We try to stay calm and settle them down on the sideline and [saying] just keep fighting and playing with the technique the coaches are teaching you,” he continued. “They want to be good. They’re great listeners. They’re very willing participants. It’s just a matter of tightening it down on every little detail of what their jobs are. We’ve got to get better, and that includes myself.”

There’s something to be said for staying the course and remaining calm, but there also comes a time when a point needs to be driven home.

We saw that Saturday night when Anarumo called the entire defense together on the sideline after falling in a 14-0 hole.

Asked how many times he’s done that, he said, “Never.”

Tack on another one of those “firsts” for the 2023 Bengals defense.

“I just felt like we were out of sorts,” Anarumo said of the impromptu group meeting. “Didn’t like the way things were going, obviously. I just called them up, and I said, ‘We’ve got to settle down and get back to doing what we do.’ I wanted to make sure they heard from me before we got to the locker room at halftime.”

The Bengals are disappointed by the amount of explosive plays they’ve allowed this year, and this week’s opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs, probably feel the same way about the uncharacteristically few they have produced.

Anarumo said he expects Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes to come out firing on Sunday to try to break out of their funk that has led to three losses in the last four games and four in the last six as the Chiefs have yet to clinch a playoff berth.

“I know this: They’re the world champs,” Anarumo said. “They’ve got arguably the best quarterback in our league for a long time. They’re a prideful group, and they’re going to look to get back on track and do what they do well.

“They’re just gonna chuck it down the field even more, in my opinion. I see them just being really aggressive, and it’s not going to surprise me one bit. I really think that’s how they’ll come out.”

A neutered offense versus an exploited defense after each unit has represented the AFC in the last two Super Bowls. Wounded pride. Desperation. Playoff hopes are on the line.

It’s not where everyone expected the Bengals and Chiefs to be in Week 17 when the schedule came out in May, but as has been the case in each of their four meetings since January 2022, a lot is on the line — both in terms of playoffs, and just sheer pride.

“The NFL is a very humbling league,” Anarumo said. “You can have a great week or two, you can have a great year or two, and then all of a sudden you get kicked right in the face.

“There’s not a guy in [our] locker room that’s not feeling good about, ‘Hey, we got a chance to go out there and do what we know we can do.’ But it’s not about talking about it, it’s about doing it.”

Someone take him alien hunting please

Show me the aliens!!

— Joey Burrow (@JoeyB) December 27, 2023

Sorry Wyoming. Its pretty much a national game unless you are in the Chargers or Broncos viewing area

https://506sports.com/nfl.php?yr=2023&wk=17


announcers are the A-Team for CBS....Nantz and Romo so expect 3 1/2 hours of hearing about the perfection that is Patrick Mahomes

Referee: John Hussey who worked the Rams game earlier this season. He is a among the group that throws the least flags but does seem to favor the home team in his calls especially if they are heavy favorites. Cheifs are favored by 8 points. Don't look for a lot of holding calls on the LT

Uniform combo: white jersey, white pants with black stripes, black socks. This used to be a good combo for them (8-1) but now it has a 4 game losing streak. Combo last worn in KC at the AFC championship game

Should Bengals target Chris Jones in FA, upside is he is a disruptor. Down side is he turns 30 next year. He won't be cheap, but could he help a DL with Trey, Hubbard, Carter, Murphy, Sample and others put pressure on the QB which helps our secondary?

Ja'Marr is not practicing

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Been a huge disappointment and liability. Now Defenses are rotating their line against us to put Jonah into 1 on 1 pass rushing situations against their best pass rusher and Jonah is failing miserably. I hope we never pick top 10 ever again because we are stuck with poor NFL player taking up a roster spot and playing time over better options.