They will make the playoffs. There a half game back and they're figuring things out with a new o line and Joe missed a lot of camp. They will out it together. You had to prepare yourself for this in the off-season. Everyone was thinking we were some new dynasty that just had to show up.

Joe doesn't look healthy & I'm just about over blaming the O-Line... he's partly to blame.

Not too early to fire Pollack

Zac should turn over the play calling duties - saw a thread that Joe has 1 TD in the 1st quarter in the last 3 years. WOW!

Defense was solid

You got to beat the teams your supposed to beat. Schedule doesn't get easier they really screwed themselves last two weeks.

Man after how we lost week 1 we come out and play like this. The season is over. I should care more but I guess it is what it is.

(09-18-2022, 08:57 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: all hope isnt lost yet.

Well KC was pretty awful to start last year and ended on fire. I’m hoping the o line gels the next few games, but damn Pittsburgh and this Dallas team were extremely winnable games on a tough schedule. Good news is the entire division went 0-4 today.

I don’t want to say it but what the heck. Joe B looked like Andy D the first three quarters. He was gun shy(don’t blame him, he is getting killed) he was ducking fast and panicking.

I am a Joe fan he makes us a better team. But he is getting clobbered. I think it’s starting to get to him. But if anyone can shake it it is him

(09-18-2022, 09:10 PM)reuben.ahmed Wrote: Burrow needs more time, he's going to look like trash like he has otherwise. He's making poor decisions and looking down at the ground instead of up the field. He should start escaping the pocket at least to a side that can give him time. He looked like end of era Andy Dalton (scared of sacks and trying to run instead of find a WR for another split second). I hope that fixes itself within the next month or two as he regains his strength and the line gels a little more.

Dallas fans warned us about Collins and his penalties, this dude doesn't look like a starter, I bet PFF will say so also.

Burrow has to improve his own play overall. The line has quit playing like these games are walk-throughs. Most importantly, Zac and the offensive coaches have to do a better job getting these guys ready to play when the game starts, and coming up with schemes / game plans that put these players in more favorable situations. There seems to be a stubbornness to their approach right now...even when it's obviously not working.

(09-18-2022, 09:17 PM)chopperbobby Wrote: I don’t want to say it but what the heck. Joe B looked like Andy D the first three quarters.  He was gun shy(don’t blame him, he is getting killed) he was ducking fast and panicking.  

I am a Joe fan he makes us a better team. But he is getting clobbered.  I think it’s starting to get to him.  But if anyone can shake it it is him

My random idea is those hits are hurting a bit more, he doesn't look 100% healed from that surgery. He was on bed rest too. He admitted he wasn't 100% (reading tea leaves) before the season started. I know as an old person major injuries are taking me months to fully heal from. He won't make any excuse but they ripped his core. It's probably affecting the confidence in some of his throws, and he's thinking too much about sacks/picks instead of playing.

(09-18-2022, 09:17 PM)CarolinaBengalFanGuy Wrote: Well KC was pretty awful to start last year and ended on fire. I’m hoping the o line gels the next few games, but damn Pittsburgh and this Dallas team were extremely winnable games on a tough schedule. Good news is the entire division went 0-4 today.

pittsburgh and dallas have the kryptonite for an average o-line

elite pass rush. Those really are the 2 best teams in the league when it comes to that

Myles Garret and cleveland arent far behind though. thats one problem

Defense has played well enough to get a win but this line is just abysmal at times. Collins looked awful out there today. The bodyguard has yet to show up. Williams has been inconsistent. Volson has played like a rookie. Still expecting it to come together but they have a long way to go.

(09-18-2022, 09:19 PM)Bengalholic Wrote: Burrow has to improve his own play overall. The line has quit playing like these games are walk-throughs. Most importantly, Zac and the offensive coaches have to do a better job getting these guys ready to play when the game starts, and coming up with schemes / game plans that put these players in more favorable situations. There seems to be a stubbornness to their approach right now...even when it's obviously not working.

What made the Patriots so good is they didn't rely on Brady for every damn play. They knew they had a secret weapon at the end of the game. I see Zac trying to keep playing "our game" instead of playing the game needed to beat that team that week. That's my general idea when watching them, but I can't prove it lol. I just remember Belichick attempting only 3 passes with Mac last year and won that game. 

I think the successful teams morph quickly, game to game and quarter to quarter. They are good in a few areas and play a certain way to beat whatever the weakness is that week. Also I think all of this falls down when the line is so bad. Brady is GOAT because of many things but his maneuvering in the pocket is something Burrow should probably watch a bit more if he hasn't.

But yeah I put it all on Zac when Burrow has 4 picks and a fumble in the 1st half and "keep being aggressive" is his approach in the 2nd half. They almost won, sure. But when he sees his QB struggling and something not working, just keep doing it? Also doesn't jive with they're a better 2nd half team, it means their prepared first half/first drives is piss poor as evidenced by Burrow's 1 TD in the 1st quarter in his entire career.

(09-18-2022, 09:01 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: what we've seen in the 2nd half this year from cincy tells me that magic from 2021 is still there. the talent is still there

1 TD in 2nd half is not magic, magic is not taking the ball over needed 3 points to win, over 2 minutes left with two timeout and you go 3 and out... that is not magic.  if you are talking defense  yes there is hope but offense i don;t see it... Burrow has 3 Tds to 5 turnovers in 2 games.. that does not spell magic to me...

We aren't winning 4 games.

The question now is where do we go from here with our top 3 pick?

(09-18-2022, 09:23 PM)Essex Johnson Wrote: 11 points in 2nd half is not magic, magic is not taking the ball over needed 3 points to win, over 2 minutes left with two timeout and you go 3 and out... that is not magic.  if you are talking defense  yes there is hope but offense i don;t see it... Burrow has 3 Tds to 5 turnovers in 2 games.. that does not spell magic to me...

i say magic because the offense and defense both step up in the 2nd half, and tie the game up

the offense undoubtedly has played better in the 2nd half to keep cincy in the game. just like the defense

(09-18-2022, 09:10 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: We get outcoached in virtually every game too.

Particularly by the Dallas OC.

This thread is totally false.

'Since the merger in 1970, there have been 400 teams start the NFL season with a record of 0-2, according to Stathead.

Of those 400, only 38 have reached the playoffs. That's 9.5 percent of 0-2 teams. It has been a while since teams that started the year 0-2 made it to the postseason. Back in 2018, both the Texans, who finished the year 11-5, and the Seahawks, who ended the year 10-6, made it to the playoffs. Both lost in the wild card round. Since then, 27 teams have gone 0-2 to start the season. None reached the playoffs, and only the 2020 Dolphins (10-6) and 2021 Colts (9-8) had a winning record.'

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sportingnews.com/us/amp/nfl/news/nfl-playoffs-0-2-history-cowboys/ombgfs1efl2yv0l5zbzkb9vh

On paper, they are a relatively healthy team with a ton of talent.

I feel like we are watching them play themselves into game shape during games that actually matter. That's a sub-optimal plan.

At some point this season, IMO, they will peak and look like a very good team. The new o-line will become more cohesive. it's just a question of how many games they have to lose before that happens. Time is definitely not on their side.

I don't think we can take any opponent for granted right now.

(09-18-2022, 09:12 PM)Big_Ern Wrote: They will make the playoffs. There a half game back and they're figuring things out with a new o line and Joe missed a lot of camp. They will out it together. You had to prepare yourself for this in the off-season. Everyone was thinking we were some new dynasty that just had to show up.

There’s a gargantuan gap between dynasty and can’t beat Mitch Trubisky and Cooper Rush.

Dallas was literally the only team in the league that didn’t score a TD in week one. Ofc he looks like a Pro Bowler vs us though.

It's a league of parity, but they've gotta figure out the oline....or a way to minimize its ineffectiveness.

Relax everything will be fine. We played like shit today and nearly won the game. Yeah they're a lot of issues that need to be fixed but they're not unfixable.

(09-18-2022, 09:25 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: This thread is totally false.

'Since the merger in 1970, there have been 400 teams start the NFL season with a record of 0-2, according to Stathead.

Of those 400, only 38 have reached the playoffs. That's 9.5 percent of 0-2 teams. It has been a while since teams that started the year 0-2 made it to the postseason. Back in 2018, both the Texans, who finished the year 11-5, and the Seahawks, who ended the year 10-6, made it to the playoffs. Both lost in the wild card round. Since then, 27 teams have gone 0-2 to start the season. None reached the playoffs, and only the 2020 Dolphins (10-6) and 2021 Colts (9-8) had a winning record.'

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sportingnews.com/us/amp/nfl/news/nfl-playoffs-0-2-history-cowboys/ombgfs1efl2yv0l5zbzkb9vh

The good news is 3 of the 4 teams who started 0-2 and reached the SB won it.