Would need many other teams to implode to even have a chance come the last two games of the season. Be lucky to not be in the bottom 25% of the league.

I’d say no can’t stop the run and we haven’t even played an AFC North game yet and all those teams want to do is run it down are throats. We also always struggle against the Browns on offense and are record isn’t great against Lamar. Eagles with Barkley is gonna be a nightmare to stop. The rest off are non division opponents aren’t that good but when you lose to the Patriots at full strength can’t say any game is easy. The other thing is even if are defense is at full strength the offense will most likely have to win us games and we’ve been pretty healthy on offense and you know injuries will more than likely happen on that side of the ball. Also this season is still Super Bowl or bust for me anything else I’d consider a failure we’re at that point as a franchise.

(09-25-2024, 05:33 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: Let me sugarcoat this BS with something else. If we beat Andy Sunday, we are 1-3. Same place we were in last year after week 4 where we probably would have made the playoffs had we had Burrow all the way. WTS, it's still pretty high expectations. Plus, Zac is 12-18 against AFCN teams. I pray we can take 1 from the Steelers, but not banking on it. That's not being a negative Nancy either. It's just the way it is.

Not saying it's impossible, but a lot of things have to go right, and the refs need to get off our junk!

No doubt that there's less room for error, but I say

(09-25-2024, 05:44 PM)125250 Wrote: I don’t see it. The defense is incredibly bad. They can’t talk or pressure the qb.

I don't know why the defense wants to talk to the QB, but I agree that we only make the playoffs with improvements on the defense.

I just think it will improve.

(09-25-2024, 06:18 PM)reuben.ahmed Wrote: I like how different we are, I will never forget our argument that we were 21 down and I said we are probably going to lose and you were adamant we were not out of it. I think it was the 3rd quarter. I get what you were saying but statistically it was going to be very tough. Same with making the playoffs now.

I felt the WA game was over at 14-7, I didn't think it would get so much worse so quickly after that, but it was a gut feel.

I remember Andy threw a pick 6 for the first play of the game against the Browns and had the same feeling. That is a fluke feeling but we did really bad that game too lol.

Argument? What? I don't know what you're talking about.



IN any event, it's just a guy feeling on my part, too, but I think we still make the playoffs.

(09-25-2024, 06:34 PM)Bengalfan4life27c Wrote: I worry if it goes real bad we wont even trade Tee for draft capital we are still way behind other organizations in forward ways of thinking

I agree that if the defense does NOT improve and we're sitting 0-fer for awhile or even looking to end with 2 or less wins, the front office probably doesn't even fire Lou let alone actually make some moves mid-season to shore up the defense

(09-25-2024, 06:51 PM)RegularGuy22 Wrote: I doubt they equal last year of 9-8 even with Burrow all season. I guessed a month ago they would go 9-8 but now that even looks tough to do. They only have 3 major problems to deal with, the Front Office, the Coaching Staff including Taylor and alot of the players. To be 9-8 they will have to go 9-5 the rest of the way, it's not happening. They are as much of a playoff team as the Reds are.

I really don't understand the hate for Zac. I'd get it if was the offense that was failing us, but it's clearly the defense that's the issue (Patriots game notwithstanding) and while Zac is the head coach, there's only so much he can do to fix the problems on the defense.

Front office definitely deserves the bulk of the blame for building a good defense and not keeping Bates or Reader, though

(09-25-2024, 07:13 PM)ochocincos Wrote: A lot will hinge on the improvement of this DL and especially the young guys Murphy, Jenkins, and Jackson to turn this season around.
It could happen, albeit low probability.

This is my point except that I'm saying that the DL WILL improve.

(09-25-2024, 08:24 PM)Awful Llama Wrote: If they can beat Carolina and then Baltimore you'll have a lot more people here agreeing with you.

No doubt. lol

Thought, I do doubt we beat Baltimore as the defense currently stands.

(09-25-2024, 10:32 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: I’d love to point to our 10 game winning streak a couple years ago, or the 17 game season, as reasons for a glimmer of hope, but this defense is just nowhere near good enough to be a playoff team.

Agreed, as the defense currently stands. However, I think the defense DOES improve well enough to get us into the playoffs.

A lot stating "no way" because of the running defense. I'd be with them if we were at 100%. First couple weeks we were without our 2nd and 3rd RD draft picks at DT and our 3rd game we were without both starters.

Let me see what a rotation of Rankins, Hill, Jackson, Jenkins can do before I throw in the towel.

I'd also be less optimisric if it were BAL at 3-0 rather than PIT

(09-26-2024, 11:41 AM)PhilHos Wrote: This is my point except that I'm saying that the DL WILL improve.

I try not to make absolute statements like that for the positive because there's a possibility they don't.
Or they may improve somewhat, but maybe not enough.

We know there's clearly an impact this month with Reader no longer a Bengal, but we won't know how much he's fully missed until we see the rest of the season play out.

I do like Jenkins as a run defender and I did like Jackson's skill set and size for NT coming out of college, so I'm optimistic on that front.
Carter should get enough playing time this year to potentially prove doubters wrong, but even I, a Carter supporter, am losing confidence in his development now.

Rankins and Hill need to be used like Hill and Ogunjobi were used back in 2021.
Let Jenkins and Jackson rotate at NT and both come out on passing downs.
This is obviously if/when all are back healthy.

Ehh, even at 0-3 there are enough playoff slots now that you really have to have a lot of faith in some bad teams ahead of us to assume we can't make the top 7 in the AFC. Add in that the Steeler's QB room could turn back into a pumpkin any day now and the Ravens are REALLY good at losing to any random NFL team on any given week and we could still even have the division in our grasp.

(09-26-2024, 05:08 AM)reuben.ahmed Wrote: Like literally just teach them to tackle, at least 1-2. The defense is showing a vote of no confidence.

Burrow was trash in game 1, bad penalty in game 2, no defense whatsoever in game 3.

All things considered, I think the defense did a really good job against the Chiefs. Just need that kind of effort against EVERY opponent.

I think we'll see an inspired defense eager to rid themselves of the embarrassment of their showing against Washington This Sunday. Due to injuries, it still won't be great, but good enough to win.

(09-26-2024, 06:51 AM)SladeX Wrote: We’re not going to win a playoff game.

I wanna disagree with you, but I'm not going to go THAT far until I see HOW we make the playoffs. If, like I suspect, we win due to mainly offense and just good enough defense to win most of our remaining games, then who we play determines if we have a shot at a playoff win, but unless the defense becomes a STRENGTH (due to Murphy, Jenkins and/or Jackson being better than we expect), I certainly don't think we'll win 1 or more playoff games.

(09-26-2024, 06:53 AM)No-huddle Joe Wrote: Philhos, I sure hope you are right, but my negative Nancy feeling just says it isn't there this year.  Something seems off about the whole team.  Where is the fire from Burrow on the sideline?  The "LET"S F#$@ING GO!" he would be hollering?  It's like he goes to the sideline and mopes by himself.  I don't like it, but for some reason, this reminds me of the Bengals of old....no energy, no passion, just a lackluster blah.  I really, really, hope you are right and my post here doesn't age well.  It better start this weekend for sure.  Come on Bengals, get out of this funk!

It was probably there. Joe is just too savy to have it be caught on camera.

(09-26-2024, 09:00 AM)Daddy-O Wrote: Love the optimism! However, to win a shootout you have to possess the ball, a lot.  That means the defense has to get stops.  

The formula to beat the Bengals is very simple, run the football and then play action. The Bengal defense cannot stop the run consistently enough to put any kind of pressure on the other teams offense.  Additionally, outside of Trey Hendrickson they can't put any pressure on the QB.  Lou should tear up his playbook and start from scratch, possibly utilizing a similar concept to that of the Vikings under D coordinator Brian Flores.  It's the only chance they have.  Rushing four and dropping the rest back won't work with the DL we put on the field.

Another thing that needs to happen is to STFU about the other team.  CTB this means you specifically.  Paul Brown would have fined and benched his A$$ for spewing off like that.

Definitely agree that CTB and everyone else should not say anything other than 'They're a good team' when talking about opponents. Hell, let's try some psychological advantages by publicly saying how scared they are to play the upcoming team, but then display the confidence they shouldn't have when the game starts. lol

(09-26-2024, 09:22 AM)BoomerFan Wrote: I believe it is possible that we make the playoffs but this defense...it would be tough to go anywhere if we even got there. Real tough.

Don't really disagree, but I'm focusing on the positive of MAKING the playoffs.

(09-26-2024, 09:32 AM)740Bengal Wrote: PLAYOFFS!? I just hope we win a game.

I'm surprised it took this long for someone to bring up this reference.

(09-26-2024, 09:58 AM)RegularGuy22 Wrote: Pretty much this ^.  Sad that we are just hoping for a win to avoid a season disaster. Can they go 9-5 the rest of the way and avoid a losing season?

They're going to win at least 10 games.