Nobody gets excited by the Bengals at this point, but they're quietly rounding into form, especially on offense. The Andrew Whitworth-less offensive line was a disaster early in the season, and I'm still not sure I trust Cedric Ogbuehi at left tackle, but this passing game might have turned the corner. Let's look at two anonymous quarterbacks and how they've performed since Week 8:

Player Gms Cmp Att Cmp% Yds Y/Att TD INT Rating
Quarterback A 5 80 135 59.3 1025 7.6 9 0 104.9
Quarterback C 4 70 122 57.4 805 6.6 11 1 104.0

He has played one additional game, but Quarterback A -- Andy Dalton -- has put up similar rate statistics to Quarterback C, who is Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz's Total QBR has been significantly better, but if you're in the same neighborhood of raw statistics as the guy who has been solidifying his MVP candidacy, you're doing something right. Dalton also has played the Broncos and Jaguars over that stretch, so it hasn't all been against Browns-level opposition, either.

The offense might not need to contribute all that much, either. The Bengals' defense ranked 12th in DVOA heading into this week's game against the Browns, which saw them allow 405 yards while holding DeShone Kizer & Co. to 16 points. Cleveland was one of the reasons why the Bengals had the easiest remaining slate of opposing offenses heading into the week; after the Steelers next week, the Bengals finish up with the Bears, Vikings, Lions and Ravens.

Crucially, the Cincinnati defense is getting healthy, which could come in handy in December. The only starter it missed against the Browns was safety Shawn Williams, with Adam Jones and depth corner Darqueze Dennard returning to the fold. The Bengals did lose linebacker Nick Vigil during the game with an ankle injury, but they are capable of getting by with Kevin Minter and Vontaze Burfict as their linebackers in the nickel.

Cincinnati's season might very well come down to what the Bengals do against the Steelers next week and whether they can beat the Ravens in Week 17. The New York Times suggests that Bengals victories in both games would bump their playoff chances from 9 percent to 43 percent. Given how inconsistent both those teams are from week to week, it's hardly out of the question to peg Cincinnati as a surprise candidate to soar up the ranks.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/page/Barnwellx171127/ranking-11-nfl-teams-2017-playoff-picture-sneak-field

Who misses out: The Ravens would be the obvious pick to drop out of the playoff picture if the Bengals sneak in. Cincinnati also holds a head-to-head win over the Bills, which would come in handy as a tiebreaker.

There are those here that think Dalton is the entire problem with this team. And if we had _________________ fill in the blank QB all would be well.

And they couldn't be more wrong !

As far as making the playoffs it's an extreme long shot.

Yeah...pretty amazing that with our bad offensive line Dalton has put up slightly better numbers than Wentz who is an MVP candidate over the past 5 games. No run game either for most of those games.

Maybe Lazor has been doing a better job than it appears.

Let's talk playoffs a week from today. We should know all we need to know by then.

Dalton could end up with one of the best year of his career given the circumstances.

(11-27-2017, 11:45 PM)jj22 Wrote: Let's talk playoffs a week from today. We should know all we need to know by then.

Dalton could end up with one of the best year of his career given the circumstances.

He has the 2nd highest rating of his year.

I doubt he hits the TD or Yardage highs though. He's really far back.

We're not making the playoffs.

(11-27-2017, 10:23 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: There are those here that think Dalton is the entire problem with this team. And if we had _________________ fill in the blank QB all would be well.

And they couldn't be more wrong !

As far as making the playoffs it's an extreme long shot.

No there’s not. You will not find anyone on here that doesn’t acknowledge the o line, lack of running game, and bad coaching are problems.

As far as if we had QB X or Y, it’s mostly people responding to the notion that some of the best that ever played the game wouldn’t do ANY better than Dalton here. That’s a far cry from if we had QB X or Y “all would be well.”

Anyways...credit when it’s do, Dalton has been solid.

(11-27-2017, 11:46 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: He has the 2nd highest rating of his year.

I doubt he hits the TD or Yardage highs though. He's really far back.

With the run game improving I expect to see Andy's yardage numbers fall off a little -- but that's perfectly okay.  He shouldn't have to pass over 35 times per game.

(11-27-2017, 11:46 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: He has the 2nd highest rating of his year.

I doubt he hits the TD or Yardage highs though. He's really far back.

Agreed. I think he might get 10 touchdowns, and MIGHT hit 300 yards maybe once to finish out the season. Definitely depends on if the offense can show up or not. 

(11-28-2017, 12:13 AM)Jakeypoo Wrote: We're not making the playoffs.

Didn't I see you making negative statements in another thread?

A few weeks ago, I might agree with you, but the line is playing better and Mixon looks like he's going to be a very dangerous weapon.  

Our pass rush looks like it's only getting stronger and Lazor looks like he's getting better and better at utilizing our weapons.  

We look like we're finally playing inspired football right now and there's no reason why we can't get a wild card spot in the playoffs.

The Steelers looked very beatable today, and there's no reason that we shouldn't be favored in every other game on the schedule with the exception of the Vikings, who we could still beat.

We could very easily only lose one more game and make the playoffs, or lose two and still possibly get in.

(11-28-2017, 02:04 AM)BFritz21 Wrote: Didn't I see you making negative statements in another thread?

A few weeks ago, I might agree with you, but the line is playing better and Mixon looks like he's going to be a very dangerous weapon.  

Our pass rush looks like it's only getting stronger and Lazor looks like he's getting better and better at utilizing our weapons.  

We look like we're finally playing inspired football right now and there's no reason why we can't get a wild card spot in the playoffs.

The Steelers looked very beatable today, and there's no reason that we shouldn't be favored in every other game on the schedule with the exception of the Vikings, who we could still beat.

We could very easily only lose one more game and make the playoffs, or lose two and still possibly get in.

You've seen me say negative statements in other threads and I'm going to do it again. 

Playoffs at this point is a joke. We'll need 9 wins to make it in and we have 5 wins currently. Only problem is there are only 5 games left and two of those are against teams that previously blew out the Bengals this year (Steelers and Ravens). Two more games are against teams with winning records (the Vikings and the Lions). The Bengals have only one win against a team with a winning record this year and that was the Bills who are currently 6-5.

Basically, the Bengals, who have one win against a winning team is going to play 4 teams with winning records over the next 5 weeks.

I'm sorry, but Marvin Lewis isn't that good. This OL is that bad. The team selected the wrong guy to help them this year with the #9 pick. And as decent a QB that Andy Dalton is, he's not good enough to carry this team down the stretch.

If you want to hear delusional thinking, check out this video clip:

http://www.espn.com/blog/cincinnati-bengals/post/_/id/26717/cincinnati-bengals-2017-draft-picks-analysis-for-every-selection

I am happy to announce that I don't know whether or not we make the playoffs this year.

It's a long shot, but it's very possible. All we really need is to upset Pittsburgh and then play like we have the last 5 games for the next 5 and we're in. We control our own destiny after all :).

But yea, right now the Steelers feel like a pretty huge problem. I hope we can get an upset in that game. I'd feel much better about our playoff chances if the only things standing between us and the playoffs are a bad Bears team, a bad Ravens team, a mediocre Lions team and an admittedly difficult matchup against a good Vikings team.

(11-28-2017, 09:04 AM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: I am happy to announce that I don't know whether or not we make the playoffs this year.

It's a long shot, but it's very possible. All we really need is to upset Pittsburgh and then play like we have the last 5 games for the next 5 and we're in. We control our own destiny after all :).

But yea, right now the Steelers feel like a pretty huge problem. I hope we can get an upset in that game. I'd feel much better about our playoff chances if the only things standing between us and the playoffs are a bad Bears team, a bad Ravens team, a mediocre Lions team and an admittedly difficult matchup against a good Vikings team.

Yeah, they at least get to control their own destiny somewhat.....which is far better than I ever envisioned.....but I just don't see them beating the Stoolers and the Vikings.  Maybe one or the other, but no way both.  The Lions won't be easy either.

(11-27-2017, 10:12 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Nobody gets excited by the Bengals at this point, but they're quietly rounding into form, especially on offense. The Andrew Whitworth-less offensive line was a disaster early in the season, and I'm still not sure I trust Cedric Ogbuehi at left tackle, but this passing game might have turned the corner. Let's look at two anonymous quarterbacks and how they've performed since Week 8:

Player               Gms   Cmp   Att   Cmp%   Yds   Y/Att   TD   INT   Rating
Quarterback A      5      80    135    59.3     1025  7.6      9     0      104.9
Quarterback C      4      70    122    57.4       805  6.6     11    1      104.0

He has played one additional game, but Quarterback A -- Andy Dalton -- has put up similar rate statistics to Quarterback C, who is Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz's Total QBR has been significantly better, but if you're in the same neighborhood of raw statistics as the guy who has been solidifying his MVP candidacy, you're doing something right. Dalton also has played the Broncos and Jaguars over that stretch, so it hasn't all been against Browns-level opposition, either.

The offense might not need to contribute all that much, either. The Bengals' defense ranked 12th in DVOA heading into this week's game against the Browns, which saw them allow 405 yards while holding DeShone Kizer & Co. to 16 points. Cleveland was one of the reasons why the Bengals had the easiest remaining slate of opposing offenses heading into the week; after the Steelers next week, the Bengals finish up with the Bears, Vikings, Lions and Ravens.

Crucially, the Cincinnati defense is getting healthy, which could come in handy in December. The only starter it missed against the Browns was safety Shawn Williams, with Adam Jones and depth corner Darqueze Dennard returning to the fold. The Bengals did lose linebacker Nick Vigil during the game with an ankle injury, but they are capable of getting by with Kevin Minter and Vontaze Burfict as their linebackers in the nickel.

Cincinnati's season might very well come down to what the Bengals do against the Steelers next week and whether they can beat the Ravens in Week 17. The New York Times suggests that Bengals victories in both games would bump their playoff chances from 9 percent to 43 percent. Given how inconsistent both those teams are from week to week, it's hardly out of the question to peg Cincinnati as a surprise candidate to soar up the ranks.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/page/Barnwellx171127/ranking-11-nfl-teams-2017-playoff-picture-sneak-field

Who misses out: The Ravens would be the obvious pick to drop out of the playoff picture if the Bengals sneak in. Cincinnati also holds a head-to-head win over the Bills, which would come in handy as a tiebreaker.

Pretty sure his completion % is closer to 65% since Lazor took over...think your math might be off somewhere?

(11-27-2017, 10:12 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Nobody gets excited by the Bengals at this point, but they're quietly rounding into form, especially on offense. The Andrew Whitworth-less offensive line was a disaster early in the season, and I'm still not sure I trust Cedric Ogbuehi at left tackle, but this passing game might have turned the corner. Let's look at two anonymous quarterbacks and how they've performed since Week 8:

Player               Gms   Cmp   Att   Cmp%   Yds   Y/Att   TD   INT   Rating
Quarterback A      5      80    135    59.3     1025  7.6      9     0      104.9
Quarterback C      4      70    122    57.4       805  6.6     11    1      104.0

He has played one additional game, but Quarterback A -- Andy Dalton -- has put up similar rate statistics to Quarterback C, who is Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz's Total QBR has been significantly better, but if you're in the same neighborhood of raw statistics as the guy who has been solidifying his MVP candidacy, you're doing something right. Dalton also has played the Broncos and Jaguars over that stretch, so it hasn't all been against Browns-level opposition, either.

The offense might not need to contribute all that much, either. The Bengals' defense ranked 12th in DVOA heading into this week's game against the Browns, which saw them allow 405 yards while holding DeShone Kizer & Co. to 16 points. Cleveland was one of the reasons why the Bengals had the easiest remaining slate of opposing offenses heading into the week; after the Steelers next week, the Bengals finish up with the Bears, Vikings, Lions and Ravens.

Crucially, the Cincinnati defense is getting healthy, which could come in handy in December. The only starter it missed against the Browns was safety Shawn Williams, with Adam Jones and depth corner Darqueze Dennard returning to the fold. The Bengals did lose linebacker Nick Vigil during the game with an ankle injury, but they are capable of getting by with Kevin Minter and Vontaze Burfict as their linebackers in the nickel.

Cincinnati's season might very well come down to what the Bengals do against the Steelers next week and whether they can beat the Ravens in Week 17. The New York Times suggests that Bengals victories in both games would bump their playoff chances from 9 percent to 43 percent. Given how inconsistent both those teams are from week to week, it's hardly out of the question to peg Cincinnati as a surprise candidate to soar up the ranks.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/page/Barnwellx171127/ranking-11-nfl-teams-2017-playoff-picture-sneak-field

Who misses out: The Ravens would be the obvious pick to drop out of the playoff picture if the Bengals sneak in. Cincinnati also holds a head-to-head win over the Bills, which would come in handy as a tiebreaker.

This is actually pretty funny.  You are now defending Dalton and I am the old Curmudgeon that keeps saying things like "They still suck" or "Marv still the coach?  Won't matter...".

Friends, Pistons and I are not being held hostage by Fred in a basement somewhere with our User IDs reversed.  What you are witnessing is a real transformation and could only happen to fans of the Bengals.   

(11-27-2017, 11:45 PM)jj22 Wrote: Let's talk playoffs a week from today. We should know all we need to know by then.

Dalton could end up with one of the best year of his career given the circumstances.

Yep, we will be all but eliminated (maybe not mathematically, but even the Browns weren't eliminated mathematically until this week) after the steeler game and everyone will still blame Dalton.  

(11-28-2017, 02:04 AM)BFritz21 Wrote: Didn't I see you making negative statements in another thread?

A few weeks ago, I might agree with you, but the line is playing better and Mixon looks like he's going to be a very dangerous weapon.  

Our pass rush looks like it's only getting stronger and Lazor looks like he's getting better and better at utilizing our weapons.  

We look like we're finally playing inspired football right now and there's no reason why we can't get a wild card spot in the playoffs.

The Steelers looked very beatable today, and there's no reason that we shouldn't be favored in every other game on the schedule with the exception of the Vikings, who we could still beat.

We could very easily only lose one more game and make the playoffs, or lose two and still possibly get in.

Don't do it, Brad....Lucy is just going to pull the ball away at the last second and you will go flying through the air screaming "AAAAARGH!"

(11-28-2017, 10:07 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: Yep, we will be all but eliminated (maybe not mathematically, but even the Browns weren't eliminated mathematically until this week) after the steeler game and everyone will still blame Dalton.  

Yep..... :andy:


Can hardly wait for the start Driskel threads after AJM is traded.

(11-28-2017, 10:03 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: Pretty sure his completion % is closer to 65% since Lazor took over...think your math might be off somewhere?

I just copied and pasted that entire article from ESPN...but it's over the past 5 games. Not since when Lazor took over.

Dalton never was the problem.

People act like you can just get a better QB anywhere and that is simply not true.