(09-24-2024, 09:17 AM)Go Cards Wrote: The Good

It's only 3 games into a long season and we've been here before. Actually the Good may be coming by default per 10 of the 16 AFC teams have losing records. The Wildcard teams to beat presently are the Jets 2-1, Chargers 2-1, and probably the 1-2 Ravens.

The Bengals can get back in this if they can just get off the schneid and get rolling. The good news is that the Bengals remaining schedule are against teams that currently  own a combined losing record of 19-23.
If you removed the undefeated steelers (which I'm not scared of) then the teams combined records are 13-23. The AFC is waiting for the Bengals to catch up if they would only do their part.

The Bad

These lethargic starts Zac's Bengals keep coming out of the gate in are just bad. You can not keep spotting the entire NFL a head start and expect to make it up by playoff time yearly. Zac is 5-13 in his first 3 games of the season since becoming the Bengals HC losing to rookies and 2nd string QB's all along the way. He has only had a winning record once in first 3 games, and that was the year the Bengals went to the SB.
Still support Zac as HC but have never supported him as OC. Understand wanting to stay healthy but can not just throw away games early every year to do so. Figure something else out please.


The Fugly

The Defense is a porous sieve that can not slow the run at all and do not see any waving of a wand that can rectify this problem. Nor pass per Daniels completed all but 2 of his passes last night. The Bengals just lost two home games against the 2nd and 3rd worse teams in the entire NFL last season, and both were featuring rookie QB's, both at HOME. Washington never even had to punt. WASHINGTON, palm meet forehead.
I once trusted in Lou but that has been proven to be a mistake on my part. Although he has been hit the hardest with FA departures, yet still this is unacceptable not getting hardly any production out a slew of high draft picks.


In closing I am merely venting to stay sane. The defense was not the problem against the Patriots, plus played well enough against KC before this Commodore debacle last night. Commodore was the wrong insult to hurl per the defense was anything but a Brick House on prime-time Monday Night Football for the whole world to see.
The team just needs to somehow find it's chemistry together and get the ball rolling. The Bengals play a manageable schedule and the AFC as a whole is stuck in the mud coming out of the gate cushioning the Bengals current ineptitude somewhat by giving them a better chance to catch up than an 0-3 start deserves. Got to find some traction and get back into the mix before the playoff picture tumbles out of control the opposite direction. Think the Bengals climb the ladder once again and are in the playoff picture by seasons end. Just hope the 0-3 ball & chain does not cause them to fall just short when they arrive.

Not throwing in the towel yet, but feel like my confidence has taken a sucker punch immediately following the handshake.

(09-24-2024, 09:37 AM)XenoMorph Wrote: Well we cant keep starting super slow and expect magical runs to save us....  Likely missing the playoffs 2 years in a row with a 240mil qb

(09-24-2024, 09:37 AM)XenoMorph Wrote: Well we cant keep starting super slow and expect magical runs to save us....  Likely missing the playoffs 2 years in a row with a 240mil qb

(09-24-2024, 09:44 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: The Good: The offense was zinging. I think All has potential to be a really good TE. Chase looked good. Burrow looked sharp. We didn't put once. Probably Iovisas best game, but I don't know that he'll be good enough to replace Tee next year.

The Bad: Brown injured. He looked like a pretzel on the ground. Not expecting it to be good. He has an injury history.

The Ugly: The defense looks terrible. The defensive line is terrible. I think Hendrickson is the only lineman that would start on another team.

The run defense sucked before Reader. It sucks without him. (Although he's been hurt still and I don't think he plays yet for the Lions.)

I don't know that we have a #1 or #2 caliber CB on the Roster. Our safeties are mediocre. Bell needs a ballhawk like Bates by him. Stone is not that. Stone is essentially Nick Scott...which I think a lot of us knew.

Our recent high draft picks do not look like they were good picks.

Wilson and Pratt look slow out there, but I think some of the issue is that the defensive line is letting blockers get to them.

(09-24-2024, 09:45 AM)Bengalitis Wrote: that 240 million investment was a bad investment perhaps.. we lost so much talent because of that targeted investment.  I fear we may end up with the Carson syndrome in the end. 

(09-24-2024, 09:44 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: ****

The Ugly: The defense looks terrible. The defensive line is terrible. I think Hendrickson is the only lineman that would start on another team.

****

(09-24-2024, 09:47 AM)Bengalitis Wrote: I miss Eli Apple, and I thought that guy was bad.... he would have been gold in this match.

(09-24-2024, 09:56 AM)Nepa Wrote: Lou had Hendrickson sitting out for quite a few early downs.  Is he a liability against the run or against a QB who can run? 

(09-24-2024, 09:44 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: The Good: The offense was zinging. I think All has potential to be a really good TE. Chase looked good. Burrow looked sharp. We didn't put once. Probably Iovisas best game, but I don't know that he'll be good enough to replace Tee next year.

The Bad: Brown injured. He looked like a pretzel on the ground. Not expecting it to be good. He has an injury history.

The Ugly: The defense looks terrible. The defensive line is terrible. I think Hendrickson is the only lineman that would start on another team.

The run defense sucked before Reader. It sucks without him. (Although he's been hurt still and I don't think he plays yet for the Lions.)

I don't know that we have a #1 or #2 caliber CB on the Roster. Our safeties are mediocre. Bell needs a ballhawk like Bates by him. Stone is not that. Stone is essentially Nick Scott...which I think a lot of us knew.

Our recent high draft picks do not look like they were good picks.

Wilson and Pratt look slow out there, but I think some of the issue is that the defensive line is letting blockers get to them.

(09-24-2024, 10:30 AM)Whatever Wrote: Truthfully, I don't think the secondary is a big issue.  The bigger issue is Lou's game plan and an anemic pass rush.

For example, everyone is killing Dax for the late TD.  Meanwhile, Lou plays coverage and rushes 4 all game long, then brings the blitz on the last drive after Daniels has already gotten locked in.  He's a young QB.  You come after him early, shake his confidence, then feed off that the rest of the game.  On top of it, despite the blitz, Daniels has all day for that out and up to develop and God knows where the single high S is.  Just not much Dax can do.  He has to play the sticks, because if they get a first down, they can run out most of the rest of the clock.  And WFT was emboldened to call that slow developing route by our sad pass rush.  

(09-24-2024, 09:45 AM)Bengalitis Wrote: that 240 million investment was a bad investment perhaps.. we lost so much talent because of that targeted investment.  I fear we may end up with the Carson syndrome in the end. 

(09-24-2024, 09:45 AM)Bengalitis Wrote: that 240 million investment was a bad investment perhaps.. we lost so much talent because of that targeted investment.  I fear we may end up with the Carson syndrome in the end. 

(09-24-2024, 12:33 PM)TheCincinnatiKid Wrote: We aren't done yet, but with 3 losses already and the full quota of 6 AFCN games to play... we've got to be flawless from here really.

We'd probably have expected to be no worse than 2-1 right now with the schedule... so we're 2 games behind pace. If im honest, I wouldn't have expected we'd sweep the Browns or Ravens... and would've hoped for a split series with each. If we can manage to sweep both now, then we get those 2 games back (at least, according to my expectations).

It's doable, our schedule is really weak. But I do think the fact we've got 6 AFCN games to play yet, and we don't match up great against these teams, is probably what will make this unlikely. Going to have to find a way to win divisional games this year for sure.