Will the REAL Bengals please stand up?

[*jason*]

(12-06-2021, 06:55 PM)ochocincos Wrote: In 2019, I stopped watching the team after the Steelers game when they went 0-5. I saw enough to know they weren't going to have a chance in hardly any game.
In 2020, I watched the games until Burrow went on IR. You knew the team wasn't going to do much without Burrow.
At least this year is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get. It's refreshing compared to the previous two years.
Regardless of how this year ends, next year is playoffs or bust.

Honestly it should be playoffs or bust right now. The only reason we're not 100% in agreement about that is many of us didn't think the coaching staff had it in em to begin with. Now the team has shown they can blow out traditional boogie men, and hang with the Packers. They can also get dump trucked by the Browns, and manage to lose to the Jets. While I'd say the coaches have shown improvement (there was nowhere to go but up), they still aren't getting the most outta these guys. They can look dominant, or they can look like the 2019 team.

[*ochocincos*]

(12-06-2021, 07:06 PM)jason Wrote: Honestly it should be playoffs or bust right now. The only reason we're not 100% in agreement about that is many of us didn't think the coaching staff had it in em to begin with. Now the team has shown they can blow out traditional boogie men, and hang with the Packers. They can also get dump trucked by the Browns, and manage to lose to the Jets. While I'd say the coaches have shown improvement (there was nowhere to go but up), they still aren't getting the most outta these guys. They can look dominant, or they can look like the 2019 team.

I guess I have low expectations.
I just want a winning record.
That's a huge leap over the garbage we've seen prior with Taylor's regime.

[CJD]

I think, at this point, we can say definitively that this is the real Bengals.

Take out the Vikings with Burrow coming back from his huge injury, drop a laugher to the hapless Bears the next week. Follow that with a dominating win over the Steelers, and then almost blow it against the Jaguars. Play inspired football against the Packers, but then give it away on a series of missed field goals to lose. Dunk on the Lions and then drop 41 on Baltimore, give up an 11 point lead to NYJ in, what, 9 minutes the next week, give up 41 to a crippled Baker Mayfield the following week. Beat the brakes off of the Raiders, drop 41 on the Steelers and then give up 41 to the Chargers.

High potential, low consistency is the name of the game in Cincy. I still think we ride this wave into the playoffs, but I can't say that with anything but faith at this point because they've shown no ability to consistently put together full games. We could go 6-0 to end the season or we could go 0-6 and I wouldn't be surprised either way.

Do we win a playoff game this year? Again...totally random. I give it a pure and unweighted coin flip's chance that we make the playoffs and win a game. Because that's what this team is. They're a coin flip. It's a great foundation to build from in 2022, but for now let's just enjoy the ride and see where they take us.

[Interceptor]

(12-06-2021, 07:03 PM)hollodero Wrote: It almost seems as if they're getting too overconfident and sloppy after some good games. Then they refocus and get some wins after a tough loss or two. Then they get overconfident and sloppy again.

Kind of like their QB during games.

Or maybe it is trickling down from the coaches?

[MileHighGrowler]

(12-06-2021, 06:53 PM)RunKijanaRun Wrote: They’re an average team with a wide standard deviation. And they’re coached by a grapefruit.

The grapefruit comment along with that avatar just made me laugh more than it should have. 

[*Awful Llama*]

(12-06-2021, 07:13 PM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: Take out the Vikings with Burrow coming back from his huge injury, drop a laugher to the hapless Bears the next week. Follow that with a dominating win over the Steelers, and then almost blow it against the Jaguars. Play inspired football against the Packers, but then give it away on a series of missed field goals to lose. Dunk on the Lions and then drop 41 on Baltimore, give up an 11 point lead to NYJ in, what, 9 minutes the next week, give up 41 to a crippled Baker Mayfield the following week. Beat the brakes off of the Raiders, drop 41 on the Steelers and then give up 41 to the Chargers.

Well, the one thing no one can accuse this team of being is 'boring.'  May be a win, may be a loss, but it will always be interesting.  

[Browns Town Bengal]

(12-06-2021, 05:00 PM)Interceptor Wrote: Bengals are an unopened and unlabeled can of food. Could be anything in there.

Schrödinger's football team

[BengalChris]

(12-06-2021, 07:06 PM)jason Wrote: Honestly it should be playoffs or bust right now. The only reason we're not 100% in agreement about that is many of us didn't think the coaching staff had it in em to begin with. Now the team has shown they can blow out traditional boogie men, and hang with the Packers. They can also get dump trucked by the Browns, and manage to lose to the Jets. While I'd say the coaches have shown improvement (there was nowhere to go but up), they still aren't getting the most outta these guys. They can look dominant, or they can look like the 2019 team.

The Houston Texans beat the Packers 26-7.

The loss to the lowly Jets, being schooled for an entire half by the Jags then barely winning, 2nd consecutive losses to the Chargers and Herbert, losing to Andy Dalton for the second time in two seasons are all bad showings.

It should be play-offs or bust and bye-bye Taylor if he doesn't get it together. An experienced HC would have this team doing much better. If Marvin had this team they'd be 10-2 right now with both losses against the Steelers. LOL

 

[fredtoast]

(12-06-2021, 05:05 PM)MileHighGrowler Wrote:  but outside of the 3 division game wins, they haven't beat a team that currently has a record of better than .500 (Raiders). 

So division games don't count anymore?

Right now Bengals are THIRD in the league in wins over teams with winning records (3).  Tenn and GB are the only teams that have won more.  Bengals are also one of only 6 teams that are better than .500 against teams with winning records (3-2).

[ezekiel23]

I know it’s frustrating,but,if the Bengals were to go with 0 turnovers and an above average run game the rest of the season,I think they would be undefeated the rest of the way.I think they’re that good.Of course,we all know that’s virtually impossible,especially for the Bengals.

[Interceptor]

(12-06-2021, 08:17 PM)Browns Town Bengal Wrote: The Schrödinger Bengals

Fixed it

[BigPapaKain]

It's a young team with a shaky at best o-line.

Even if they fizzle out down the stretch, they've done better than they were supposed to.

[chopperbobby]

What do you mean. Been a bengals fan since late 70’s. With very few exceptions. They get your hopes up the let the air out. As far as I am concerned this is the real bengals.

Who dey

[MileHighGrowler]

(12-06-2021, 09:28 PM)fredtoast Wrote: So division games don't count anymore?

Right now Bengals are THIRD in the league in wins over teams with winning records (3).  Tenn and GB are the only teams that have won more.  Bengals are also one of only 6 teams that are better than .500 against teams with winning records (3-2).

Not what I meant at all.  Just saying that teams play weirdly in their own divisions.  They know each other better (playing twice a year, every year), have sometimes personal issues against the other teams.  They're wins, they count the same.  But I would never strictly use division games (for any team in any division) as my barometer for whether a team is playing well.  For the Bengals specifically?  2009, they swept the division.  6 of their 10 wins came against division foes.  My recollection is the the rest of the teams they beat had losing records.  Maybe one of them didn't.  And they lost to a team that just scraped by .500 not only in the final game of the season but right again after in the playoffs.  The division wins matter, but they weren't a true marker of how the team would ultimately do that year. 

[*bfine32*]

Well we don't have to worry about "Dead Cat Bounce" this year; let's just hope we don't get "live cat splat".

I personally think this team is a year away from being one of the best in the NFL. The team and the coaching staff are growing.

A couple tweaks on the oline and we're there.

[TecmoBengals]

(12-06-2021, 11:50 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Well we don't have to worry about "Dead Cat Bounce" this year; let's just hope we don't get "live cat splat".

I personally think this team is a year away from being one of the best in the NFL. The team and the coaching staff are growing.

A couple tweaks on the oline and we're there.

I'm also hopeful that next year the Bengals become an NFL elite team. I'm looking forward to a free agency and draft improving the team rather than being a desperation period to get the squad out of the NFL basement.

[Essex Johnson]

(12-06-2021, 04:50 PM)GreenCornBengal Wrote: Are we sure the REAL Bengals didn’t just step up against the Chargers… I still think the Ravens and Steelers are overhyped. We’re happy to beat them but the Steelers are old and the Ravens are super injured. We put too much weight into those wins because we’ve been so historically bad against them.

But you should put more weight into those wins, you play 40% of your schedule against your division, so winning in the division helps two fold, wins to make the playoffs and more important win your division and you have home field first game, possible bye

[fredtoast]

May I have your attention please
May I have your attention please

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(12-06-2021, 07:55 PM)Interceptor Wrote: Or maybe it is trickling down from the coaches?

Three out of five losses have one thing in common....too many turnovers. One game featured 3 straight INTs, we straight up took 10-14 points off the scoreboard with turnovers Sunday (the stupid Chase play was seven, the terrible end zone INT was at least three), then another turnover gifted the Chargers 7. That's upward of a 21 point swing and I've never seen turnovers blamed on coaches until now....lol. 

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(12-06-2021, 08:37 PM)BengalChris Wrote: The Houston Texans beat the Packers 26-7.

The loss to the lowly Jets, being schooled for an entire half by the Jags then barely winning, 2nd consecutive losses to the Chargers and Herbert, losing to Andy Dalton for the second time in two seasons are all bad showings.

It should be play-offs or bust and bye-bye Taylor if he doesn't get it together. An experienced HC would have this team doing much better. If Marvin had this team they'd be 10-2 right now with both losses against the Steelers. LOL

 

Marvin with good coordinators or Marvin with the likes of Zampese and Teryl Austin?


(cause if it's the latter, I honestly doubt it)