12-20-2022, 04:38 PM
(12-20-2022, 01:44 AM)Science Friction Wrote: I know this is probably a rhetorical question but I think it's worth a dicusssion. Think of the type of performances you expected from this team after the free agent signings --- an offense that is unstoppable and a defense that is tough , resilient, and lockdown-capable in the second half of games. Coming off a Superbowl performance , this team got better in the offseason and , with an "expect to win" mindset, were primed for another deep postseason run. After a slow start to the season and some early season forgettable moments, they are now living up to the preseason expectations.
However, I don't think we've come close to seeing the best of what this team is capable of. It took awhile for the O-line to come together and gel. They have played pretty well of late but I think they sstill have their best play ahead of them. The offense has also been hampered by injuries to our star receivers. Chase, Higgins, and Boyd are the best receiving trio in the game, not to mention the valuable Hayden Hurst. You're not gonna be your best without them being 100%.
And our defense has been decimated by injuries to arguably the most important guys on that side of the ball--- Chido, Reader, Hilton, Hendrickson, Hubbard, and on and on. And , still we win.
My God, how good could this team be if everyone was healthy all at once ? We've not yet seen that dominant team that we all envisioned about six months ago. We've seen glimpes, but not that Goliath that we thought we'd see steamroll opponents week end and week out. Don't get me wrong . I am happy with 10 wins in 14 games, especially considering how we started the season and how many injuries to key people we've had.
I just wrote this to see if you agree with me that, although we've played some pretty good football during this six-game stretch, we've still not yet seen what this team may truly be capable of. Could it be that we'll finally see that juggernaut we all envisioned this summer around the time the postseason begins? I can't think of a better time to watch it unfold.
Agree or disagree... we've not yet seen the best this team has to offer?
Tough to play at your best even when totally healthy against elite teams in the NFL and especially on the road. It's such a game of emotions, ebb and flow and crazy bounces that sometimes just being mentally as stable and tough as this team is and has been tells you more about exactly who they are. Teams practice all week to take away certain parts of the Bengals and sometimes they do but the really great teams have someone else step up or a backup rise to the challenge.
It's like the baseball team that gets defined by their great won/loss record in 1 run games.
