Battle for Seeding or Rest Battered Starters?

[*SHRacerX*]

(12-23-2022, 03:14 PM)samhain Wrote: The Bengals find themselves in an interesting position after Jacksonville's win last night.  

Fighting for a playoff berth is no longer something they have to do with 3 games remaining.  They also have several key players working through injuries to stay on the field on a week to week basis on both sides of the football.  

The number 1 seed would obviously come with the advantage of 2 weeks rest for players in need, but that's far from a sure thing, and the Bengals aren't quite in control of that.  Even if they win out, they need KC to take an upset loss to get to a first round bye.  

What would you rather have?  A team fighting for a bye that may not be likely or a team going into the postseason with most of it's key injured players coming off of 2 or 3 weeks rest?

My approach would be a mix of both.  Win in New England.  It's not a given, but it's a very winnable game.  Put that in in your back pocket, rest some guys vs Buffalo, then beat an even more banged up Baltimore team to secure at least one home playoff tilt.  Baltimore at home is a game they should be able to win without all hands on deck.  

It's a tough pill to swallow given the playoff atmosphere that will be the Buffalo game, but I'm not sure what they gain going to a 2 seed from a 3.  At the very least, I want to rest Hendrickson, Hilton, and either Tee or Tyler if they aren't feeling a lot better than they are now.  It also would get backups a large volume of snaps against likely playoff opponents which wouldn't be entirely bad.

If KC drops a game, that changes the entire approach, but that's difficult to bank on.  The Monday night game is a big one, but a win vs the Bills in the playoffs, which is something they are very likely to need, is bigger.  

I'm pretty torn on all of this, but it's something to keep an eye on.

You go for the one seed.  That bye week and having KC and Buffalo likely end up playing each other the second round of the playoffs, and you get the lower remaining seed is the best path to the Super Bowl.

Now, if KC wins today and the Bengals lose, the Bengals have virtually no chance of the #1 seed.  At that point, you are just playing for a home playoff game.  But you can't "rest up" unless it is a guarantee that the Bengals can't improve their seeding in the final week of the season.

My dream is that Seattle pulls the upset (hey, they are better than the Texans and Broncos) today, the Bengals beat the Pats, and then next MNF will be for the #1 seed between Cincy and Buffalo.  THAT would be exciting as hell.  Plus, it might stop some of the whining about how the Bengals didn't have to play Buffalo last year.