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[Bengalbug]

(10-04-2023, 09:59 AM)Bengalbug Wrote: The Bengals still have the 9th best odds at winning the Super Bowl? I went in hoping to find them near the bottom, however they were still in the top 3rd. Vegas/Sports Books, typically have a good handle on these types of things.

I know this season hasn’t started the way we all hoped. We are essentially in a mid-season playoffs, right now. The first four weeks are behind us and there is a LONG way to go. However if this team can eke out two wins (visually: good, bad, meh) they will get a bye week, and then have 11 weeks to go over .500, 6-5 or better, and be in the mix.

Reasons why not to give up on this team:
1) Burrow has to be getting healthier. It’s been a while since his initial injury.
2) We have faced 3 of the top 8 scoring against defenses, we lost all 3. To put it in perspective, cardinals give up 7.5 more points per game than the lowest of the top 3, titans at 17.5.
3) all four teams we have played are giving up less than 300 ypg, all top 12 and two of the top 3.
4) AFCN is decimated with injuries. In fact the bengals may be in the best shape, burrow not with standing.

Reasons for concern:
1) play calling, it has to get better on both sides.
2) burrows mental struggle. we have seen him overcome this before. I’m hoping that it’s a UCF type hit/taunt/moment to burrow that wakes him up. If you don’t know what I’m talking, watch what he did after the hit/pick 6. As Andy Reid told mahomes, and hopefully Zac tells burrow/the team, when things loook grim, be the grim reaper. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dfYMHqTMQB0
3) team moral, but this is solved with going 2-0.

Long story short, if we come out of the next two weeks 2-0, which is possible, it would have required us to overcome the concerns. If we are sitting at 3-3 before the bye, this team will be what we thought before the season . The only thing most likely out of reach is the 1 seed at this point.

This isn’t a 13 week season anymore, it’s really a 2 week, must win, mid-season playoffs.

The second bullet for reason for concern, burrows mental struggle. It was this play yesterday that, for me, helped propel burrow forward.

https://www.azcardinals.com/video/highlight-strong-sacks-burrow-to-force-field-goal