We Need a Better Record Against the AFC North

[Essex Johnson]

(02-05-2024, 07:08 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Another thing I think is making some jump to conclusions:
2021 divisional record: 4-2
2022 divisional record: 3-3

People are quick to jump on the 1-5 record of 2023, but it's not like they've been having a losing record.
It was one season after two good seasons.

About the only things I can think of that really caused the downfall were:
1) Bengals lost some key DB talent and didn't have the young guys quite up to par
2) Burrow only being really healthy for ~5 games the entire season, resulting in a worse-than-expected offense
3) Coaches decided after having to battle through the Bills and Chiefs the past two playoffs that they needed to tweak the team to be better against those guys rather than the divisional opponents

#1 there really wasn't going to be much to help other than maybe keeping Bell for continuity. But we have to give young talent a chance to learn on the job. There will be growing pains.
#2 some of us kinda had a feeling going into the regular season that it could be a rough season. I don't think any of us quite expected that rollercoaster though.
#3 would definitely be on the coaches though and something I think they could work to put more in the middle rather than swing the pendulum to the complete opposite direction...assuming they even did try to change that.

I agree this year there are a few variables in play with 1-5 but I do think some people are discounting division wins, one big tiebreaker in the playoff seeds is conference record and 1/2 of those games are division games, it is not a good trend to be 500 or below in division games when it comes to seeding..