Do we tank this game vs New Orleans?

[CJD]

I was listening to Mo Egger yesterday and he was talking about just tanking vs New Orleans. Basically, we have no shot of winning, and with Baltimore coming up the following week, we should not risk Dalton, Mixon or any of our other major players getting injured for a lost cause of a game.

He went through the AFC wild card contenders as such:

Miami is 5-4 with the Packers, Patriots and Vikings remaining on their schedule, so their best case scenario is probably 9-7 (and we own the tie breaker).
No other contenders in the East.

The Titans and Jags are a hot mess and he doesn't believe the Titans will go 5-3 to end their season to end on 9-7.
The Jags would need to end 6-2 to even have a shot at the wild card at 9-7.

The Chargers have probably already secured a playoff spot at 6-2. And there is no other competition in the AFC West for a playoff seed.

So that leaves Baltimore, sitting at 4-5. They'd need to go 5-2 in the remainder of their season to even get to 9-7.

So he's saying, if we can ignore New Orleans, count it as a loss, rest all of your starters and go into Baltimore healthy and rested (who are coming off of a bye anyway) we have hand them their 6th loss, putting them at 4-6 and then they'd need to finish 5-1 to even make 9-7. And, in the case that they did, we would only need to go 3-3 (6-4 after losing to NO and winning vs Baltimore) in our final 6 games to guarantee a playoff spot, since beating Baltimore would give us the head to head tie breaker.

The odds of going 3-3 against the Browns, Broncos, Raiders, Chargers, Browns and Steelers is, in his opinion, a pretty good bet. And that'd only be necessary if one of those teams did end at 9-7, as we'd win any tiebreaker at 8-8 if none made it to 9-7.

What are your guys' thoughts on his opinion of the playoff outlook and whether or not to tank the New Orleans game?

[THE PISTONS]

I don't think it's as easy as that. If you rest your starters it signals to the team that it's ok to give up if you play a team you can't beat.

I think you have to try to win every game you play.

Tanking games here and there to try to get a 6 seed shouldn't be the goal.

[fredtoast]

If we admit we can't beat good teams then there is no need to try and make the playoffs.

There are big upsets pretty much every week in the NFL. Anything can happen. The Lions manhandled the Patriots 26-10 earlier this year.

[*Nately120*]

(11-06-2018, 11:40 AM)fredtoast Wrote: If we admit we can't beat good teams then there is no need to try and make the playoffs.

There are big upsets pretty much every week in the NFL.  Anything can happen.  The Lions manhandled the Patriots 26-10 earlier this year.

Agreed.  The lions and jaguars beat the Patriots, the Bills went into the Vikings billion dollar playground and embarrassed them, and Ryan Fitzpatrick went into the super dome and beat the Saints and the Browns went into the super dome and took the Saints to over time .


But lets throw in the towel.  We can't pull off things the lions, bills, buccaneers and browns can. Wacky. 

[2MinutesHate]

All the players are essentially playing for their next contract in some shape or form.  I know if I was in the NFL, I wouldn't want to take plays off, much less a whole game.  Seems like career suicide to me.

As far as the Saints go, if the Bengals can pull out a win here, the whole mentality of the team is corrected, which I think hasn't been the same since the last Steelers loss.  A respectable showing, at the very least, is critical for the confidence of the team, which is far from out of it.

A blowout loss, I think would crush the chances of a playoff berth, especially going on the road next week to Baltimore.

[Nicomo Cosca]

(11-06-2018, 11:40 AM)fredtoast Wrote: If we admit we can't beat good teams then there is no need to try and make the playoffs.

There are big upsets pretty much every week in the NFL. Anything can happen. The Lions manhandled the Patriots 26-10 earlier this year.

And the Bills beat the Vikings, the Bucs beat the Saints...

It’s ridiculous to even suggest tanking a meaningful game.

[sandwedge]

Dumbest thing anyone can say! Why not just tell your players you have no faith in them or they aren't good enough.

[Wilikn]

If the Bengals, Titans, and Dolphins all tie at 9-7 (Ravens and Jags are very unlikely), the DOLPHINS would win that tie breaker. Since none of the three has a sweep over the other, the next tie break is AFC record and the Dolphins likely have the best of the three. It is unsafe to think the tie-break is a lock. The Titans win last night was not good news.

Historically (in most every sport but especially football) teams coming off of huge home wins play down the following week on the road. That'd describe the Saints. Same Saints lost to the Buccs. Same Saints needed Justin Tucker to shank an extra point to beat the Ravens. Same Saints needed a bunch of kicking gaffs to beat the Underwear Stains.

The Saints are not unbeatable on the road with or without a team's best WR. The Bengals are five point underdogs, not 15.

Playoff outlook, yeah this game means the least of all the remaining games. It is really a bonus game. You don't turn down the extra credit though. Not when this game means the same lesser amount to the Saints. Grabbing that 10th win is one heck of a hedge.

Overall outlook, the Bengals will (likely) be favorites in four remaining games. Stains twice, Raiders, and Broncos. I'm also looking at week 17. It isn't crazy to see the Chiefs, Pats, and Texans all at 12 wins or more. Gonna be really hard for the Steelers to reach 12-3-1. Very possible they are at week 17, with nothing to play for locked in the 4th seed, while staring at a 1st round game against the Chargers the next week. That could end up the biggest gimme of the bunch.

Summary, root hard against the Dolphins, Titans, and Ravens. Steelers losses are good. Pats, Chiefs, and Texans wins are good. This assumes catching Pitt for the division is a pipe dream.. and it is.

[Bengalitis]

I understand where you are coming from but the benching is only allowed/done once you made the playoffs and have meaningless games to play still in the regular season. Unfortunately, we are still far from the playoffs.

[*wildcats forever*]

Mo being Mo ..... again. Thinking he can be controversial by suggesting stupid shit. Don't go away mad, Mo. Just go away.

[Lionel Hutz]

New Orleans is due for an off game. Understand Mo's thinking, but like Herm Edwards said, "you play to win the game!" Don't think Bengals will win Sunday, but I'll have a hell of a lot more respect for them for lining up and playing instead of punting on this game.

[Sled21]

Dumbest thing I've seen today...… but it's still early.

[*bengalfan74*]

You play to win the game.

Drops mic

[Au165]

That sets a bad precedent in general for players. As it has been pointed out the NFL is a league built around upsets, so no you don't throw in the towel. If you thought we were a laughing stock before this would be a new all time low.

[*Nately120*]

(11-06-2018, 12:12 PM)Lionel Hutz Wrote: New Orleans is due for an off game.  Understand Mo's thinking, but like Herm Edwards said, "you play to win the game!" Don't think Bengals will win Sunday, but I'll have a hell of a lot more respect for them for lining up and playing instead of punting on this game.

New Orleans has already had a number of off games this year, they've just managed to eek out victories in most of them. 

[Hoofhearted]

(11-06-2018, 01:00 PM)Nately120 Wrote: New Orleans has already had a number of off games this year, they've just managed to eek out victories in most of them. 

What I wouldn't give to have a Saints "off game" at a 7-1 record and undefeated away from the Dome (which people claim they're not as good at)

[jj22]

No matter what, if we make it to the playoffs we are in for yet another 1 and done national beat down by either the Texans or the Steelers. Not even sure the city can handle it.

[Bengalbug]

(11-06-2018, 01:00 PM)Nately120 Wrote: New Orleans has already had a number of off games this year, they've just managed to eek out victories in most of them. 

Since week 2 the saints have won by 6 points or more other than a road win in Baltimore. Their last 4 wins were against .500 or better clubs at the time.

The bengals lost at home to a reeling Pittsburgh team where a loss would have been basically a knock out punch for the steelers, now they are the class of the AFCN. And got throttled, by the chiefs. Then the bengals weeks out a win against TB.

If you look at the bengals season and saints season, the bengals is tending down slightly and the saints is shooting up.

Maybe the bengals win this game, but I don’t see them
Coming within 10. I just don’t see the fire power... or Marvin having the guts to go for the win. He will play conservitave football and play not to lose. We probably end up punting on a short 4th down mid game, down by 7-10 and the saints will put the game away on the next drive.

[John Shaft]

Haven't been here in a while and the first thing I see is a conversation about should a 5-3 team be "tanking" ?
That mentality fits this franchise perfectly. A 5-3 team should be discussing how to win versus not making ANY moves and fans thinking "tanking"

[J24]

(11-06-2018, 01:19 PM)jj22 Wrote: No matter what, if we make it to the playoffs we are in for yet another 1 and done national beat down by either the Texans or the Steelers. Not even sure the city can handle it.

Ok chicken little