Oddly enough.

[TKUHL]

(12-10-2018, 09:56 AM)corpjet Wrote: As am I, us making the playoffs would be an embarrassment to the NFL.......lose out and lets get Marvin gone!!

As bad as the team looks I think the players have been trying to accomplish this starting weeks ago.

[sandwedge]

(12-10-2018, 01:07 AM)YsCascadia Wrote: We are still in the race for the division.

The Steelers have done what I predicted they would do and lost a lot of those traveling games.  The surprise was Jacksonville, but it still took a lot for them to win that one.

Now with the Saints and Patriots, those look like 2 more losses for Pittsburgh.  (I know, but the Pats lost to the Dolphins, spare me).

We have the Raiders, Browns and Steelers.  None are gimme games for sure, but if we win out and the Steelers do in fact lose out then that would leave our fate up to the Browns and Ravens.  The Browns have to go out to Denver and have the Ravens, so 1 loss for us (remember we have to win out), and a loss to Denver would have us actually cheering for the Browns against the Ravens.  

The Ravens have the up and down Bucs and have to travel to SD.  So those aren't gimme wins for the Ravens.  If the Ravens were to lose both of those games and the Browns lose to the Broncos (as well as us), then we could control our own destiny by beating the Steelers at the end of the season.  Not ideal and I know many will say that we don't deserve to even go to the playoffs, but if not us, who in our division do you think actually "deserves" to go?  Serious question, Who do you really think should win the division this year and go to the playoffs?

First though, it does start with us winning.  Even if we lose in the 1st round of the playoffs, at least we would keep the rest of the division from going.

Though we could have abolished a lot of this anguish and anxiety by winning a few of those games that we had lost.  Steelers, Browns, Ravens and Broncos were all winnable games and the Bengals played like crap.

Though, I will take a division win and consider that a win for this season.  Come back stronger next year and make some noise then.

I get what you are saying. I was watching the Steelers/Raiders game and when I saw Pittsburgh was 7-4-1, I was saying to myself, "as bad as we are, we are only 2 games behind them".... I don't foresee us making the playoffs, but damn, a win yesterday would have put us back into, thanks to a shitty division this year

[thompson19osu]

If we finish 8-8 and the Ravens finish 8-8 who goes?

[YsCascadia]

(12-10-2018, 12:07 PM)thompson19osu Wrote: If we finish 8-8 and the Ravens finish 8-8 who goes?

Good question.  It comes down to Tie breakers at that point.  Divisional wins and then head to head, then common opponents and AFC record.

The Ravens so far have split with the Bengals and Steelers and beat the Browns.  We have only beaten the Ravens and have lost to the Browns.  If we win out we would have also split with the other North teams, so our divisional records would be the same at 3-3, that would also mean the Ravens beat the Browns.  If the Ravens lose to the Browns and we win out then we would have the better record at 3-3 to their 2-4.  So it only takes the Ravens losing 2 of the next 3 with 1 loss from the Browns with us winning out to win the division.

[YsCascadia]

(12-10-2018, 07:04 AM)Brimey Wrote: The Bengals haven't won a game since October. They've been destroyed multiple times since then.  The chances of the Bengals winning out is ludicrously low. The chances of every other team in the division losing out is ludicrously low. 

What game did you watch the last time this team played Cleveland. That wasn't close. The Bengals are collapsing and the Browns are beginning to surge a bit .Expect a blowout.

Sure Oakland stinks. Then again, Gruden just beat Pittsburgh at home, something Marvin has accomplished twice in 16 years. So Gruden is treated like a joke...not sure what that makes Marvin.

And beating Pittsburgh on the road in week 17 in a pressuep situation...Yeah right. What have you seen out of this team that they have the ability to do that. 

Best case scenario is we lose the next two and in a nothing to lose game week 17 we knock Pittsburgh out of playoffs. 

This team is in rebuild mode. 

All of the teams in the North are in rebuild mode.  Haven't you been paying attention?  None of them are SB contenders and will make noise in the playoffs.

You think the Steelers can beat the Patriots and the Saints?  I don't.  Hell even if the Steelers were a good team this year, those 2 are still the toughest games on their schedule. 

You think the Ravens can beat the Chargers in LA?  I don't.  Their issue at QB with the better QB being disgruntled and the flashy one headed for a short career I wouldn't beat on them to run the table, though they do have the easier road to the playoffs.  Win 2 or their next 3 and they are in.  The Bucs in Baltimore doesn't bode well for our chances, but I wouldn't discount the Bucs getting an upset either. 

The Browns are in fact the Browns.  They have found some surprising success, but just like we do with the Bengals, just wait for the other shoe to drop.  We still have the edge against them and the Raiders will be in Cincy, so our chances of beating both of them isn't as low as you think.

What have I seen?  I have seen plenty to know that the Bengals can still win the division.  Instead of being a little baby and boo hoo we lost games, I take the other approach and look at it objectively.  I will never cheer for the Bengals to lose, especially for something that we know will not happen in the firing of Lewis (that is real wishful thinking) and the bringing in a Sean McVay or Peyton type coach. 

As to draft picks... position doesn't mean production.  I mean we had Ross at 9 and the Chiefs took Mahomes.  I don't think we picked wrong as we needed WR help, but many on here think we should have taken Mahomes and have a QB controversy.  I also can't deny the production that Mahomes has had (albeit with a lot of help) over Ross.  So us having a top 5 pick doesn't mean we will get the productive player that you and others on here seem to think we will. 

[Bengalitis]

The best thing about yesterday's game was some guy with the name of RINGO, got a sacked.

Then gets punished and taken out of the game for his sack. :giggle:

[THE PISTONS]

(12-10-2018, 07:04 AM)Brimey Wrote: The Bengals haven't won a game since October. They've been destroyed multiple times since then.  The chances of the Bengals winning out is ludicrously low. The chances of every other team in the division losing out is ludicrously low. 

What game did you watch the last time this team played Cleveland. That wasn't close. The Bengals are collapsing and the Browns are beginning to surge a bit .Expect a blowout.

Sure Oakland stinks. Then again, Gruden just beat Pittsburgh at home, something Marvin has accomplished twice in 16 years. So Gruden is treated like a joke...not sure what that makes Marvin.

And beating Pittsburgh on the road in week 17 in a pressuep situation...Yeah right. What have you seen out of this team that they have the ability to do that. 

Best case scenario is we lose the next two and in a nothing to lose game week 17 we knock Pittsburgh out of playoffs. 

This team is in rebuild mode. 

It's the cycle of being a Bengals fan. We could go 2-12 with a terrible roster, draft players, and not sign a single free agent...and lose a couple key guys and people will talk about how we found 5-6 quality starters in the draft and will make the playoffs.

We lose a little less badly...and people talk playoffs.

[motoarch]

(12-10-2018, 02:14 AM)YsCascadia Wrote: Really?

So the Bengals can't beat the Browns and Raiders?  Talk about not understanding odds.  You think the Browns sweep us? 

You think the Steelers are a great team that can go toe to toe with the Saints and Patriots? 

No I don’t think we can beat anyone right now. This team has lost 5 in a row and the injuries are only mounting. Our odds are getting lower very time a starter comes of the field. And other than Mixon it seems most have quit. What makes you think they can beat anyone?

Yes the Browns very well could sweep us. As of late they are the better team.

The Steelers most certainly have a better shot at going toe to toe with anyone in the league. They still have most of there core starters and no New England isn’t that good right now. BB is still the coach and Brady’s still the QB but if you’ve been watching they are vulnerable this year not the juggernaut they use to be. The Steelers are notorious for playing down to bad teams the last couple seasons and showing up against good ones. They won’t stay down long.

[YsCascadia]

(12-10-2018, 09:26 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: It's the cycle of being a Bengals fan. We could go 2-12 with a terrible roster, draft players, and not sign a single free agent...and lose a couple key guys and people will talk about how we found 5-6 quality starters in the draft and will make the playoffs.

We lose a little less badly...and people talk playoffs.

OR

The Steelers are facing 2 of the best teams in the league and the Ravens don't have any gimme games either with SD and Tampa.  The Browns also have to face off against the Broncos as well as the Ravens.

So if we win out, beating the Raiders in Cincy, the Browns who haven't swept us in forever and the Steelers then we have the better record than the Steelers and thus the division title. 

Quit acting like I am talking about the Bengals being a powerhouse SB contender.  That isn't what this thread was about.  This thread is about the possibility in a Division title.  Even with us losing so many games and playing like garbage, we still are in the mix. 

Instead of being so down, try to be a bit more positive, we may not do anything while in the playoffs, but damn it, why not enjoy that we could be the best team in this division?

[Fan_in_Kettering]

There’s no way this oozing, festering, toxic dumpster fire of a team will finish 8-8.

[YsCascadia]

(12-10-2018, 09:41 PM)motoarch Wrote: No I don’t think we can beat anyone right now.  This team has lost 5 in a row and the injuries are only mounting.  Our odds are getting lower very time a starter comes of the field.  And other than Mixon it seems most have quit.  What makes you think they can beat anyone?  

Yes the Browns very well could sweep us.  As of late they are the better team.

The Steelers most certainly have a better shot at going toe to toe with anyone in the league.  They still have most of there core starters and no New England isn’t that good right now.  BB is still the coach and Brady’s still the QB but if you’ve been watching they are vulnerable this year not the juggernaut they use to be.  The Steelers are notorious for playing down to bad teams the last couple seasons and showing up against good ones.  They won’t stay down long.

Did you think the Browns were the better team when we had a 4-1 record?

The reason I think we can beat anyone is because we aren't the worst team in the league.  Are we a good team?  No, but neither are the Browns. 

The Steelers have no shot at beating the Patriots or the Saints.  They are not a good team.  Many kept saying that the only games they would lose was to the Patriots.  I kept pointing out that they have a lot of traveling to do and good teams would win those, but the Steelers are not a good team.  I even said the Raiders have a shot at beating them because it was a road game.

For a team that quit they sure kept at it on Sunday.  

[motoarch]

(12-10-2018, 10:04 PM)YsCascadia Wrote: Did you think the Browns were the better team when we had a 4-1 record?
. 

The Steelers have no shot at beating the Patriots or the Saints.  They are not a good team.  

I got flamed in here for suggesting we remain cautious moving forward when we were 4-1 because

1. We could have vey easily lost some of those games if not for some last minute heroics.

2. The browns could have easily one the games they lost at that point in the season if not for missing a few kicks. This included a loss to the saints they should have won and the tie against the Steelers. Edit: and a really obvious bad blown call against the raiders.

So draw your own conclusion to what I thought when we were 4-1.

As for the Steelers beating NE or the saints we’ll revisit this thread at a later date. No point in arguing it now. I’ll always cheer for the other team when it comes to Pittsburgh but we’ll see what really happens.

[THE PISTONS]

(12-10-2018, 09:59 PM)YsCascadia Wrote: OR

The Steelers are facing 2 of the best teams in the league and the Ravens don't have any gimme games either with SD and Tampa.  The Browns also have to face off against the Broncos as well as the Ravens.

So if we win out, beating the Raiders in Cincy, the Browns who haven't swept us in forever and the Steelers then we have the better record than the Steelers and thus the division title. 

Quit acting like I am talking about the Bengals being a powerhouse SB contender.  That isn't what this thread was about.  This thread is about the possibility in a Division title.  Even with us losing so many games and playing like garbage, we still are in the mix. 

Instead of being so down, try to be a bit more positive, we may not do anything while in the playoffs, but damn it, why not enjoy that we could be the best team in this division?

We've lost 5 in a row...of which we've been competitive in 1 and lost 7 out of 8...any you're talking about us winning out and making the playoffs.

[THE PISTONS]

(12-10-2018, 10:04 PM)YsCascadia Wrote: Did you think the Browns were the better team when we had a 4-1 record?

The reason I think we can beat anyone is because we aren't the worst team in the league.  Are we a good team?  No, but neither are the Browns. 

The Steelers have no shot at beating the Patriots or the Saints.  They are not a good team.  Many kept saying that the only games they would lose was to the Patriots.  I kept pointing out that they have a lot of traveling to do and good teams would win those, but the Steelers are not a good team.  I even said the Raiders have a shot at beating them because it was a road game.

For a team that quit they sure kept at it on Sunday.  

We are every bit one of the worst teams in the league especially without Green and Dalton.

You're basing your optimism on us being in the game against the Chargers. Look...some 2 win teams actually won. It happens in the NFL.

We're not possibly the best team in the division. That's a delusion.

[YsCascadia]

(12-10-2018, 10:46 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: We are every bit one of the worst teams in the league especially without Green and Dalton.

You're basing your optimism on us being in the game against the Chargers. Look...some 2 win teams actually won. It happens in the NFL.

We're not possibly the best team in the division. That's a delusion.

Nope... Nope.... Nope... Nope.

I am basing it on fact...  The Steelers are playing NE and NO.  Who do you think wins those match ups? 

The Browns go out to Denver.... Who do you pick?  We can beat the Browns, but if you think the Browns are a good team then I can see your point, but I just disagree.  Both of our teams are dysfunctional.  The Browns are just as susceptible to losing to us as we are to them.  So we laid an egg the first time.  Now we have a score to settle, beating a team once doesn't mean you beat them twice.  That is what makes divisional games so hard to predict.

Ravens are the WC (I don't mean playoffs), they have to go to LA and face the Chargers... Who do you pick?  They also have the Bucs, one of the best offenses in the NFL that has surprised some good teams this year. 

Let's play the if game.  If they Steelers, Ravens and Browns do in fact lose their next 2 games and the Bengals do in fact win their next 2 games.  Do you want the Bengals to beat the Steelers or do you want the Steelers to beat the Bengals?  Playing with the playoff generator would have the winner of that game going, no matter what happens with the Ravens and Browns.

I would say that if the Bengals were to win the division, that would make them the best team in the division.  Doesn't mean anything but a 1st round loss, but I would take it.  Of course playing with the playoff machine, depending on the AFC west we would get a rematch between the Chiefs or Chargers.  Now if I were to say we win a Playoff game it would be because of optimism based off of being in the game against the Chargers.

[motoarch]

I love your unrelenting optimism in the face of reality but you’re crazy.

We’ll probably win atleast 1 more game and the Steelers probably win 2 more. Even if we manage to beat the raiders and the browns; which to your credit is very possible we’re not going to beat the Steelers. This team just dosent have what it takes. And even then we’re betting on them dropping the next 2 games and yes they play quality teams but they show up for those games. NE seems to have there number so despite my previous statement about them being not as good this year I still like there chances. As for NO both the ravens and Cleveland took them down to the wire and only lost because of missed kicks. Remember that; tucker missed an extra point?! And Cleveland lost to them due to missed kicks. So I don’t know why you think there so invincible. Yeah they crushed us. But we suck, bad.

Which is why we are not winning the division..

[YsCascadia]

(12-11-2018, 10:31 AM)motoarch Wrote: I love your unrelenting optimism in the face of reality but you’re crazy.

We’ll probably win atleast 1 more game and the Steelers probably win 2 more.  Even if we manage to beat the raiders and the browns; which to your credit is very possible we’re not going to beat the Steelers.  This team just dosent have what it takes.  And even then we’re betting on them dropping the next 2 games and yes they play quality teams but they show up for those games.  NE seems to have there number so despite my previous statement about them being not as good this year I still like there chances.  As for NO both the ravens and Cleveland took them down to the wire and only lost because of missed kicks.  Remember that; tucker missed an extra point?!  And Cleveland lost to them due to missed kicks.  So I don’t know why you think there so invincible.  Yeah they crushed us.  But we suck, bad.

Which is why we are not winning the division..

No the Steelers do not show up for those games.  If anything they struggle against quality teams.  NE as you said has their number.  The Steelers struggle mightily against them even when they are good.

Name 1 quality team the Steelers beat this year.  The Panthers are on a 5 game losing streak as well, the Falcons have underwhelmed and even lost to Cleveland, the Bucs came down to the wire for them as well but are hardly a quality team (one of the reasons I think Baltimore has the edge at the division), the Jags are not that great and they almost lost that game.

No the Steelers haven't played anyone of substance and won.  The Chiefs beat them easily, the Chargers beat them and they will be beaten by the superior NE and NO squads.

NO will be especially tougher since they play in NO.  NO beat the LA Rams in NO and I don't think the Steelers are better than the Rams. 

As to the invincibility of a team.  Simple, who this year has played the best ball consistently?  NO, NE, KC, LA Rams and Chargers, no one in the AFCN, NFCN or NFCE.  The AFCS has the WCs in the Texans, Titans and Colts, though I think the edge goes to the Texans as of right now, you could move them into SB contenders or just postseason fodder.  The Steelers are not SB contenders, if they make the postseason they will just be fodder and a warm up for the AFCW team that doesn't win the division.

I am not discounting us to lose to the Browns, but I am also not writing us off of beating them either.  If we lose just 1 game we are mathematically eliminated.  However we have to lose those games first.  I like our chances to beat the Browns, I also like our chances to beat the Raiders.  Could they both beat us?  Yep, because we are not a good team.  However we could beat them because they are not good teams either.

Again, IF, it is a big if, the Ravens do in fact lose both of their upcoming games, and the Browns lose both of their upcoming games, and the Bengals win both of their games and the Steelers do as I predict and lose to the quality teams they are facing.  The division title will come down to whoever wins between us and the Steelers.  The Steelers should win based off of recent history.  However the last time the Steelers faced off with the Bengals in Pittsburgh and the playoffs was on the line, the Bengals won.

[Bengalfan4life27c]

(12-10-2018, 12:07 PM)thompson19osu Wrote: If we finish 8-8 and the Ravens finish 8-8 who goes?

we have common games tiebreaker over Ravens. we just lost to the Chargers by 2 in LA. we would ahave a punchers chance at home

[motoarch]

well... so much for that

[reuben.ahmed]

One of the most pathetic 4 downs I've seen NE play. Refs probably have no idea who to favor when it's NE vs PITT, since it was in PITT, NE had double the penalties.

Brady's pass to Haden was a joke too, this guy has won how many bowls? Damn, he's getting old. Tom Driskel at work there.