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**GodFather** · 09-07-2021, 03:43 PM

I always take preseason with a grain of salt in expectations of the regular season. That is the time to test players for making team. Now that has been solidified this weekend against the Vikings is going to see if we are going to have yet again another long year or turn the corner and see the beginning of something special.

I do not want to see "We competed" or we lost but it was "respectable". This team is either going to be competitive and win the important close games(unlike every other year in the ZT era) or continue to look like they will get better at some point...just not now.

Will this Sunday's game define the season? Of course not, but it will be a true preview of what to expect from this team. All this offseason talk and speculation has come to an end, now is the time...or not.

Let's hope its not another long year boys and girls we've had enough of that.

***psychdoctor*** · 09-07-2021, 07:45 PM

Bengals need to win. I think they will.

**impactplaya** · 09-07-2021, 08:32 PM

Good football teams expect to win
Poor football teams hope to win.
The Bengals since ZT took over are hoping
To win. I hope that mindset changes.come Sunday

**jj22** · 09-07-2021, 08:46 PM

According to the Vikings board, if they win we aren't a playoff team, if they lose we are...... The old Dalton/Green era test we knew so well.

**XenoMorph** · 09-08-2021, 12:28 PM

(09-07-2021, 03:43 PM)GodFather Wrote: I always take preseason with a grain of salt in expectations of the regular season. That is the time to test players for making team. Now that has been solidified this weekend against the Vikings is going to see if we are going to have yet again another long year or turn the corner and see the beginning of something special.

I do not want to see "We competed" or we lost but it was "respectable". This team is either going to be competitive and win the important close games(unlike every other year in the ZT era) or continue to look like they will get better at some point...just not now.

Will this Sunday's game define the season? Of course not, but it will be a true preview of what to expect from this team. All this offseason talk and speculation has come to an end, now is the time...or not.

Let's hope its not another long year boys and girls we've had enough of that.

idk we looked competitve vs San Deigo 1st game last year and we see the way that season went even before burrow was hurt

**SladeX** · 09-08-2021, 01:31 PM

3 game preseason may change things, but the first game is oftentimes not what the end product looks like

***Nate (formerly eliminate08)*** · 09-08-2021, 01:39 PM

(09-07-2021, 03:43 PM)GodFather Wrote: I always take preseason with a grain of salt in expectations of the regular season. That is the time to test players for making team. Now that has been solidified this weekend against the Vikings is going to see if we are going to have yet again another long year or turn the corner and see the beginning of something special.

I do not want to see "We competed" or we lost but it was "respectable". This team is either going to be competitive and win the important close games(unlike every other year in the ZT era) or continue to look like they will get better at some point...just not now.

Will this Sunday's game define the season? Of course not, but it will be a true preview of what to expect from this team. All this offseason talk and speculation has come to an end, now is the time...or not.

Let's hope its not another long year boys and girls we've had enough of that.

Yes, we will see. I think it is a good matchup for us to start off and hopefully get a win and gain some confidence with these young
players. This is one of the youngest rosters in the league but we also have some good vets in their prime, Boyd, Mixon, Reader, Trey
Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard, Jessie Bates, Von Bell etc.

We have leaders to go along with the youth. We will see how this roster that Taylor has finally built will hold up.

I have a quiet confidence going into this game, something I haven't had in years. Put or shut time for Zac Taylor and company.

The trenches on both sides look significantly upgraded. No excuses.

**NATI BENGALS** · 09-08-2021, 02:27 PM

I disagree. This is a young team with some big pieces coming back from injury. If we stay healthy this should be the bottom of our curve. As the season progresses and the young team gets more experience and cohesion we should progressively get better.

I expect a rough start and for things to improve as the weeks tick by

**XenoMorph** · 09-08-2021, 03:38 PM

(09-08-2021, 02:27 PM)NATI BENGALS Wrote: I disagree. This is a young team with some big pieces coming back from injury. If we stay healthy this should be the bottom of our curve. As the season progresses and the young team gets more experience and cohesion we should progressively get better.

I expect a rough start and for things to improve as the weeks tick by

The head coach stops that curve from moving to far up sadly.

**TheFan** · 09-08-2021, 03:39 PM

Like others have stated, the first game or even several games in no way indicates how the rest of the season will go. You see every year where a team comes out hot the first 4-5 games then falls apart. Or vice versa. Obviously we want to win and will definitely feel better if we do so but it's not the end of anyone's season after 1 game. Especially this year with there being an extra game on the schedule, our QB coming back from injury, rookie WR, and OL that hasn't really played together.

**impactplaya** · 09-08-2021, 04:47 PM

I think the Vikings will really test this team.
Especially for this 200 billion dollar defense the
Front office has spent.
Minnesota can move with chains on air
Or ground. You have to keep them in 3rd and long
Anything less Cousins can eat them up on checkdowns
I think the Bengals can move the ball on the Vikings
But 60-pass attempts is not the way to go about it
This game will show alot.
The Vikings have one of the better offenses they will face
In the 1st 4-weeks

***Nate (formerly eliminate08)*** · 09-08-2021, 05:26 PM

(09-08-2021, 03:39 PM)TheFan Wrote: Like others have stated, the first game or even several games in no way indicates how the rest of the season will go. You see every year where a team comes out hot the first 4-5 games then falls apart. Or vice versa. Obviously we want to win and will definitely feel better if we do so but it's not the end of anyone's season after 1 game. Especially this year with there being an extra game on the schedule, our QB coming back from injury, rookie WR, and OL that hasn't really played together.

True, too bad this might come off as an excuse to some but it is an even longer season than normal now.

(09-08-2021, 04:47 PM)impactplaya Wrote: I think the Vikings will really test this team.
Especially for this 200 billion dollar defense the
Front office has spent.
Minnesota can move with chains on air
Or ground. You have to keep them in 3rd and long
Anything less Cousins can eat them up on checkdowns
I think the Bengals can move the ball on the Vikings
But 60-pass attempts is not the way to go about it
This game will show alot.
The Vikings have one of the better offenses they will face
In the 1st 4-weeks

They will have to block our guys well though, and they have Rashod Hill at LT playing against Hendrickson and company and their
interior doesn't look great right now either. In order for that Offense to flourish they will have to run block well and shut down our
guy's pass rush. Think we have really improved where the Vike's have degraded, we will see come Sunday if this is true or not.

They definitely have the skill players though no question.

**impactplaya** · 09-08-2021, 05:46 PM

(09-08-2021, 05:26 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: True, too bad this might come off as an excuse to some but it is an even longer season than normal now.

They will have to block our guys well though, and they have Rashod Hill at LT playing against Hendrickson and company and their
interior doesn't look great right now either. In order for that Offense to flourish they will have to run block well and shut down our
guy's pass rush. Think we have really improved where the Vike's have degraded, we will see come Sunday if this is true or not.

They definitely have the skill players though no question.

My worry is that the Vikings go up by 2 scores
In the 2nd half and they start pounding Cook
Over and over and the Bengals load 8 in the box
Then all of sudden Cousin starts running some
Boot action stuff and he.is getting easy completions
On drag routes now the defense cant get off the field
Cincy needs to.come out with a attack attack
Offense and not settle for FGs.

**jj22** · 09-08-2021, 05:49 PM

I think Vikings D is vulnerable, and their offense is hit and miss. Hopefully miss come Sunday.

***Nate (formerly eliminate08)*** · 09-08-2021, 05:51 PM

(09-08-2021, 05:46 PM)impactplaya Wrote: My worry is that the Vikings go up by 2 scores
In the 2nd half and they start pounding Cook
Over and over and the Bengals load 8 in the box
Then all of sudden Cousin starts running some
Boot action stuff and he.is getting easy completions
On drag routes now the defense cant get off the field
Cincy needs to.come out with a attack attack
Offense and not settle for FGs.

Yes, that would be our undoing. Hope our OL is blocking well in the run game to take pressure off of Burrow early so he can
get in a rhythm. I said it before that I think the key for our Offense will be if we can play with discipline. No false starts or TO's.

On Defense it will be to shut down Dalvin and the running game to get them into 3rd and longs so we can pin our ears back and
get after Cousins. I think this is where we could run away with the game, what you say is where they could run away with it.

If they start fast and score TD's we could be in trouble.

**NUGDUKWE** · 09-08-2021, 06:57 PM

I really have high expectations for this defense. I think we have assembled a good group of players on defense and all the news from training camp and how they looked this preseason. I'm really expecting the defense to keep the game manageable. I know the Vikings have some talent on offense and they'll certainly score some points. But I think the defense plays good enough to win.

My concerns are that we have some turnovers and give the Vikings some short fields or we start to string multiple 3 and outs together and the defense starts to break.

***Go Cards*** · 09-08-2021, 07:08 PM

This will be a major test for the Bengals run defense.

If Bengals can manage to limit the Vikings rushing attack then very good things will follow.

Think this is a very formidable task but believe the Bengals rise to the occasion if the coaches can just stay out of the way.

**GodFather** · 09-08-2021, 07:53 PM

(09-08-2021, 12:28 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: idk we looked competitve vs San Deigo 1st game last year and we see the way that season went even before burrow was hurt

My point is we still lost

**GodFather** · 09-08-2021, 07:56 PM

(09-08-2021, 02:27 PM)NATI BENGALS Wrote: I disagree. This is a young team with some big pieces coming back from injury. If we stay healthy this should be the bottom of our curve. As the season progresses and the young team gets more experience and cohesion we should progressively get better.

I expect a rough start and for things to improve as the weeks tick by

Seems like theres always an excuse, thats what Im reading.

**NATI BENGALS** · 09-08-2021, 09:06 PM

(09-08-2021, 07:56 PM)GodFather Wrote: Seems like theres always an excuse, thats what Im reading.

It's a bluff. I know Mike Zimmer will probably read this message board so I had to down-play our team so his team is unprepared. And a bit of reverse psychology on myself. I know damn well we are going to go out there and put up 30+ points with a big thanks to our D doing work helping us out with field position.

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