Memories of a Christmas Eve Game

[*jason*]

One of my favorite Christmas-ish games was the 2004 Giants game. We won by one point and everyone on the end zone was chucking snow in the air.

[CarolinaBengalFanGuy]

(12-24-2021, 01:45 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Two points.

1. At the time that was a big game for us. We were 8-6. Cards were 7-7. Both teams struggling to stay in the playoff race.

2. Simpson was not a bad pick in the second round of that '08 draft. He had more career receptions than 2 of the 5 WRs drafted higher than him, and 5 of the other 9 WRs taken in the top 2 rounds.

He had that one solid year. What happened with him?

[Jhowdy54]

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?view=detail&mid=B063BCB2945F9FCDDDE7B063BCB2945F9FCDDDE7&q=bengals vs broncos 2006&shtp=GetUrl&shid=da5837b1-98a5-4a71-aa7a-cb5e29471b8b&shtk=QmVuZ2FscyB2cyBCcm9uY29zIDIwMDYgV2VlayAxNg%3D%3D&shdk=QWxsIHJpZ2h0cyBnbyB0byBFU1BOLCBGb3gsIENCUywgTkJDLCB0aGUgTkZMIFx1MDAyNiBpdHMgYnJvYWRjYXN0ZXJzLiBJIGRvIG5vdCBvd24gdGhlIG11c2ljIGFuZCB0aGUgZm9vdGFnZSB1c2VkIGluIHRoaXMgdmlkZW8uIE5vIGNvcHlyaWdodCBpbmZyaW5nZW1lbnQgaW50ZW5kZWQuIEZvciBlbnRlcnRhaW5tZW50IHB1cnBvc2VzIG9ubHku&shhk=o1A6zLWfFtbLR8nI4CwqnKR4adXoUNy2oaK8bajxxtU%3D&form=VDSHOT&shth=OVP.0sV7jYk9JG7IoP1NTtuY5wEsDh

This one was a back breaker

[*Awful Llama*]

(12-24-2021, 03:59 PM)Jhowdy54 Wrote: This one was a back breaker

You could say the same about the OT loss to the Steelers at home the following week.  What a one-two punch to the 'nads.  

[BengalFanInNJ]

The 2006 Christmas Eve game against the Broncos was one of the top-5 most frustrating games I watched. Back and forth game with the Bengals screwing up many chances to score. Palmer throws a TD pass to Chris Henry late in the game only for Graham to miss the PAT. We lose 24-23.

I was in New Jersey visiting family and at a country club that night having dinner. My wife, brother and I walked up to the bar to get drinks for our group but we stayed there to watch the game while waiting for our table. Based on my comments, the bartender and other patrons figured I was a Bengals fan. When Henry grabbed the TD pass, they other people looked over towards me and nodding their heads and sayings things like “there you go”. The miss the PAT and the whole place was quiet except for one guy laughing hysterically (me). My brother took the bottle of beer I was drinking away from me.

I got up and said something like “That right there is life as a Bengal fan” and went to the bathroom. I came back to the bar to settle up since our table had been ready for 15 minutes and noticed 6 upside down shot-glasses where I was sitting. Bartender told me everyone wanted to buy me a drink. Said “tough one today. Drinks are taken care of. Merry Christmas.”

[fredtoast]

For many years the regular season was over before Christmas.

The first time I remember the Bengals playing on Christmas was in 1989.  I had to go back to look up the exact year, but the game was very memorable.  It was the last game of the season on Monday Night Football.  The Bengals were playing the Vikings. Whichever team won made the playoffs.  They had video feeds of the two other teams whose playoff fate was being decided (Steelers, Packers) watching the game.

Vikes jump out to 19-0 lead.  Bengals roar back to 21-22 in 4th quarter.  Lose 21-29 when Vikings stop them on fourth-and-goal inside the five yard line late in the game.  So I had to watch the Steelers celebrate live to finish my Christmas Day.

[fredtoast]

(12-24-2021, 04:15 PM)BengalFanInNJ Wrote: The 2006 Christmas Eve game against the Broncos was one of the top-5 most frustrating games I watched.

Agree.

Very next week we lose when Graham missed a chip shot FG with just a few seconds left (against the ****** Steelers)

We win either one of those games we go back to the playoffs that year.

[BengalFanInNJ]

(12-24-2021, 04:20 PM)fredtoast Wrote: For many years the regular season was over before Christmas.

The first time I remember the Bengals playing on Christmas was in 1989.  I had to go back to look up the exact year, but the game was very memorable.  It was the last game of the season on Monday Night Football.  The Bengals were playing the Vikings. Whichever team won made the playoffs.  They had video feeds of the two other teams whose playoff fate was being decided (Steelers, Packers) watching the game.

Vikes jump out to 19-0 lead.  Bengals roar back to 21-22 in 4th quarter.  Lose 21-29 when Vikings stop them on fourth-and-goal inside the five yard line late in the game.  So I had to watch the Steelers celebrate live to finish my Christmas Day.

I remember that game well. Chris Doleman destroyed us that night. Thought he beat Munoz for 2 sacks.

[fredtoast]

(12-24-2021, 04:37 PM)BengalFanInNJ Wrote: I remember that game well. Chris Doleman destroyed us that night. Thought he beat Munoz for 2 sacks.

Totally OT, but a guy I played high school football with (Alan Weglikowski) started at DE opposite of Doleman at Pitt when Marino was there.  So I was always a fan of Doleman.  He had 21 sacks that year and is in the Hall of Fame.  EVERY OT gets beat by guys like that sometimes.

[*Awful Llama*]

(12-24-2021, 04:20 PM)fredtoast Wrote: For many years the regular season was over before Christmas.

The first time I remember the Bengals playing on Christmas was in 1989.  I had to go back to look up the exact year, but the game was very memorable.  It was the last game of the season on Monday Night Football.  The Bengals were playing the Vikings. Whichever team won made the playoffs.  They had video feeds of the two other teams whose playoff fate was being decided (Steelers, Packers) watching the game.

Vikes jump out to 19-0 lead.  Bengals roar back to 21-22 in 4th quarter.  Lose 21-29 when Vikings stop them on fourth-and-goal inside the five yard line late in the game.  So I had to watch the Steelers celebrate live to finish my Christmas Day.

That reminded me of a time the Bengals were having a "watch party."  Guess networks liked to do that back in the '80s.  Anyway, I believe it was 1986, and some of the Bengals were gathered at some spot in Newport (?) to watch the game.  We were 10-6 and got in if one of the teams playing (New England, maybe?) lost.  Boomer and Collinsworth were there with a few others, and I just remember them all sitting there looking sad when it became evident we were going to miss the playoffs.  That evening sucked.  

[Earendil]

Don't remind me about that Denver game in 2006, I was there.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(12-24-2021, 03:34 PM)CarolinaBengalFanGuy Wrote: He had that one solid year. What happened with him?

Rome like the Gonja 

[Pat5775]

(12-24-2021, 04:15 PM)BengalFanInNJ Wrote: The 2006 Christmas Eve game against the Broncos was one of the top-5 most frustrating games I watched. Back and forth game with the Bengals screwing up many chances to score. Palmer throws a TD pass to Chris Henry late in the game only for Graham to miss the PAT. We lose 24-23.

I was in New Jersey visiting family and at a country club that night having dinner. My wife, brother and I walked up to the bar to get drinks for our group but we stayed there to watch the game while waiting for our table. Based on my comments, the bartender and other patrons figured I was a Bengals fan. When Henry grabbed the TD pass, they other people looked over towards me and nodding their heads and sayings things like “there you go”. The miss the PAT and the whole place was quiet except for one guy laughing hysterically (me). My brother took the bottle of beer I was drinking away from me.

I got up and said something like “That right there is life as a Bengal fan” and went to the bathroom. I came back to the bar to settle up since our table had been ready for 15 minutes and noticed 6 upside down shot-glasses where I was sitting. Bartender told me everyone wanted to buy me a drink. Said “tough one today. Drinks are taken care of. Merry Christmas.”

Palmer actually threw the TD pass to TJ and it wasn’t Graham who missed the XP, it was Brad St. Louis with an atrocious snap.

I’ll never forget that game. It was my senior year of high school, and I just turned 18 a few months prior. I had a hand-me-down Nokia flip phone that blew up soon after that botched snap (apparently that game was nationally televised). Not a single person gave me any grief that Christmas Eve, only words of sorrow and genuine concern from family and friends. This was definitely against the norm.

Also, I made a semi-famous thread on the old mothership board about the Bengals ruining my relationship after that game. My girlfriend at the time immediately dumped me and stormed out after my outburst from that loss. That thread blew up way more than it should have. It turned into many fellow Bengal fans griping about their significant others, and pretty much became a long-winded therapy session.

16 years later, that girl and I parted ways for good. We briefly reconciled “as friends” or whatever the hell that means but she eventually went to college at Syracuse and married someone from Greece (I think). Last time we spoke (about 4 or 5 years ago) she brought up my outburst from Christmas Eve 2006… hard to believe she retained that memory.

[*SHRacerX*]

(12-24-2021, 01:04 PM)pally Wrote:

10 years ago today...

?: #BALvsCIN - 12/26 on CBS pic.twitter.com/8aEnslcwKv

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 24, 2021

That was a really cool game.  I was there, and had a lot of family that I bought tickets for from folks in my section that were going to be out of town for the holidays.  It was so cool to see the looks on the faces of some of the young cousins and brother-in-law after that catch, flight, and landing.

We laughed and said:  "You were at the game where a highlight will be used for decades!".

Good times.  

[fredtoast]

(12-24-2021, 03:34 PM)CarolinaBengalFanGuy Wrote: He had that one solid year. What happened with him?

Kind of a statistical anomaly.

Simpson with Bengals '10... 277 yds, and '11... 725 yds
Simpson with Vikings  '12... 274 yds, and '13... 726 yds

[BengalFanInNJ]

(12-24-2021, 11:33 PM)Pat5775 Wrote: Palmer actually threw the TD pass to TJ and it wasn’t Graham who missed the XP, it was Brad St. Louis with an atrocious snap.

I’ll never forget that game. It was my senior year of high school, and I just turned 18 a few months prior. I had a hand-me-down Nokia flip phone that blew up soon after that botched snap (apparently that game was nationally televised). Not a single person gave me any grief that Christmas Eve, only words of sorrow and genuine concern from family and friends. This was definitely against the norm.

Also, I made a semi-famous thread on the old mothership board about the Bengals ruining my relationship after that game. My girlfriend at the time immediately dumped me and stormed out after my outburst from that loss. That thread blew up way more than it should have. It turned into many fellow Bengal fans griping about their significant others, and pretty much became a long-winded therapy session.

16 years later, that girl and I parted ways for good. We briefly reconciled “as friends” or whatever the hell that means but she eventually went to college at Syracuse and married someone from Greece (I think). Last time we spoke (about 4 or 5 years ago) she brought up my outburst from Christmas Eve 2006… hard to believe she retained that memory.

Syracuse?? Ugh.