Let’s give credit where it is due

[*pally*]

The Cincinnati Bengals lost to the better team. The Rams were a favorite to win the Super Bowl from day 1. Yesterday proved why. They pulled out the game winning plays, on both sides of the ball, when they had to. The Bengals had to play their absolute best to win and they didn’t. Houdini just could not pull off another amazing escape. We can whine and act like the Chiefs fans did when their team lost under amazingly similar circumstances, or we can simply acknowledge the fact that the Rams were the better team on Sunday.

It hurts. We had an oh so close shot to culminate this amazing miracle season with a championship. And we didn’t get our fairy tale ending that we so deserved.

This team was flawed. Every single one of us knew that going into the season. They performed all season despite that. We also knew that this team had a lot to rebuild in the last 3 years. They have made tremendous progress. Unlike the last many years, though,they will go into the off season with focus ONLY on a single position group instead of every position group to fix.

We Bengals fans aren’t used to genuine hope and expectations for our team. Even when we say we do, the voices in our heads are screaming “yeah but”. But that is exactly what we have going into next season. It is a strange and scary emotion. The Bengals will be a top 5 team going into next year. It will be tough but they can handle it.

try not to forget the excitement and joy we have felt this season. It is that emotion that sustains us as fans.

and try not to dwell on the bitter loss…the better team won. Congratulations to the Los Angeles Rams.

[Millhouse]

Burrow got sacked 9 times by Tennessee and still won. But they also faced Tannenhill.

Burrow got sacked 7 times by the Rams and lost. But they faced Stafford and Cupp.

Point is, Rams were a better team than the Titans, and you can't overcome getting sacked that many times and getting stuffed on 3rd downs and expect to win when also facing a very good offense. If Bengals had a much better oline last night, it would probably be a different outcome.

[TheCincinnatiKid]

(02-14-2022, 10:12 AM)Millhouse Wrote: Burrow got sacked 9 times by Tennessee and still won. But they also faced Tannenhill.

Burrow got sacked 7 times by the Rams and lost. But they faced Stafford and Cupp.

Point is, Rams were a better team than the Titans, and you can't overcome getting sacked that many times and getting stuffed on 3rd downs and expect to win when also facing a very good offense. If Bengals had a much better oline last night, it would probably be a different outcome.

Absolutely this. With all the talk about the Rams D-Line, the obvious comparison was 'this could be like Tennessee, but their offence is far better'.

In reality, we kept their DL largely in check for 30 minutes, and then it took the game over for the next 30. The Rams offence did not have much joy on our defence as our D played lights out, but give any team enough time in this pass-orientated league, and they'll get theirs eventually.

The Bengals had their chance. Not getting 7 off the Stafford pick was a letdown, and everything on offence thereafter was a mess. We really missed a very doable shot at glory. 

But the Rams defence absolutely stepped up too. We should've done something different to try and counter it, but we didn't. Their overload blitz seemed to get us every time. Credit their playmakers for stepping up exactly when they needed it.

[basballguy]

I slept it off. I’m over it. Honestly I think I’ll appreciate this loss a bit more. If we won I don’t think it would’ve had even close the emotional impact the raiders win had.

It was an overachieving season and I’m glad it’ll fuel us next season.

[Millhouse]

(02-14-2022, 10:16 AM)TheCincinnatiKid Wrote: Absolutely this. With all the talk about the Rams D-Line, the obvious comparison was 'this could be like Tennessee, but their offence is far better'.

In reality, we kept their DL largely in check for 30 minutes, and then it took the game over for the next 30. The Rams offence did not have much joy on our defence as our D played lights out, but give any team enough time in this pass-orientated league, and they'll get theirs eventually.

The Bengals had their chance. Not getting 7 off the Stafford pick was a letdown, and everything on offence thereafter was a mess. We really missed a very doable shot at glory. 

But the Rams defence absolutely stepped up too. We should've done something different to try and counter it, but we didn't. Their overload blitz seemed to get us every time. Credit their playmakers for stepping up exactly when they needed it.

On the very last play for the Bengals offense, that 4th and 1, Burrow got sacked as the oline crumbled around him like a sandcastle having Fat Albert fall on it. Video shows if he had a second or two more back there, Chase was wide open down the right side as Ramsey fell down. Granted the 3rd down call was whatever, but on the one play of the game Burrow needed time, he didn't get any because Rams defense simply beat the Bengals up front when they needed to the most.

[Pezmerga]

While the refs kind of ****** us by deciding to do a 180 on how they were calling the game at the end (especially vs Wilson's "Hold"), we ultimately lost because our offensive line could not get it done.

Regardless, I am proud of the team for fighting until the end. Stings like hell getting so close, but here is to a better 2022 season.

JUST PLEASE GET AN OFFENSIVE LINE!

[Whatever]

(02-14-2022, 10:02 AM)pally Wrote: The Cincinnati Bengals lost to the better team.  The Rams were a favorite to win the Super Bowl from day 1.  Yesterday proved why.  They pulled out the game winning plays, on both  sides of the ball, when they had to.  The Bengals had to play their absolute best to win and they didn’t. Houdini just could not pull off another amazing escape.  We can whine and act like the Chiefs fans did when their team lost under amazingly similar circumstances, or we can simply acknowledge the fact that the Rams were the better team  on Sunday.

It hurts. We had an oh so close shot to culminate this amazing miracle season with a championship.  And we didn’t get our fairy tale ending that we so deserved.

This team was flawed.  Every single one of us knew that going into the season.  They performed all season despite that.  We also knew that this team had a lot to rebuild in the last 3 years. They have made tremendous progress. Unlike the last many years, though,they will go into the off season with focus ONLY on a single position group instead of every position group to fix.

We Bengals fans aren’t used to genuine hope and expectations for our team.  Even when we say we do, the voices in our heads are screaming “yeah but”.  But that is exactly what we have going into next season. It is a strange and scary emotion.  The Bengals will be a top 5 team going into next year.  It will be tough but they can handle it.

try not to forget the excitement and joy we have felt this season.  It is that emotion that sustains us as fans.

and try not to dwell on the bitter loss…the better team won.  Congratulations to the Los Angeles Rams.

The Rams were definitely the better team.  We had obvious flaws and overcame them all season and through a great playoff run, but we couldn't overcome them in the end.  We had so many holes last off-season that we just couldn't fill them all.  We're still a young team with great things ahead.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(02-14-2022, 10:36 AM)Whatever Wrote: The Rams were definitely the better team.  We had obvious flaws and overcame them all season and through a great playoff run, but we couldn't overcome them in the end.  We had so many holes last off-season that we just couldn't fill them all.  We're still a young team with great things ahead.

Exactly....we fix the oline, this is going to be a pretty solid football team. People on here wanting to fire the staff, lolololol.

[*michaelsean*]

(02-14-2022, 10:24 AM)basballguy Wrote: I slept it off. I’m over it. Honestly I think I’ll appreciate this loss a bit more. If we won I don’t think it would’ve had even close the emotional impact the raiders win had.

It was an overachieving season and I’m glad it’ll fuel us next season.

I agree. I don’t think I’ve even comprehended they were in the SB. That’s like “Oh cool”. Beating LV at home was such a release that I’m thinking great season let’s try again next year. I understand a lot of great WBs only got one or two shots at it, but you never know.

[Housh]

Crazy thing is with how stats and probabilities work we probably ain’t making it again for a while even if we totally improve the roster this off-season. Rams basically sacrificed their whole draft and made it rain in free agency and still only made it twice in 3 years because Tartt dropped an easy INT

[*ochocincos*]

Positives:
Bengals far exceeded our expectations this year
Burrow and Chase are legit
The running game did improve
Anarumo got this defense into a good one finally with an overhaul to the DL and DBs primarily through FA

Negatives:
Certain spots still aren't good enough
It may be hard to keep certain other positions at the level they were this year depending on which guys get re-signed and for how much

I do firmly believe that the Bengals can get back to the postseason and go deep again, provided they don't lose too much talent to FA and have a bad draft.

[RunKijanaRun]

Foo foo foo?

Yeah, these fans deserved the super bowl.

And no, the better team did not win.

[bengals67]

The Rams were better because they won- by 3 points. We were a BS holding call and a tough 4th and goal away from winning. Our D played an amazing game.

Rams were not “ clearly better team.”

Their D line was more then clearly better than our o line.

[Big Boss]

Proud of the team, and I'm really not interested in going down the "refs screwed us" rabbit hole.

We had opportunities, and settled for field goals instead. That's what happens when your offense can't score touchdowns in the red zone. You lose games.

[Jonnymaxx77]

WE WON MOFOS WE WON

GO F YOURSELF U HILLBILLIES

[jwalker3853]

Completely agree with you.   The RAMS were just better on this given evening.   We were playing on borrowed time given the way our OLine had been playing.  

I know folks want to blame the officiating at the end or want to fire the coaches, etc. but this team is in a very good place right now.   

The question will be how this team responds and works to address the OLine and augment depth across the board.   They have shown they are willing to bring in players and revamp the defense in free agency.   My hope is that they flip that script this year and work on the OLine by bringing in proven starters and get that group fixed.   Use the draft to augment our depth across the board and/or help solidify our secondary.   

I think I read somewhere last night that starting this season, the Bengals were 4th from the bottom in terms of chances of making it to the Super Bowl this year.    Early projections have us as being 4th likely to make it back next year.    I don't know who is in front of us as the article didn't provide a list, but I suspect it will include both Buffalo and KC.  

Have a solid offseason and I think we are right back in the thick of it.   We were ahead of schedule.   Now the team has had a taste of this, I think they will just be hungrier to get back and win it all.  

[Essex Johnson]

(02-14-2022, 10:12 AM)Millhouse Wrote: Burrow got sacked 9 times by Tennessee and still won. But they also faced Tannenhill.

Burrow got sacked 7 times by the Rams and lost. But they faced Stafford and Cupp.

Point is, Rams were a better team than the Titans, and you can't overcome getting sacked that many times and getting stuffed on 3rd downs and expect to win when also facing a very good offense. If Bengals had a much better oline last night, it would probably be a different outcome.

I agree to an extent, but you can;t blame Oline for 1st half 10 points, Burrow was as clean in the pocket in 1st half as a team would want.  You knew no way they were going to keep the Ram defense down all nite, we missed a chance to put up points, and what finally caught up with us was the failure to come out strong in 1st half.. 

[Jonnymaxx77]

WE DONT WANT UR F CREDIT U SCUMBAGS

WE WON GO F YOURSELVES

[BengalYankee]

(02-14-2022, 10:12 AM)Millhouse Wrote: Burrow got sacked 9 times by Tennessee and still won. But they also faced Tannenhill.

Burrow got sacked 7 times by the Rams and lost. But they faced Stafford and Cupp.

Point is, Rams were a better team than the Titans, and you can't overcome getting sacked that many times and getting stuffed on 3rd downs and expect to win when also facing a very good offense. If Bengals had a much better oline last night, it would probably be a different outcome.

Rams got smashed by the Titans in LA without Derick Henry and with Rams having WR Robert Woods. 

[Big Boss]

Someone wants attention.