Your expectations

[*Awful Llama*]

Prior to the season starting I was hoping for another AFCN title followed by at least one playoff win. I posted something to that effect somewhere on this board, because that would erase two more records of futility for this franchise: back-to-back AFCN titles and back-to-back playoff winning seasons. We're just three-plus days from achieving both, so anything beyond that exceeds my pre-season expectation.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

My option wasn't on there....North champs AND a playoff win. I thought that was pretty reasonable coming into the season with that schedule.

[Speedy Thomas]

(01-12-2023, 01:59 PM)MileHighGrowler Wrote: Before the season, I expected to get to the playoffs, but not a SB win.  That's such an uphill battle for any team.  But the way this team hit their groove as the season went on, it feels like a lot less of a stretch.  The hiccup in momentum the other week may or may not matter.  Going into that MNF game, I was thinking SB bound, and if we'd beat the Bills that night, I would have been ready to lock that in.  Now it feels a little harder, but I have faith the team can make it happen.  

That said, I don't think I'll be disappointed if they lose after this weekend.  They'll hopefully be in better shape next year and the window isn't closing.  But I don't bet against this team any more.  Which I think is the biggest win for this franchise; they've changed the expectations.

Folks, the poll asks for pre-season (not January) expectations (not hopes).  This is pretty much where I was at in August.  I expected us to win the division. So at this point, Bengals have met my expectations.


Now, my expectations are that we beat the Ravens this weekend.  It's going to be more difficult than many are predicting.  Their defense is an absolute bear.  But unless we gift them with field position a couple of times, it's a game that we should win because we're better.

If we get past Baltimore, that ends my expectations and begins my hope -- unless, by some miracle, Miami beats the Bills.  And beyond that, if KC loses and we host the AFC championship game.  Any game at Paycor, I expect to win.  But this team has a chance to win anywhere against anyone.  That's my hope.

[leonardfan40]

Super Bowl win. We were runners up last year and improved in the offseason. Other contenders really didn’t.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(01-12-2023, 12:57 PM)Speedy Thomas Wrote: Before we play Sunday night, I'm wondering how everyone is feeling about this team.  Seems like a very long time ago, but what were your expectations going into the season?  Knowing that we were playing one of the toughest schedules in the league.  Knowing that Joe had missed most of the summer with appendicitis, and that his recovery was still ongoing.  Knowing that the Super bowl hangover is a real thing.

Did you expect a competitive season, and leave it at that?  Wild Card?  A division championship?  A playoff win?  AFC championship?  Super Bowl win?

I expected a division championship.  Had my doubts back in September, but here we are.

My expectations were Super Bowl win or it would be a disappointment. That is if we stayed relatively healthy and didn't lose Burrow
or a bunch of our best players. We have lost quite a few but the next guy has stepped up and played well, have to hope for the same
with Scharping at RG with Cappa out now. I expect us to win Sunday night and move on to the Divisional round.

We were 1 play shy of winning the Super Bowl last year and improved big time in the Offseason, this is why I said SB or bust.

[MileHighGrowler]

(01-12-2023, 04:42 PM)Speedy Thomas Wrote: Folks, the poll asks for pre-season (not January) expectations (not hopes).  This is pretty much where I was at in August.  I expected us to win the division. So at this point, Bengals have met my expectations.


Now, my expectations are that we beat the Ravens this weekend.  It's going to be more difficult than many are predicting.  Their defense is an absolute bear.  But unless we gift them with field position a couple of times, it's a game that we should win because we're better.

If we get past Baltimore, that ends my expectations and begins my hope -- unless, by some miracle, Miami beats the Bills.  And beyond that, if KC loses and we host the AFC championship game.  Any game at Paycor, I expect to win.  But this team has a chance to win anywhere against anyone.  That's my hope.

Yes, I aligned my vote here with the poll from before the season (I didn't dig it up to check, but it's been my expectation all season, including that "are we cooked" thread that came during the season).  Expected this team would make playoffs.  Just really hard to grind from one SB to another in back to back years.  It's a long season and long post-season.  This team is capable of making it back (and winning it), but having the expectation they will is pretty lofty, even for someone optimistic like I'd consider myself! 

[Murdock2420]

With how hard it is for teams to make it back to the Super Bowl year after year I did at the time and kinda still have the expectation of winning 1 or 2 playoff games but coming up short of making it to the Super Bowl.

Would love to see them win it all but with the exception of the Hoodie/Brady combo it just is rare to see a team go back year after year.

[CJD]

Regarding my expectations right now:

Expectations is such a loaded word. Like, I hope they win the Super Bowl and I think they are more than capable of doing it. They have beaten the Chiefs 3 times in the last year, they came out with their hair on fire against Buffalo before the game was cancelled and there's no reason to think they can't beat the Ravens with Huntley starting. The most likely Super Bowl match up would be the Eagles or the 49ers. We have a lot of practice against dual threat QBs and tough defenses because of Baltimore (regarding Philly) and we should have beaten San Fran last year had our punt returner not dropped two punts and a fake taunting penalty giving them 4 additional points.

We have the talent to make it all the way.

But does that mean I expect them to do this? I don't think so. Winning a Super Bowl takes so many things to go right it's almost a crap shoot once the playoffs start. There's obviously more talented teams and they have a higher chance to make the Super Bowl but the odds makers are only willing to give a 30 to 40% chance to any given team to even make the Super Bowl, let alone win. That should tell you all you need to know about whether we should expect the Super Bowl.

I will tell you one thing I do expect though. I expect us to beat a Huntley led Ravens team.

If we lose this Sunday, I will consider that an embarrassing loss and would make this season feel like a complete waste of time.

Regarding my expectations coming into the season:

They were lower than they are now. I definitely wanted us to make the playoffs, but the Ravens getting a 4th place schedule and us having a 1st place schedule made me think it would be hard to keep up with them. And, honestly, that's what it was looking like for the majority of the year too before Lamar got injured again (If I were a Ravens fan, I'd be very concerned about his injuries when giving him the biggest contract in NFL history).

Other than the schedule, I was also a bit nervous about regression. All the stats said we were in line for it (average offensive DVOA, average drive success rate, average everything, but high points per game because of explosive/unsustainable big plays from Chase), so I was thinking if we made it to the playoffs, I'd feel pretty good about the year. Chase's 200+ yard games, especially, felt super unsustainable. Thankfully, we beat those expectations and have turned into one of the most efficient passing offenses in the NFL.

I'm very happy to see that development and it gives me faith that, moving forward, our offense is the real deal and doesn't need to rely on the defense losing track of Chase deep 2 or 3 times per game.

It also helped that, once again, the Ravens collapsed because Lamar got injured and a few absurd blown leads.

[Essex Johnson]

(01-12-2023, 05:55 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: My expectations were Super Bowl win or it would be a disappointment. That is if we stayed relatively healthy and didn't lose Burrow
or a bunch of our best players. We have lost quite a few but the next guy has stepped up and played well, have to hope for the same
with Scharping at RG with Cappa out now. I expect us to win Sunday night and move on to the Divisional round.

We were 1 play shy of winning the Super Bowl last year and improved big time in the Offseason, this is why I said SB or bust.

I say we have lost 2 players that are in the 6 to 10 top players, which for most teams that is a good year..  so we are in line to get to AFC championship again

[guyofthetiger]

I originally thought Baltimore would win the division and the Bengals would be the wild card. Then, I thought the Bengals would win one playoff game and nothing more. Now, hoping for the best and a title. Tough to go through the Bills and Chiefs though.

[ezekiel23]

Super Bowl.Of course.This team is built to WIN a Super Bowl.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(01-12-2023, 08:08 PM)Essex Johnson Wrote: I say we have lost 2 players that are in the 6 to 10 top players, which for most teams that is a good year..  so we are in line to get to AFC championship again

Yes, I just think the NFC is a little overrated right now. The Eagles don't scare me unless they have Hurts playing fantastic and 
not injured. The 49ers don't scare me unless Brock Purdy just plays out of his mind against our D. I like our chances with Joey
Burrow at the helm.

[TecmoBengals]

Zac and Joey B. have been to the Super Bowl. Burrow is capable of having a HoF type career and acknowledged his entire career is a Super Bowl winning window. The whole prize is the expectation every season with Burrow QB'ing the Bengals. I'm hopeful we win it all just once. I can then be at peace with my Bengals fandom forever.

[Speedy Thomas]

(01-12-2023, 08:03 PM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: Regarding my expectations right now:

Expectations is such a loaded word. Like, I hope they win the Super Bowl and I think they are more than capable of doing it. They have beaten the Chiefs 3 times in the last year, they came out with their hair on fire against Buffalo before the game was cancelled and there's no reason to think they can't beat the Ravens with Huntley starting. The most likely Super Bowl match up would be the Eagles or the 49ers. We have a lot of practice against dual threat QBs and tough defenses because of Baltimore (regarding Philly) and we should have beaten San Fran last year had our punt returner not dropped two punts and a fake taunting penalty giving them 4 additional points.

We have the talent to make it all the way.

But does that mean I expect them to do this? I don't think so. Winning a Super Bowl takes so many things to go right it's almost a crap shoot once the playoffs start. There's obviously more talented teams and they have a higher chance to make the Super Bowl but the odds makers are only willing to give a 30 to 40% chance to any given team to even make the Super Bowl, let alone win. That should tell you all you need to know about whether we should expect the Super Bowl.

I will tell you one thing I do expect though. I expect us to beat a Huntley led Ravens team.

If we lose this Sunday, I will consider that an embarrassing loss and would make this season feel like a complete waste of time.

Regarding my expectations coming into the season:

They were lower than they are now. I definitely wanted us to make the playoffs, but the Ravens getting a 4th place schedule and us having a 1st place schedule made me think it would be hard to keep up with them. And, honestly, that's what it was looking like for the majority of the year too before Lamar got injured again (If I were a Ravens fan, I'd be very concerned about his injuries when giving him the biggest contract in NFL history).

Other than the schedule, I was also a bit nervous about regression. All the stats said we were in line for it (average offensive DVOA, average drive success rate, average everything, but high points per game because of explosive/unsustainable big plays from Chase), so I was thinking if we made it to the playoffs, I'd feel pretty good about the year. Chase's 200+ yard games, especially, felt super unsustainable. Thankfully, we beat those expectations and have turned into one of the most efficient passing offenses in the NFL.

I'm very happy to see that development and it gives me faith that, moving forward, our offense is the real deal and doesn't need to rely on the defense losing track of Chase deep 2 or 3 times per game.

It also helped that, once again, the Ravens collapsed because Lamar got injured and a few absurd blown leads.

Dawg, I agree with everything you say except that this season will have been a waste if we lose on Sunday.

This season has been amazing.  Franchise record-tying 12 (twelve) wins, and but for Damar's collapse would have been 13.  AFC North championship after starting 0-2 and losing our first 3 division games.  Burrow sets NFL completion percentage record.  Yet another takedown of the Canton Chiefs.

Don't get me wrong, I would be deflated like a Brady football if we lost to Baltimore.  But after so many years of suffering, it is so much fun to go down to the stadium or turn on the TV and watch this team.  Shit can happen in the game of football and it might happen Sunday.  But this season has been a blast.  And I think there is a lot more to come.

[TheCincinnatiKid]

I expected us to be back to the playoffs. I felt that the Ravens or us would win the division, and that it could go either way. I felt the roster strength should propel us back to the postseason, and how far we go is dependent on performing our best, and winning the big moments against the Bills/Chiefs.

I think at the beginning of the year, I wanted us to back up last season and prove it wasn't a flash in the pan. I'd have taken playoffs and a playoff win as being a good season. Now... if you tell me we beat the Ravens but lost next round, I'll be disappointed... but chances are we play the Bills, and tbh a game with them is 'ironically' a coin flip. Two really good teams, not a lot in it.

In short, my expectations are not too far off what we have achieved. I just wanted us to make it back in, win at least one playoff game, and look good doing it. We've done better over the course of the regular season than I 'hoped'. I think when you're in off the back of 8 straight wins, you're disappointed if you don't win it all. So my hopes are a little higher now. I think beat the Ravens at a minimum on Sunday, and we're proving we're no fluke and that we're here to stay. Back to back AFC Champions... back to back seasons with playoff wins... those are steps in the right direction. Hopefully we can add back to back AFC Champions and first time Super Bowl winners to that.

[wcu]

I remember the "expectations" thread back before the season started. Mine were:

- In contention for the AFC North title at the end of the season
- Lock up at least a wild card birth
- Win a playoff game

That was based in large part on a tough schedule and the idea that injuries can derail any season. So much of a championship run comes down to how healthy a team is.

Well, we're past the tough schedule, and we're largely unscathed on the injury front, so those two considerations are out of the window. I fully expect to win this weekend. I know we can get to and win the SB, but its still a long month of football against very good teams.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(01-13-2023, 10:51 AM)TecmoBengals Wrote: Zac and Joey B. have been to the Super Bowl. Burrow is capable of having a HoF type career and acknowledged his entire career is a Super Bowl winning window. The whole prize is the expectation every season with Burrow QB'ing the Bengals. I'm hopeful we win it all just once. I can then be at peace with my Bengals fandom forever.

Well said Tecmo. Would be great to get 1 Super Bowl win early in Burrow's career and the rest is just gravy for us Bengal fans.

[TecmoBengals]

(01-13-2023, 01:54 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Well said Tecmo. Would be great to get 1 Super Bowl win early in Burrow's career and the rest is just gravy for us Bengal fans.

Yes! He wins one and the anything after that is just a bonus.

[CJD]

(01-13-2023, 11:43 AM)Speedy Thomas Wrote: Dawg, I agree with everything you say except that this season will have been a waste if we lose on Sunday.

This season has been amazing.  Franchise record-tying 12 (twelve) wins, and but for Damar's collapse would have been 13.  AFC North championship after starting 0-2 and losing our first 3 division games.  Burrow sets NFL completion percentage record.  Yet another takedown of the Canton Chiefs.

Don't get me wrong, I would be deflated like a Brady football if we lost to Baltimore.  But after so many years of suffering, it is so much fun to go down to the stadium or turn on the TV and watch this team.  Shit can happen in the game of football and it might happen Sunday.  But this season has been a blast.  And I think there is a lot more to come.

You're right. I shouldn't have said the whole season would have been a waste, but it would have been a truly wasted opportunity. This team currently has Burrow, Higgins, Chase, Wilson, Pratt, CTB, Williams and Volson on rookie deals along with Awuzie, Hilton, Apple, Bell, Hurst and Perine on super reasonable veteran contracts. We also have Bates on the team for, most likely, the last time.

If this season doesn't result in a deep playoff run, it'll feel like a lost chance at winning a Super Bowl. This team is only going to get more expensive and I'm honestly worried how many really good players are going to leave just because we can't afford them anymore.

We could obviously replace them with draft picks and I believe we will in many cases, but this team feels like lightning in a bottle and I want to see them live up to that potential. It would truly be a shame if we got tripped up simply because we were forced, through random chance, to play the same team twice in a row (a set up that is difficult to sweep regardless of the other team's talent level).

Let's go out there and destroy the Ravens on Sunday and then we can see how we measure up to the Bills when a tragedy doesn't occur on the field in the first quarter. 

[*Go Cards*]

Win it all !!!