Cincinnati Bengals
Three to Focus on: Ravens @ Bengals, Week 17
It’s fitting that this Week 17 matchup mixes together the two main stories of the Baltimore Ravens’ season, their struggles on the road and their perfect record in the AFC North. You won’t have to tell people in Baltimore what’s on the line in this one, win and they’ll host a playoff game for the first time under John Harbaugh, lose and they’ll likely be headed to Denver or Oakland.
The Cincinnati Bengals don’t have the luxury of already being in the playoffs and competing for a division title this weekend, they need to win to avoid being dragged into a murky field of 9-7 teams for the last Wild Card spot. It’s also the final chance for them to show they can beat someone other than the Cleveland Browns in the division.
For me, this is the most intriguing game of the week bar the winner-takes-all NFC East showdown on Sunday night, with both fighting for different reasons. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the three matchups to focus on this week.
Re-Focused: Cardinals @ Bengals, Week 16
At half time the Cincinnati Bengals were coasting. A 20 point lead and a further field goal in the third quarter stretched it to 23. Mission accomplished; a comfortable victory to keep their playoff hopes alive and end the Arizona Cardinals playoff hopes. In the end the Bengals did win out, but a mini fourth quarter collapse put their ability to control their own destiny, in the playoff race, in doubt. But for the most untimely trip of the season, they would likely have been headed to an overtime period with a Cardinals team that has shown itself capable of pulling off the biggest plays in overtime periods to put away their opponent. The Bengals flirted with disaster in the fourth but their win, combined with a New York Jets loss, sees a sixth seed in an AFC North dominated playoffs within their grasp.
For the Cardinals this was the end of an improbable playoff run as they recovered from a 1-6 start to sit at 7-7 entering this week’s game. Behind some of the most inconsistent and at times awful quarterback play during that stretch that is a truly remarkable run that shows that Ken Whisenhunt might just be building a team that can grow and challenge the San Francisco 49ers in the coming seasons if they can find the right man under center.
Three to Focus On: Cardinals @ Bengals, Week 16
When I was growing up, watching a matchup between these two teams would’ve been terrible. In the 1990’s, these teams were consistently near the bottom of their divisions and just not great football teams. Both franchises have slowly turned their fortunes around, and now are having good years mixed with the bad. This year both teams have been very average and with two weeks remaining, both are still alive in the playoff hunt.
Instead of it being a boring matchup like my inner child would think this would be, it is now basically an elimination match. The winner will likely keep their playoff hopes alive and the loser likely having their shot at the playoffs dissipate. There might not be as many stars on these teams to give the game more national attention, but there are plenty of good players that you may not have heard of. You can’t ask for much more than that, so here are the three matchups that will determine who might be playing into January.
Re-Focused: Bengals @ Rams, Week 15
A matchup between a playoff contender and an injury-plagued afterthought played out an intriguing matchup in Week 15 as the Cincinnati Bengals in the end proved to have too much for the St Louis Rams. For most of the game, the two teams played back-and-forth, only exchanging field goals before two Bengals touchdown drives (either side of the intermission between the third and fourth quarters) put this game away. The Rams got a consolation touchdown late, but as soon as the Bengals established that two-score lead, you felt this game was over.
Neither team really broke from their stereotype in this game. The Rams played solid defense but couldn’t muster any offense to truly test the Bengals. As ever, everything went through Steven Jackson and though he did his best to carry Bengal defenders for yards, they had sights set on him all day and he could never break free to rip-off a big play and break the game open. Read the rest of this entry »
Three to Focus on: Bengals @ Rams, Week 15
When you look at the Bengals and Rams as of late, you won’t see a whole lot of winning. Cincinnati has lost four of their last five with their only win coming against the Browns, while St. Louis has lost five of their last six with their only win also coming against Cleveland.
The only difference is Cincinnati’s losses came against teams that are tied for the best record in the AFC, while the Rams have lost to their division opponents which aren’t exactly the class of the league. Also the Bengals are fighting for their playoff lives while the Rams need to find some other motivation to play.
It might not be the sexiest matchup you’ll find this week, but there are a number of mismatches that should make this game interesting. Oddly enough, we find that the mismatches mirror each other for both teams. Read the rest of this entry »
Re-Focused: Texans @ Bengals, Week 14
You keep putting obstacles in the Houston Texans way, and they keep knocking them down. This week they didn’t have to deal with any injuries, but rather overcoming a 9-point deficit with only 5:35 left to play as impressive rookie T.J. Yates made his watching parents (and all Texan fans) proud with a late drive that involved a completion on 3rd-and-15, as well as throwing the game winning touchdown.
All this after it seemed so unlikely in the first half, with a Bengals offense finding plenty of joy on the ground, and Houston running game that just couldn’t get Arian Foster going. But, as they did when Mario Williams went down, and continue to do as they were forced to cope without both Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart, Houston won. It’s what they do now, and it’s why they’re the AFC South champions for the first time since their formation.
Three to Focus on: Texans @ Bengals, Week 14
It feels like every year, the AFC playoffs consist of New England, New York, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Indianapolis and San Diego. We sometimes see some vaiance – the Chiefs winning the AFC West last year, or the Bengals making it the year before – but there just hasn’t been much room for change. This year, though, both Houston and Cincinnati are looking to crash the playoff party.
The obstacles for both teams, however, are looking a little more difficult than they did a month ago. Houston is down to their third string quarterback and Andre Johnson is out again. The Bengals simply haven’t been able to beat the elite teams in their division and are more desperate for a win with the home edge. All Houston has done is win despite the injuries to key players. This could be a potential playoff matchup if Houston gets the third seed and Cincinnati the sixth, so we could just be witnessing Round 1 this week.
Re-Focused: Bengals @ Steelers, Week 13
Heading into this important division game, the Bengals were confident they could earn the series split with Pittsburgh after playing them tough three weeks ago. They eventually lost by a mere touchdown but felt overall they had matched the Steelers’ toughness. Bolstering their faith was Pittsburgh’s less-than-stellar showing on Monday night against the Chiefs. Yet instead of evening their records at 8-4, the Bengals failed to capitalize on their opportunity to potentially steal the AFC North and now will almost certainly have to secure a wild card spot to reach the postseason.
The Steelers’ offense didn’t quite dominate as much as the final score indicates. They did put together a couple of long drives and cashed in on some big plays to jump out to a 21-0 lead and the Pittsburgh defense didn’t allow the Bengals to get back in the game. Pittsburgh’s special teams deserve much of the credit with Antonio Brown (+1.2) returning a punt 60 yards for a touchdown and Stevenson Sylvester knocking the ball out of Brandon Tate’s hands on a kickoff to give Pittsburgh a short field. The Steelers set the tone for the game when Cameron Heyward blocked a 33-yard field goal early in the first quarter. Read the rest of this entry »
Three to Focus on: Bengals @ Steelers, Week 13
It was just three weeks ago we were looking at the Cincinnati Bengals welcoming the Pittsburgh Steelers for an AFC North clash; both locked in a battle with Baltimore for the division crown. But after losses to both Pittsburgh and Baltimore, the Bengals have it all to do if they want to get back into that race.
Once again it seems that it’s coming down to Pittsburgh and Baltimore in the North with the two seemingly on a crash course to meet in January for the third time in four years. However, after two losses to the Ravens, the Steelers know they need to finish at least a game ahead to take the division.
Everyone raved about how well Cincinnati played against Pittsburgh last time around, but the truth for the Bengals is that they didn’t play well enough and they’ll come into this game desperate to prove that they can beat one of the big dogs, rather than just compete with them for three and a half quarters. So with that in mind let’s take a look at the three areas to focus of this week.
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Re-Focused: Browns @ Bengals, Week 12
They don’t always play the best football and they don’t always win, but there is something pretty entertaining about the Cleveland Browns’ ability to turn any contest into a close one. Their 23-20 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals was the third time in as many weeks a game was decided by a margin of four points or less. This one being decided as Colt McCoy was unable to drive his team down the field after Mike Nugent’s field goal gave the Bengals the lead with 41 seconds remaining.
It’s another one of those games Cleveland will look back on and think what could have been, with some errant throws and incomprehensible drops hurting an offense that got off to a great start. For Cincinnati, this game wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of their playoff credentials, but they eked out a win without ever really excelling. There’s something to be said for that as they made big plays when they needed to. Read the rest of this entry »
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