Bengals will be the team to beat for years to come

[Caesar]

23 minutes ago, Gregg said:

The Bengals will have to battle it out just to win the North. All 4 teams hate one another. If LJ resigns with the Ravens, then they can certainly beat the Bengals. They match up well with them. They almost beat them in CIN with a backup QB. Say what you want about Watson being a POS but if he regains his old form then he is a very good QB. Combine that with the Browns running game and their defense then they are another team that will give the Bengals a hard time. Battle of Ohio is usually a hard-fought game. While the Steelers are trying to build their team with Pickett, they still have a good defense. They can also give the Bengals a hard time. The games between these teams are not only physical but sometimes dirty. The rivalries in this division are more intense than the ones in the AFCE.

The narrative "almost beat" is so lazy.  The Texans almost beat the Chiefs a few weeks ago...  Bengals have beat the Ravens 4 out of the last 5 games.  The one loss was a last second FG by Tucker.  The Bengals did not open the playbook the last 2 games vs the Ravens, the fumble recovery did not happen at the end of the last game.

Ravens are a good team, Bills should hope Lamar doesn't end up with the Jets.

Bengals have beaten the Steelers 4 out of the last 5 times.  The loss opening day this season with new oline with no games together, Burrow off a surgery with no preseason.  It took 5 turnovers, a missed extra point, and an OT FG for Pitt to win the game.

The Browns are always a pain for the Bengals.  If Watson were to regain his form they would be a problem, they have talent.  The last 3 games:
Bengals won.
Bengals lost.  1st game without Chase, lost CB1 for the year early in the game, LT dislocated knee cap, worst of all the team found out before the game that a young assistant coach had died the evening before the game.
Bengals lost.  AFCN championship locked in, Cincy did not play any starters resting for the playoffs.

It is definitely a physical division and playing the Chiefs & Bills during the regular season will not be easy as well.  I could see the AFCW improving some and if the Jets find a good QB the East could become more competitive. 

[ProcessTruster]

once they have to pay him, the thing will start to crumble

[billieve420]

Mike Brown historically has been very cheap when it comes to spending money on the Bengals. They will have to spend minimum amount of the cap so definitely see Burrows and Chase getting paid. Will see when the time comes with the other guys.

[Gregg]

39 minutes ago, Caesar said:

The narrative "almost beat" is so lazy.  The Texans almost beat the Chiefs a few weeks ago...  Bengals have beat the Ravens 4 out of the last 5 games.  The one loss was a last second FG by Tucker.  The Bengals did not open the playbook the last 2 games vs the Ravens, the fumble recovery did not happen at the end of the last game.

Ravens are a good team, Bills should hope Lamar doesn't end up with the Jets.

Bengals have beaten the Steelers 4 out of the last 5 times.  The loss opening day this season with new oline with no games together, Burrow off a surgery with no preseason.  It took 5 turnovers, a missed extra point, and an OT FG for Pitt to win the game.

The Browns are always a pain for the Bengals.  If Watson were to regain his form they would be a problem, they have talent.  The last 3 games:
Bengals won.
Bengals lost.  1st game without Chase, lost CB1 for the year early in the game, LT dislocated knee cap, worst of all the team found out before the game that a young assistant coach had died the evening before the game.
Bengals lost.  AFCN championship locked in, Cincy did not play any starters resting for the playoffs.

It is definitely a physical division and playing the Chiefs & Bills during the regular season will not be easy as well.  I could see the AFCW improving some and if the Jets find a good QB the East could become more competitive. 

 

I live here in NJ and the speculations/rumors with the NY media is the Jets are the favorite to get LJ if he doesn't resign with the Ravens. Have to see how it plays out. They also mention Rodgers, but I think that is wishful thinking with the fans/media. He would be better off staying in the NFC as opposed to having to deal with Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, Herbert, Lawrence. The only elite level QB in the NFC now is Hurts.

[CincyBillsFan]

1 hour ago, Gregg said:

The Bengals will have to battle it out just to win the North. All 4 teams hate one another. If LJ resigns with the Ravens, then they can certainly beat the Bengals. They match up well with them. They almost beat them in CIN with a backup QB. Say what you want about Watson being a POS but if he regains his old form then he is a very good QB. Combine that with the Browns running game and their defense then they are another team that will give the Bengals a hard time. Battle of Ohio is usually a hard-fought game. While the Steelers are trying to build their team with Pickett, they still have a good defense. They can also give the Bengals a hard time. The games between these teams are not only physical but sometimes dirty. The rivalries in this division are more intense than the ones in the AFCE.

Will they?  As a Bills fan living in Cincinnati the local Bengal fans have a point when they say that they are not respected no matter what they accomplish.  So let's take a closer look at the AFC North:

 

Baltimore:  They're reeling and they just fired the only OC that can actually get a high level of play out of Jackson.  This is like when they mistakenly fired DC Martindale last year.  The Ravens are sliding and if Jackson departs it could turn into a collapse.  And  even if Jackson is resigned he is looking more and more injury prone each season.  And what are they going to do - have Jackson run a West Cost Shannahan type offense?

 

Cleveland:  Enough with the "Watson is a great QB" stuff.  How do we know that he hasn't regressed to the point of mediocrity at best?  I saw nothing this season to make me thing he is anything but an average QB.  What has happened to him over the last couple of years has taken its toll and now the Browns are stuck with an outrageously overpaid QB and missing valuable draft picks.

 

Pittsburgh: This is where the Bengal's biggest challenge will come from over the next few years.  Think NE to Buffalo.  Tomlin will field 9 - 10 win teams but like Belichick the game has passed him by.  Sure the Steelers rookie QB showed flashes of skill but is he ever going to be remotely as good as Burrow?  The answer is NO.

 

IMO the Bengal's are sitting pretty and may be facing the best inter divisional circumstances of any team in the AFC.  In the West Payton will soon be joining the Bronco's and the Chiefs/Chargers have Mahoms & Herbert.  In the South Jacksonville is about to surge and TN will remain competitive. And in the East Miami is on the rise and I expect NE & the Jets to have greater potential to rise up then the Browns & Ravens.

 

 

 

 

[Big Blitz]

And btw…..I will say the Bengals were not beating the Ravens if Huntley scored because I felt the game was not going the way Bengals fans thought the Monday night game against us was going in just the 1st quarter

 

 

The Ravens punched them in the mouth on offense and especially on defense.  
 

 

Bengals were always right about one thing….we ain’t the Ravens.  They don’t match up well with them.  

[Caesar]

1 hour ago, Big Blitz said:

And btw…..I will say the Bengals were not beating the Ravens if Huntley scored because I felt the game was not going the way Bengals fans thought the Monday night game against us was going in just the 1st quarter

 

 

The Ravens punched them in the mouth on offense and especially on defense.  
 

 

Bengals were always right about one thing….we ain’t the Ravens.  They don’t match up well with them.  

You can say whatever you want, but it doesn't make it true.  There was 12 minutes left in the Ravens game when Huntley fumbled.  Burrow did not attempt a pass over 15 yards, we were using a preseason playbook.  We basically ran out the clock the rest of the game, Mixon and swing passes.  The Ravens barely beat us early with a last minute FG after we gave up the ball on our own goal line.  We have beaten the Ravens 4 out of the last 5 and we are 12-8 over the last 10 years.  We will always beat the Ravens playing with a backup QB.

[Gregg]

2 hours ago, CincyBillsFan said:

Will they?  As a Bills fan living in Cincinnati the local Bengal fans have a point when they say that they are not respected no matter what they accomplish.  So let's take a closer look at the AFC North:

 

Baltimore:  They're reeling and they just fired the only OC that can actually get a high level of play out of Jackson.  This is like when they mistakenly fired DC Martindale last year.  The Ravens are sliding and if Jackson departs it could turn into a collapse.  And  even if Jackson is resigned he is looking more and more injury prone each season.  And what are they going to do - have Jackson run a West Cost Shannahan type offense?

 

Cleveland:  Enough with the "Watson is a great QB" stuff.  How do we know that he hasn't regressed to the point of mediocrity at best?  I saw nothing this season to make me thing he is anything but an average QB.  What has happened to him over the last couple of years has taken its toll and now the Browns are stuck with an outrageously overpaid QB and missing valuable draft picks.

 

Pittsburgh: This is where the Bengal's biggest challenge will come from over the next few years.  Think NE to Buffalo.  Tomlin will field 9 - 10 win teams but like Belichick the game has passed him by.  Sure the Steelers rookie QB showed flashes of skill but is he ever going to be remotely as good as Burrow?  The answer is NO.

 

IMO the Bengal's are sitting pretty and may be facing the best inter divisional circumstances of any team in the AFC.  In the West Payton will soon be joining the Bronco's and the Chiefs/Chargers have Mahoms & Herbert.  In the South Jacksonville is about to surge and TN will remain competitive. And in the East Miami is on the rise and I expect NE & the Jets to have greater potential to rise up then the Browns & Ravens.

 

 

 

 

 

Baltimore has a great front office. They draft and develop their players well. When was the last time the Ravens were bad.

As for Watson he missed a lot of time and only played towards the end of the season. With a full offseason, preseason and playing starting week 1 then we will see if he regains his old form.

The Steelers are one of those teams that never stay down too long. Like the Ravens they have a good front office and are run well. 

The Bengals are the best in the division, but they will be challenged. The North is a very tough division.

[Meatloaf63]

20 hours ago, Success said:

I don't mind the Bengals - but I'm hoping they lose the SB again this year, just strategically.  Lose 2 in a row, and it starts to become a mental hurdle - much more so than the kinds of exits we've been having.  Teams can fall apart if it starts to become a pattern.

 

 

20 hours ago, Niagara Dude said:

No team in the ACF is in a better situation than the Bengals,  so many star elite players on rookie deals and they have hit on many of their picks .  The biggest thing is the Bengals have a projected 43million in cap space for next season.  The Bills are negative cap space and have many holes,  not a great situation after they beat us in Buffalo.

Yet they should have lost to the Ravens….

[Caesar]

23 minutes ago, Meatloaf63 said:

 

Yet they should have lost to the Ravens….

Why do you say this?  If we are playing this silly game, the Bills should have lost to the Ravens much more than the Bengals.

[Caesar]

40 minutes ago, Gregg said:

 

Baltimore has a great front office. They draft and develop their players well. When was the last time the Ravens were bad.

As for Watson he missed a lot of time and only played towards the end of the season. With a full offseason, preseason and playing starting week 1 then we will see if he regains his old form.

The Steelers are one of those teams that never stay down too long. Like the Ravens they have a good front office and are run well. 

The Bengals are the best in the division, but they will be challenged. The North is a very tough division.

These are good points,  I will counter with the league has made a very large change in philosophy.  This is now 100% a passing league, see the extensive pass interference and roughing the QB penalties. 

The Ravens and Steelers are very solid organizations.  But both teams have defensive HC's with a philosophy of a strong run game and tough defense.  This just isnt the way anymore.  The Bengals have won 8 of 10 with these 2 clubs.  And both losses were last second FGs.

The Browns are an annual *****-show for one reason or another.

[Gregg]

6 minutes ago, Caesar said:

Why do you say this?  If we are playing this silly game, the Bills should have lost to the Ravens much more than the Bengals.

 

Nobody knows what would have happened if the Ravens score. If I remember correctly, it was 17-17 midway thru the 4th quarter. If they don't turn it over the Ravens at worst go up 20-17. The Ravens D held the Bengals to two first downs in the 2nd half. They were dominating the Bengals offense at that point. Who knows how it plays out, but the Bengals would have been in danger of losing. Give the Bengals D credit for making a big play and winning the game.

[Caesar]

Just now, Gregg said:

 

Nobody knows what would have happened if the Ravens score. If I remember correctly, it was 17-17 midway thru the 4th quarter. If they don't turn it over the Ravens at worst go up 20-17. The Ravens D held the Bengals to two first downs in the 2nd half. They were dominating the Bengals offense at that point. Who knows how it plays out, but the Bengals would have been in danger of losing. Give the Bengals D credit for making a big play and winning the game.

You obviously did not watch the game.  Once we got the lead we ran the ball up the middle and had a couple swing passes, very conservative.  In fact, the Week 18 game and wildcard we were very vanilla and sat on the ball with the lead.  There was no domination by the Ravens whatsoever.

Some perspective:  Joe Burrow has a passer rating of 101.0 with 1,556 yards, 9 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in 5 games against the Ravens in his career.  

 

[stlbills13]

The Bengals will lock up Burrow and Chase along with some good young players on defense already locked up. They will run into cap issues and have some key casualties but their biggest thing right now is holding on to Anarumo for as long as possible. 

[Caesar]

7 minutes ago, stlbills13 said:

The Bengals will lock up Burrow and Chase along with some good young players on defense already locked up. They will run into cap issues and have some key casualties but their biggest thing right now is holding on to Anarumo for as long as possible. 

 

All of us with a an elite QB will eventually have cap issues. 

Extending Joe and Tee after this season gives us 2-3 yers before the big hit comes.  Our only big money guys on defense are Reader ($11M) and Hendrickson ($10M), they both turn 30 when these current contracts expire.  Hubbard is a hometown boy who has already taken discounts and isnt leaving.  We will pay Logan Wilson but Germain Pratt and Jesse Bates are likely gone after this season.

We have $22M tied up in Mixon and Boyd that would be freed up after next season, we would no longer have these luxury type players moving forward, IMO.

[Meatloaf63]

3 hours ago, Caesar said:

Why do you say this?  If we are playing this silly game, the Bills should have lost to the Ravens much more than the Bengals.

Because Einstein if the Qb didn’t fumble the Ravens likely win. It’s not up for discussion, it’s a fact.

3 hours ago, Gregg said:

 

Nobody knows what would have happened if the Ravens score. If I remember correctly, it was 17-17 midway thru the 4th quarter. If they don't turn it over the Ravens at worst go up 20-17. The Ravens D held the Bengals to two first downs in the 2nd half. They were dominating the Bengals offense at that point. Who knows how it plays out, but the Bengals would have been in danger of losing. Give the Bengals D credit for making a big play and winning the game.

Exactly …

[Caesar]

16 minutes ago, Meatloaf63 said:

Because Einstein if the Qb didn’t fumble the Ravens likely win. It’s not up for discussion, it’s a fact.

Exactly …

Really?  The fumble was at the 12 minute mark in the 4th.  The Bengals played extremely vanilla on purpose in the last 2 games vs the Ravens.  We have beaten the Ravens the last 4 out of 5, their only win being a walk-off FG, and if you dont think the Bengals offense can score a couple TDs in 12 minutes then.... thats on you.

Edited January 24, 2023 by Caesar

[mannc]

On 1/23/2023 at 3:44 PM, H2o said:

The Bengals won't win it all. They will either lose this week to the Chiefs or in the SB to the Eagles/Niners. Watch. 

Ok

[Meatloaf63]

1 minute ago, Caesar said:

Really?  The fumble was at the 12 minute mark in the 4th.  The Bengals played extremely vanilla on purpose in the last 2 games vs the Ravens.  We have beaten the Ravens the last 4 out of 5, their only win being a walk-off FG, and if you dont think the Bengals offense can score a couple TDs in 12 minutes then.... thats on you.

You couldn’t do anything in the second half, you were shut down. Go eat a bowl of that *****  chili and relax. You should have lost to the patriots too but the refs saved you by not calling forward progress and giving you a bs fumble. Stop acting like like you are this unstoppable machine, you aren’t and when you lose I’m going to spend a day laughing at you 🤡’s.

[Caesar]

1 hour ago, Meatloaf63 said:

You couldn’t do anything in the second half, you were shut down. Go eat a bowl of that *****  chili and relax. You should have lost to the patriots too but the refs saved you by not calling forward progress and giving you a bs fumble. Stop acting like like you are this unstoppable machine, you aren’t and when you lose I’m going to spend a day laughing at you 🤡’s.

A little salty aren't you?  

You obviously did not watch the Ravens or Patriots game.  We are clowns if we lose in a championship game or Super Bowl after beating the Bills?

I never said we are unstoppable, unless we are playing in Orchard Park apparently....