With the Bengals heading into the fifth week in the regular season (can you believe we're already playing the fifth week in the regular season?), Cincinnati is at a bit of a cross roads. Are they the team that we had expected them to be with the added talent, improving off last year's 10-6 squad? Or did we expect too much, and therefore we're angry because they're not fulfilling our slammed as nails prophesy. Speaking of which, don't order the Coke tonight, Todd. You'll thank me later.

After losing the regular season opener by 14 points, the Bengals beat the Ravens and Panthers before the team's defense surprisingly took the day off. When asked with the Tampa Bay media if this week's game was a "must-win", Carson Palmer said:

"This is a must win, absolutely," Palmer said. "Coming off a bye week off of a win two weeks ago is a big deal. We're acting like our backs are against the wall because they are."...

It might seem a bit strange to call the fifth game of the year a "must win", but you have to factor in the team's remaining schedule. After the bye week, the Bengals will play the Steelers twice, the Colts, Saints, Jets, Chargers, Ravens, Dolphins and Falcons, along with a rematch against the Browns. We've known for some time that the team's schedule would be rough. Unfortunately, we're slowly approaching the point in which it actually becomes tougher.