Bengals Early Bird Special: So Close Yet So Far Away

It's time to wake up Bengals Nation. Sleeping in is overrated nowadays. And so is sleeping for a matter of fact. Don't lecture about how sleep is vital for us to function and survive and that we would die without sleep. I know that already, but seriously, who sleeps that much anymore?

On Sunday the Bengals take on the Titans and I can't wait to watch it. The Titans have only looked good against teams worse than them. The only team worth bragging about beating are the Baltimore Ravens. The other wins have come against the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, and Indianapolis Colts. Those are teams they should beat. I know the Bengals lost to Denver, but whatever. It was a hiccup for them.

The Bengals are rolling as of late having won their last four games. Tennessee on the other hand has lost two out of their last three games. What worries me though is that Tennessee has won three out their four games at home. But the Bengals have that same record on the road. So this should make for an interesting match-up.

I will give Matt Hasselbeck credit. He's been playing extremely well with the limited targets he has on his team. Kenny Britt has missed a majority of the season and he was the Titans only legitimate passing target to begin with. Nate Washington has stepped up and played very well so far giving Hasselbeck someone to throw to.

But with the Titans going up against one of the best defenses in the league it should make for some exciting football. It's not as if their offense has been racking up points as it is. Then again neither has the Bengals, but at least they have been scoring just enough points to get by. 

Cincinnati Bengals forever! Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers never!

Alright here is a look at what you may have missed or overlooked from Thursday.

• Check out the weekly podcast.
• When the regular season started not many critics had faith in Andy Dalton. A majority of analyst didn't believe he was capable of performing at a high level. Well, with hard work and determination Dalton has proven critics around the league wrong. And it's paying off, he ranks 11th among quarterbacks in the league.
• According to Don Banks, the Bengals are the most overlooked storyline of the year. Thanks for pointing out the obvious Mr. Banks.
• Earlier in the week Seattle Seahawks' cornerback Richard Sherman called Bengals rookie wide receiver A.J. Green overrated. His experience gives him the credibility to call someone overrated. Sherman, you're overrated. End of story. Green responded to Sherman's criticism with class.
• Even though we only about halfway through the regular season us fans like to talk about the NFL draft. We enjoy the speculation, the dreaming, the idea of having an immediate impact player for years to come. And talking about the draft doesn't make us cynical at all.
• Vote for the week eight Caption Contest before it's too late.....and risk having Tito the monkey throw bananas at you.
• The Bengals have been regarded as a team with an "easy" schedule. And in all honesty the weak schedule argument just doesn't work in the NFL. 
• For us writers here at Cincy Jungle we love to write about the Bengals. But the 2011 Bengals are a lot more fun to write about compared to the 2010 season.
• Andy Dalton is a winner. And yesterday he won......what's the point of me telling you? I still don't have that tank. We had a deal here.
• Now that we are about halfway through the regular season, who is your MVP so far?
• Andy Dalton has been deemed the "Red Rifle," but truth be told he isn't crazy about that nickname. Hurry everyone let's think of another nickname. Let's hear your ideas.