Bengals Early Bird Special
Good morning everyone! It's almost time for the weekend! If you're stuck in a cubicle and reading this then keep telling yourself that you only have a few more hours to go until you're finally free from work, your boss, and those annoying co-workers that you "like."
It's official! Andy Dalton is slated to be the starting quarterback for Cincinnati on Sunday against the Broncos! Which means we actually have a legitimate chance of competing and even defeating the Broncos. When I found out Dalton was starting I felt relieved knowing Gradkowski wasn't starting. Not to knock on Bruce or anything, but I couldn't envision him leading us for four quarters. I know he has that veteran leadership quality going for him as well, but let's face it he's a back-up for a reason.
On Sunday I think it's vital that the Bengals offensive line does a better job at protecting Andy Dalton. Yes, Dalton was only sacked four times against the Browns, but on the last play of the game we all know he sustained an injury to his wrist. He's fortunate that he didn't suffer a broken bone. Also the more time Dalton has in the pocket, the better. At times he appeared to be hurrying his passes and his decision making skills seemed non-existent in those situations.
Another element that I believe is going to be vital for the Bengals is catching the ball. Yes, the Bengals made plenty of catches, but there were at least a handful of passes that should have been caught. The Bengals cannot solely relie on Benson and company to literally carry the team to victory. Let's be honest, we can't expect Benson to have the same performance against the Broncos that he had against the Browns.
If the defense can hold it's own against Denver as it did against Cleveland, then I believe the Bengals stand a chance to win. However, if the Bengals can't catch, Dalton makes poor decisions, or the defense completely flops then it's going to be a long game.
My prediction: Denver defeats Cincinnati 27-20. But in all honesty I wouldn't mind being wrong about the outcome.
Alright here is a look at what you may have missed or overlooked from Thursday.
- Check out our weekly podcast.
- Second overall pick Von Miller is aiming to obtain his first career sack against the Bengals on Sunday.
- With Bernard Scott being the backup running back, he needs to make the most of his opportunities when on the field.
- Newly signed tight end Donal Lee believes Jermaine Gresham has the potential to become one of the greatest tight ends to ever play the game.
- On Thursday Andy Dalton began throwing during practice and according to Marvin Lewis, Dalton will be starting on Sunday against the Broncos.
- Adam Jones has been cleared by doctors.
- After one game Cedric Benson is tied at the top of the leader board in carries.
- On Sunday the Broncos will be without D.J. Williams, Ty Warren and Demaryius Thomas against the Bengals and Elvis Dumervil is unlikely to play on Sunday as well.
- Is Kyle Orton going to be more dangerous in a must-win situation on Sunday against the Bengals?
- And we want to know, are YOU the boldest Bengals fan out there?
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Come on man
Been sick all week, gotta take the kid to school in a Nyquil stuper in 20 minutes, and you start me off with prediciting a Bengals loss. Cruel man cruel.
Agree!!
After listening and reading about all the people that took Cleveland last week…I log on to read my fellow Bengal fan’s comments and words of enjoyment/praise. And I get this guy predicting a win for Denver?!?! In all honesty; if you’re a REAL Bengal’s fan - why would you EVER predict a loss??? If you watch Michael Johnson’s video clip from the locker room on Wednesday - he says they expect and want to win every game. Will that happen; the likelihood is slim, but c’mon MAN! Have some faith.
The Bengals......
should and will win this week. Not saying it isn’t going to be a close game, but given their performance, Dalton starting, our D-line against their O-line………I like our chances. I see a similar type score as mentioned above, just pointing the other direction.
by The Van Buren Boys on Sep 16, 2011 8:34 AM EDT reply actions
I reevaluate my prediction
35 – 0 Bengals shut out Denver on the road
It's gonna be a blow out!! 38-10 Benglas win
"When you see it open up and all you can see is the end zone, it’s hard to describe how relieving it feels." -Ced Benson
by ItsAlwaysSunnyInDayton on Sep 16, 2011 8:39 AM EDT reply actions
I like the enthusiasm!
Would love nothing more than a nice big, play your 2nd-3rd stringer blowout……….maybe Orton will just completely implode!
by The Van Buren Boys on Sep 16, 2011 8:45 AM EDT up reply actions
IF the bengals can't win this week in denver, they just aren't meant to, ever.
that being said, i played stats when picking the office pool. 36 years of losses in denver is one hellva handicap.
my heart says cincy thou..
" I for one, welcome our new Buffalo overlords. " - Whokebe
it's only 8 straight losses in Denver
not nearly as bad as their record in the Meadowlands.
by occams_tiger_teeth on Sep 16, 2011 1:07 PM EDT up reply actions
we're 5-3 all time vs giants. with 3 loses in medowlands
1972 Cincinnati W, 13-10
1977 Cincinnati W, 30-13
1985 Cincinnati W, 35-30
1991 Cincinnati W, 27-24
1994 New York L, 20-27
1997 New York L, 27-29
2004 Cincinnati W, 23-22
2008 New York L, 23-26 (OT)
" I for one, welcome our new Buffalo overlords. " - Whokebe
oakland might be the only field/team we're worse on the road against (than denver)
1-14 vs raiders on the west coast. 2 playoff loses. only win vs raiders on coast came in last super bowl season..
1968 Oakland L, 10-31
1969 Oakland L, 17-37
1971 Oakland L, 27-31
1974 Oakland L, 27-30
1975 Oakland L, 28-31(playoff)
1976 Oakland L, 20-35
1980 Oakland L, 17-28
1985 Los Angeles L, 6-13
1988 Los Angeles W, 45-21
1989 Los Angeles L, 7-28
1990 Los Angeles L, 7-24
1990 Los Angeles L, 10-20 (playoff)
1998 Oakland L, 10-27
2003 Oakland L, 20-23
2009 Oakland L, 17-20
" I for one, welcome our new Buffalo overlords. " - Whokebe
I think it was 11 straight losses in the Meadowlands
’cause there are 8 to the Jets and 3 to the Giants.
by occams_tiger_teeth on Sep 17, 2011 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions
No Way
Denver puts up that many points on Cincy D !.
That would mean. We never got the ground game going.
That would mean. Our Defensive front did not get pressure or penetration on the front line.
And that are office did not open the game with 3 drives that put points on the board.
With that being said lets revise the score Cincy 27- 13 over Broncos
I picked CLE to win, and said I hoped I was wrong...
After the CLE win, I think CIN will win this one.
I really believe the CLE game was the key to the season.
DEN is a mess right now. Injuries, QB controversy.
CIN 24 – DEN 16
by California Bengal Fan on Sep 16, 2011 9:27 AM EDT reply actions
Prediction
Bengals 20
Broncos 6
Benson will have 163 yards rushing and Scott will have 89 yards rushing. Defense will sack Orton 6 times and we’ll see Denver’s back-up QB (whether Tebow or Quinn) by the 4th quarter. Dalton will be a pedestrian 10-16 for 135 yards, 1 TD and no picks.
Mojokong Predicts
Keys to the game;
1. turnovers and penalties—The Bengals did well last week with not hurting themselves. Cleveland racked up a ton of yellow flags and so did Denver in their loss to Oakland. Minimizing self-imposed mistakes will always help win games.
2. Disrupt Kyle Orton—The Raiders were in Orton’s grill all night on Monday. If the Bengals front four can disrupt like that, Orton won’t put up a 400-yard passing day. Give this old goat time in the pocket though and he can display why he has played in the league for so long. Dunlap needs to get in Orton’s head.
3. Run the ball—I don’t see why Benson can’t have the same kind of day he had against Cleveland. With such inexperience in the passing game, it’s okay to rely on the run. Benson is a powerful draft horse capable of a heavy workload. He should always get more than 20 carries (though more Scott would be nice too).
4. Nugent—The guy has a huge leg and the thin Denver air has been historically friendly to kickers. Sea Bass nailed a 63-yarder last week. Touchdowns are nice, but field goals can win too against a non-threatening offense like Denver’s.
Bengals 19, Broncos 14
B. Clifton Burke
UpStateMike Pedicts
Pain…
Mojokong has major keys for sure. I like how Gruden has turned the penalty problem around. I hope he keeps that as a main focus because last year the number of times they killed a drive overshadowed the interceptions from Carson and the dropped/missed catchable passes by TO and Chad. Good news is, those three are all gone and discipline rules the day. This is a team effort and they will live or die by team co-dependency.
I think the tight ends and shipley will tear the Broncos apart when they try to stack the box against the run.
Orton is going to have a frustrating day I believe. Pressure, sacks, targets getting covered too well. He may even give up as the crowd becomes deafening with chants of “TEBOW TEBOW TEBOW”. If it gets bad like this it will be during the fourth quarter that Tebow comes in. And even he knows he’s not ready, and the sacks will flow like his blood from the punishment he receives while trying to outrun our defense.
If all goes well, The Dalton Gang racks up several scores early and it becomes open season on Broncos QBs.
Sure. Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth - Mike Tyson
by UpStateMike on Sep 16, 2011 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions
nice use of the new found nickname for the offense
"When you see it open up and all you can see is the end zone, it’s hard to describe how relieving it feels." -Ced Benson
by ItsAlwaysSunnyInDayton on Sep 16, 2011 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions

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