Bengals Mid-Afternoon Special: Cincinnati Facing Off Against the Bills

by Ryan Harper on Sep 29, 2011 1:01 PM EDT

Good afternoon everyone! That's right. Afternoon. Not morning. The weekend is quickly approaching. So don't fret, you only have one more full day of being stuck in the office until you're free.

This Sunday we all know the Bengals will be taking on the undefeated Bills. I promise that's not a typo. Buffalo has actually won their first three games this season. And I'll give them credit. They have defeated some relatively tough opponents.

Going into the season there were higher expectations for the Kansas City Chiefs. But let's face it, the Bills made them look like some College Division-II team. Buffalo absolutely dominated them. And the Bills pulled out victories against the Raiders and the team that everyone loves to hate, the New England Patriots. It's not a knock on the Bills or anything, but I feel as if they have been really lucky up to this point. Against the Patriots, the Bills were down 11 points at half. They outscored the Patriots 24-10 in the second half. Tom Brady didn't look like himself. I hate the guy, but he's a pretty damn good quarterback. You never see Brady throw that many interceptions in a game. If he doesn't make those mistakes then the Patriots probably would have won the game.

Going into Sunday though, the Bills are going to see a pass-rush that they have yet to deal with this season. They haven't been overwhelmed with a significant amount of pressure up to this point. Fans can brag about their teams all they want, but the Bengals defensive line is insane. We all know that. I think Carlos Dunlap and company are going to have a field day when it comes to putting pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick.

I can see this Sunday being the game where we see the Ryan Fitzpatrick of old. Right now it seems as though he is in another world. Almost like an unstoppable force. But I see the Bengals bringing him back to normalcy. I can envision the Bengals knocking him of his horse and disrupting his comfort on a constant basis. Hopefully the Bengals can hand the Bills their first loss of the season.

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

Despite not playing in any of the Bengals first three games of the regular season, Marvin Lewis believes that Taylor Mays has a high upside.
Each and every week health is going to be a key factor for every team. And heading into week four the Bengals are in better shape health wise compared to the Buffalo Bills.
The Bengals have some workhorses at running back. But one player that doesn't seem to fit that label and probably shouldn't be on the active roster is Cedric Peerman.
During the Bengals last match-up against the Bills, wide receiver Steve Johnson burned the Bengals secondary, so to say. This Sunday the Bengals secondary will look to get their revenge.
Cincy Jungle presents their MVP of the week. And the winner is......
In their last match-up the Bengals cruised into the half with a 24-point lead, but ended up losing by 18 points. Let's hope that doesn't repeat itself.
Check out the mid-week injury report.
So far this season the Bengals have had made eight trips into the red zone. And out of those eight trips the Bengals have reached the end zone in three of those appearances. It could be worse, but it could be better.
With Cedric Benson's impending suspension, there is more to the situation than you think To us fans it might seem like it's a matter of games and money. But it's not just about the games, it also has to deal with an internal struggle with NFLPA.

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I understand the sentiment, but really nothing you’ve said about the Bills holds much weight. You can’t have the highest scoring offense in the NFL by “luck”, really. They were “luckily” down by 11 points at half against the Pats because Gailey is able to make adjustments on the fly and Fitzpatrick and the rest of the offense is able to incorporate those adjustments with ease. Yes, Brady didn’t look like himself last week, but to say that he just decided to throw bad passes and give no credit to an obviously effective Bills scheme in which coverages were disguised and clearly threw Brady for a loop a time or two is misguided.

Also, the Raiders host quite a ferocious front-four on defense, one that gave the Jets and their supposedly good OL fits last weekend. The Bills more than held their own against the Raiders’ front, giving Fitz ample time to pick the weaker secondary apart during the second half. It’s also worth noting that, although the Bengals have a pretty good ass rush, the Bills’ OL has allowed 1 sack this year, and only (according to Pro Football Focus) 7 QB “disruptions” (hurries, etc.) in well over 150 snaps. They are not to be taken lightly.

The “Ryan Fitzpatrick” of old never had this kind of chemistry with his receivers, nor a coach that believed in him enough to design an entire offense around his skill set. Including the game against the Bengals last year, he has now led comebacks of at least 18 points in 3 of his 16 starts under Gailey, and is 7-4 in his last 11 games. I think the “Fitzpatrick of old” is gone for good, and has been replaced by a QB whose team and coach believes in his skill 100% and will never give up or believe that losing is possible as long as he is under center. He’s a completely different player than the man that started a few games (and played well for, might I add) the Bengals, and watching them at all this year makes that apparent.

Yes, the Bills’ passing defense is suspect, and their potent offense has a tendency to start slow. If the Bengals are to win, they will need to get out in front and use their stout defense to hold the lead better than the Pats were able to. These are not the same old Bills.

"Slowly all the roles we act out become our identity. And in the end we are what we pretend to be." - Jerry Cantrell.

by stetzwebs on Sep 29, 2011 5:33 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

I agree that everyone, including the media, isn't giving the Bills enough credit

But you have to realize it’s only three games in. You’re going to have to earn respect the hard way from this point on. That means going into Foxborough and putting on a repeat performance like there was on Sunday. That way the word ‘luck’ wouldn’t so much as be uttered from any sports fans/pundits. Believe us though, as Bengals fans, we know how it feels to be called “unproven” and “lucky” (see 2009 season).

the Raiders host quite a ferocious front-four on defense, one that gave the Jets and their supposedly good OL fits last weekend

This is true from an objective standpoint, but you’re missing a key fact here. The Jet’s offensive line’s leader, the HIGHEST PAID (and best imo) CENTER in the league, Nick Mangold (kettering, ohio represent lol), was out that game. That may have been a factor.. just saying.
But as far as the Bills O-line goes, they definitely deserve credit. Fitzpatrick has been good about getting rid of the ball quickly, but to be the highest scoring offense so far, it all starts on the line. This will be an exciting match up, though, because our pass rushers will finally face a challenge, if your opinion holds true.

[Fitz is] a completely different player than the man that started a few games the Bengals, and watching them (him??) at all this year makes that apparent.

Ryan Fitzpatrick showed flashes of being an adequate starter in the NFL, but never escaped the eventual downturn the team took during the season for which he filled in for Palmer. This doesn’t mean he was to blame for the misery the team suffered that year at all, but he showed us that there was still a lot left for him to learn. I believe you are right, though. With a coach who supports him and gives him the role of team leader, he can finally show he’s not just “some quarterback from Harvard”, which is what just about everyone had him tagged as.

Also, after three games, the Bengals seem to come out looking strong on the first few drives (offense especially) and then tend to fizzle as the game goes on. I’m sure if Fitz is as polished a QB as you say he is, he’ll be able to exploit our secondary and stage another comeback against his former team.
We’re all just waiting for Dalton to prove he’s the game manager we want him to be and show that he can make the fourth quarter game-clinching drives. He’s still a rookie, so there will be growing pains in the process, but I expect Sunday’s game to be an exciting one to watch… oh wait, another blackout… I mean listen to gleefully on the radio.
But don’t get so sensitive about the lack of credit you guys get! Let your guys prove it themselves on the field! Heck, all of us here at CJ were pretty fumed to be ranked dead last in (most of) the preseason rankings (probably deserved, due to the horrendous offseason debacles), but we’ve just tried to keep quiet and let the team prove they’re not just a bunch of pushovers. Either way, good luck! lol

"I got this comeback locked down tight, like a little girl's tuna. This is totally locked down tight, like a girl's private parts ... who's small ... Lockeroom talk, baby.."

by duffmane on Sep 29, 2011 8:38 PM EDT up reply actions

Haha, no worried about the credit we get from the national media, but the SB Nation writers tend to be more informed, as does the readership. Just want to make sure that the Bills aren’t taken lightly (if you read the majority of commends over at Buffalo Rumblings, the Bengals aren’t taken lightly, either…we’re scared of the DL).

Good luck to you guys as well. I am always pulling for the Bengals and I hope that Dalton becomes what Palmer was supposed to be. I’m afraid that things might not turn around for your franchise until Mike Brown does something to change his ways, unfortunately, but I’ll continue to hope regardless. Hopefully, within a few years, the Bengals and Browns are the tops of the AFC North and the Steelers and Ravens are looking up at them :)

"Slowly all the roles we act out become our identity. And in the end we are what we pretend to be." - Jerry Cantrell.

by stetzwebs on Sep 30, 2011 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Hopefully, within a few years, the Bengals and Browns are the tops of the AFC North and the Steelers and Ravens are looking up at them :)

ahhhh one can only hope :D

"I got this comeback locked down tight, like a little girl's tuna. This is totally locked down tight, like a girl's private parts ... who's small ... Lockeroom talk, baby.."

by duffmane on Oct 2, 2011 12:52 PM EDT up reply actions