Bengals Early Bird Special: Playoffs, Enough Said

Both sides are very even, bot rely on the running game to set up the passing game. Both teams have good defenses.

I give the Texans the nod, with the HFA. HFA against Atlanta showed what kind of damage the fans can do to the opposing teams offense.

I think this will be a very hard fought contest, but the Texans at home will be too much.

Houston 27 Cincinnati 16

Texans are gonna be bruised and battered just enough for the bengals to ride a wave to a second playoff round!!!

hopefully the bengals come through this game and build a little momentum before they play the Pats…. I’ll probably be in the noise bleed section but ill be cheering my ass off!

Wipe the slat clean, Bring out all the new plays and watch how much damage we do.

Bengals will win in a dominating fashion.

Major sacks …… and pressure(from our D)

Offense – A.j green – And Gresham play major rolls and B-scott makes more than a few clutch plays in this one .

AJ was a little slow on the field Sunday and didn’t quite make the impact that we needed from him … Is it his shoulder? Or are the coaches taking it easy with him? He kinda disappeared like Simpson has through the season.

1 – Red zone offense. The Bengals have had trouble lately scoring in the red zone. That has to change or it’s one-and-done

2 – Contain the run. Foster, Tate…nuff said.

3 – Stop the TE! I’ve seen too many games where the D couldn’t stop the TE, and Daniels is an excellent receiving TE.

why I am not so confident the Bengals will get their first ever road playoff victory.

The Bengals try to play “old-school” “establish the run and stop the run don’t turn the ball over” kind of football. That’s Marvin-Ball. And I personally hate Marvin-Ball. Marvin-Ball is a relic inherited from the crypt of Red Miller (look him up, young people).

On offense the Bengals will probably for the umpty-umpth time attempt to get Cedric Benson going. But since he’s not really much of a threat that leaves the Texans free to do what the Ravens did and blanket AJ Green and daring the Bengals to throw to someone else. Anyone else. Especially deep balls. If I am the opposing coach I make the Bengals prove that Gresham or Simpson can go down the field and get the deep ball. Because most of the time they don’t put that in their playbook, it seems to me. And God forbid they ever throw a seam pass or any kind of deep pattern to a running back (almost connected on one vs the Ravens, but most of the time he’s not even on the field)

On defense, the Bengals frequently sell out looking to shut down the opposing team’s running game. And the Bengals safeties are weak. Hence the deep middle is frequently open, and they display a continued lack of success stopping anybody’s tight ends when it counts. If I am the Texans on offense I come out throwing to my tight ends, my slot receiver, and my running backs in the middle of the field, until the Bengals stop that. Mix in the occasional seam route deep, as well. If the Bengals blitz to stop the pass, I throw screens. I tell my QB throw it to anybody covered by a linebacker or safety. When I run, I make everything misdirection to try to catch overpursuit and guys like Maulaga who are frequently in the wrong place.

I hope Lewis and Gruden prove me wrong. But I think the Bengals tendencies are way too easy to read and have been for years.