Cincinnati Bengals Roundhouse Kicked Out Of The Playoffs Following Texans 31-10 Win

Draft

Free agency

Time to jell in the off season.

Thanks for the ride boys.

looking forward to draft talk

I have seen them lose 2 Superbowls this was easy to take. They are the 6th best team in AFC and played like it in a very hostile environment, a team hosting their 1st playoff game and frankly with more talent than Bengals currently have. Hope they can improve and win vs quality opponents next year.

Thank you Bengals….You showed heart……whodey….now lets get to Free Agency and Draft talk….whodey

There’s no consolation in a 21-point playoff loss. This was the year that things looked they had changed. They haven’t. Same ol’, same ol’. They didn’t even belong on the same field as the Texans today—one hint of adversity and they curl up in their shell. It’s never going to change.

Young team that’ll get better (and upgraded with FA and the draft)…..love the defensive line….you guys are gonna be around (and hopefully rule the North as Baltimore and Pittsburgh are long in the tooth) for a long time. Window’s just opening in Cincinnati. Great season, guys….respect.

to be a Bengal fan, and next September I will be right there back at the sports bar….

Build the line and we will be fine. Our defense is good enough.

Did benson even touch the ball in the second. He looked pissed when scott was in and not him

Was for the best….being in polite company meant I had to behave and not get too worked up. Really two plays were absolute killers and game-changers.

1. Dalton pick before half. Really, just a tremendous play by Watt…tip your hat to him.
2. Chris Effin Crocker NOT catching the pick thrown right at him. Those two plays go the Bengals way, and it’s a ballgame.

Either way, I can’t be too upset considering I thought this team was good for about 3-4 wins before the season.

My top draft priorities:
1st round: 2 defensive players, definitely a CB, then either a safety or a linebacker.
2nd round: Running back
3rd round: Guard (usually you don’t have to get a good guard in the first or second).
4th round: WR (Tate and Caldwell gots to go)

Why don’t that run that play when B. Scott is in the game?

2 spots reared up today TE we don’t have a big bodied player who can catch in traffic
and Dissapointingly our LBs They’re serviceable Howard being the best but Rey he’s got a lot of work to do if he wants to be a top player

He is the man. Inside outside and receiving he is our rock. What he brings on the sidelines is irreplaceable.

You have some stud players and a load of high draft picks next year. Bengals fans should be pumped for the future.

And will continue to be pissed until I see what we do in the draft and in FA.

Now I’m back to thinking we need to draft BPA in this order

OL, CB, OL, CB!!!

I thought you played a hell of a game the first half. I do think you gave up on the run a little too early.

While I liked Lewis’ second challenge, I thought the first one was stupid. Hope someone tells him that.

All said – you have a great QB and WR combo with Dalton and Green. Good luck in a super tough division next year.

The Cincinnati ship struck a freak ice burg by the name of JJ Watt.

While this didn’t end the Bengals game, it seriously crippled it.

While Crockers missed INT would be considered the over all weight taken on straining the structure.

And the Andre Johnson TD to be the Ship breaking in half

All in all, I hope we do yall a favor and KIll Baltimore next week

Whodey fans… glad to see a lot of y’all positive tonite. If this team was built with a bunch of free agents i’d be pissed, but this was a good learning experience for a young team. I just hope we can retain our coordinators. There are tons of talented players coming back next year plus we’re probably gonna have ten draft picks this year and who knows what happens in free agency. I’m so pumped for the future.

Saw playing time but Caldwell never saw the field? I thought Whalen looked solid, and hopefully will be able to back up Shipley

And they both will be back coupled with the extra draft picks and the departure of Benson which will be addition by subtraction it is actually going to be a great era for us Bengal fans.
I am pretty excited for what lies ahead

And a nice season for you guys as well. A rookie QB leading a young team like that into the postseason is a great accomplishment especially considering your division. Most of the sports talking heads thought you would be disastrous this year and you proved them wrong. I would be shocked if Dalton did not at least win AFC ROY.

On defense anyways. We have Atkins, Dunlap, Sims, Peko, Hall, and more. Not to mention Shipley, Gresham, Green, etc. This team’s window is just opening. We’ll jump through it next year.

“From Elias: The Bengals are the 1st team in NFL postseason history to play 4 consecutive playoff games, score first in each and lose each of the four games.”

This was tough to experience in person. It really is a good thing I don’t drink right now. I have plenty of hope for the future, and I love Dalton and Green, but what really got to me was that it just seemed like the team went the whole season without playing their best game. We saw them play well in halves maybe, but never full go for a whole game. The reason it’s scary, even when thinking about this young talent maturing or getting more talent with all their draft picks, is that it seems like the coaching staff doesn’t inspire them enough. They never seem to have fire in them, and when faced with a team that is inspired, they allow that team to dictate the momentum. Still, I hope a full offseason together and some fixes in the secondary and in a few other places will create a real contender soon. We have a good start here. It’s up to management to not let it crumble, or really what is the point.

I know this may be taboo to say around here, but after going to this game, I’m gonna have a hard time rooting against Baltimore next weekend.

Some teams, like the Texans, lose a few key players and they move right along. Same with New England and Green Bay. That’s a sign of a team that relies on a good system, rather than good players. And that comes down to coaching. Other teams are the exact opposite…case in point is Indy.

Can the Bengals coaches do that? Can they create a system that doesn’t fall apart when a few players are lost to injury? I honestly don’t know at this point. Zimmer, likely could. Gruden, too early to tell. Marvin, honestly I’m having my doubts. I think Marvin is an okay coach, but I still think he’d be a better GM for the team.

Dalton taking the sack on 3rd down, Nugent pulling the FG and then a pick six not to mention Marvin’s desire to throw red towels. We got over bad time management from last season – Marvin needs one person in the booth to tell him when to throw flags.

Overall, the Bengals petered out. Sims and Dunlap injuries killed the rotation on the DL which kept the team honest against the run. You would want to keep that unit together as much as possible. Geathers is probably a luxury that is top expensive to keep, though Will MJ show up? Could see them going DE in the first.

Howard and Lawson turned up all season. With Moch, Rivers and B Johnson to come back, the question is what they want to do at MLB. Is Rey the man?

Jennings came on at the end of the season and Jones played well in Hall’s absence. What Hall do you get back? Clements too isn’t getting younger. Issue is at safety but Cincy never draft that position in the first round.

Same issue with OG. Two replacements are needed. McGlynn is backup material. Bobbie may not have another season in him and only for a stubborn OL coach, Livings would be long gone. To win in the AFC North, you have to win here, and the Bengals need to reestablish the physical approach to the run game. That’s the off-season priority.

Benson’s done, that’s clear. Simpson is maybe too expensive to be a back-up. Can the Bengals finally hit gold on a veteran through free agency or do you risk losing chemistry? Whalen, Shipley and Hawkins give you targets Dalton likes. Caldwell has fallen off that list.

Got to find the way to beat Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Losing all 4 games to them and expecting to make any impact in the playoffs is not the recipe for success.

1. Does anyone know the extent of Sims’s injury and how his rehab is progressing? Despite the huge year that Atkins had it is obvious that this defense needs Sims to clog up the middle. He consistently occupies 2 guys, something Atkins and, despite his size, Peko don’t do.
2. Again, I go back to my Fanpost and ask why Leonard didn’t play more? He out-rushed Benson and Scott combined and did it on 3 carries. He is also a better blocker, better at blitz pick-up and he can catch out of the backfield. The running game was supposed to be the strength of this team coming into the season and it was their undoing. If you would have told me Dalton would attempt 40+ passes in this game I would have told you the Bengals are going to lose. IMO, Benson and Scott both need to go and the Bengals need to start the season with Finley, Peerman and Leonard. Then, the Bengals look to draft a RB in the 2nd or 3rd round.
3. The Bengals need to spend money in the off season to sign Nicks or Grubbs even if they have to over pay. That should be their #1 priority and preferrable over drafting a guard or signing a FA RB or WR. If Dalton is the franchise QB then the priority has got to be in protecting him. QBs are an investment over the long term. RBs have a shelf life of about half what a QB does and if you have an O-line that opens holes and sustains blocks most RBs in the league can consistently gain 4-5 yards with each carry.
4. Pacman will be fine and should be re-signed. I think a lot of people forget that he was out of football for a year (and a couple of years before that). He is rusty but still extremely talented. After an off season, preseason, etc I think we’ll see a dramatically improved Adam Jones.
5. I think the Bengals secondary can be fixed with a couple of moves and not a complete overhaul. One, you let Crocker walk. Two, you re-sign Nelson. Three, you draft the best CB available at 17. Four, you move Clements to SS. Five, you continue to develop Mays (who seemed to be coming into his own prior to the injury). Six, you re-sign Adam Jones. That isn’t a big shake-up and I think gives this defense the best shot to win.
6. They need to be looking to get Howard and Lawson signed to longer deals.
7. Re-sign Simpson but make it an open competition with Whalen for the starting spot and draft a big, physical WR in the 2nd or 3rd round depending on who is available.
8. Sign Zimmer to an extension. He had the perfect game plan for the Texans. He can’t make tackles or INTs but his schemes had people in the right place to make plays on nearly every play which is the sign of a great D coordinator.
9. Before Gruden walks (which I think we’re all confident he will), contact Ken Anderson and do everything you can to convince him to come in and coach, at a minimum, Dalton.
10. Contact Anthony Munoz and offer him the O-line job, then, after he says he’ll do it, fire Alexander. If you have ever listened to Munoz talk about how to fix this O line, you’ll realize he WILL fix this O line if you give him a shot.

Okay, I could probably keep going but that is 10 so its a good place to stop.

Nothing makes sense until they figure out how to stop the run. Was Sims the difference? Is Rey the problem? The DB’s will look lots better if RB’s aren’t torching your front 7…
D

Our defense is good enough to win with. Throughout all of the injuries they still kept fighting.
Momentum is a living, breathing thing and we have to learn when to take advantage of it when it is in our favor and know when to cut our loses when it is not.
On offense all of our weapons are good enough except Benson. Shipley will be back. Our receiving corps are good enough to win with.
Everything revolves around offensive line play. Break the bank to build a great line and we will be a great team.
We know how to get more from less talent. It is time to learn how to win on the big stage. If Marvin cannot win us a playoff game next year then it is time to look for someone who can. There are not going to be any excuses next year. We are going to have a full training camp and plenty of draft picks to fill the holes.

Jerry Jones doesn’t make decisions when he is mad.
I would have fired every coach last night after the game.
We had a great season and 20 other teams would have loved to be in our spot, even if it meant losing in 1st round of the playoffs.
Marvin did a great job with this young team and Zimmer did what he could with the personnel he was given. I am not really sure I buy into Gruden but I also think Marvin handcuffed him. He was trying things early in season and I think Marvin put the axe on those types of plays.
I would like to know what is up with Robert Sands. surely he can’t be much worse than Crocker.(hopefully) Taylor Mays sems to be brittle but what does he bring to the table after a full season of learning? Will Donte Moch be able to play with the migraine issues? So many questions and I would like to see the answers.
I don’t buy into the Rey Maualuga hype. I think he is a below average Mike. I know he was changing back to his “natural” position, but he looks anything but natural playing in it. I would have liked to see improvement from preseason to last nights game. It’s not there and I don’t think it ever will be. He even doubts he has the ability to play in the NFL, or atleast has said it enough times to make me wonder. When is the last time you heard a MLB “wonder” if he is good enough. The QB of the defense doubting himself doesn’t make me feel any better.
I don’t think the loss of Shipley was huge, I think Hawkins filled in quite nicely and seems to always make the plays he was given( far too few).
I think Dalton needs to learn to scan the field better and that will come with time. Dalton to Green was sweet, but Dalton to double and triple covered Green means a single covered someone else and he needs to find those guys.
I look forward to seeing what the future hold and hopefully we get the needs filled this offseason.

Green…well, do I really need to say anything?

Shipley is an excellent slot receiver. I hope he returns 100%.

Simpson has tremendous upside, so I think he’s worth keeping for one more year. I do think he needs to knock off the “hurdling over d-players” stunt or he’s going to lose the ball or get seriously injured. Sure it’s cool and an amazing physical feat, but it also makes him tremendously vulnerable. If he can cut down on his occasional dropsies, Green will pull double coverage and we can take advantage of that with Simpson.

Whalen strikes me as a solid, smart WR who can be counted on to make key plays. He reminds me of a WR version of Brian Leonard. I’d like to see more from him.

Hawkins impressed me as well, and showed he can make yards after catch. Keep him as well, and I’d like to see if he can return punts and/or kick-offs as well.

Caldwell…you had a few good plays, but time to let ya go.