By losing to the Houston Texans by one measly point on Sunday, the Bengals have put their playoff hopes in jeopardy. Now they have to win out to have a shot and that is much easier said than done. A betting man would likely put money on them missing out on the post season.

But, before we get to what the Bengals need to do to go to the playoffs, lets take one last look back at their Week 14 loss to the Texans.

Continue reading this post »

One of the more anticipated matchups of the Bengals Week 14 game against the Kansas City Chiefs was former Bengals cornerback Johnathan Joseph against Bengals rookie wide receiver A.J. Green.

Joseph left the Bengals in the offseason after five years and signed with the Houston Texans. He is the team's top cornerback and is having one of the best years of his career. Green replaced Chad Ochocinco as the Bengals' No. 1 receiver and has been nothing short of amazing so far this year. He's in the conversation for Offensive Rookie of the Year and has either scored a touchdown or had more than 80 yards receiving in every game but two.

So, who won that matchup?

Continue reading this post »

Many veteran players and coaches will admit that more games are lost rather than won. Was it T.J. Yates (an impressive young man no doubt) that won the game for the Houston Texans, or a shockingly conservative Mike Zimmer defense that offered a limited pass rush and soft coverage during Houston’s final two possessions, ultimately winning the game? Was it the fumble early in the fourth quarter that the Bengals initially recovered that was later recovered by Houston? Bengals recover that and the game is over. Was it Brandon Johnson reacting too late to Kevin Walter’s crossing pattern, the injury suffered to Bobbie Williams, Adam Jones’ pass interference or the absolute refusal to cover tight end Owen Daniels? Can yes be an answer to every question, like a batch job or a “fill down” response within an Excel spreadsheet?

Continue reading this post »

It wasn't supposed to play out like this.

Cincinnati's defense started the game playing to the choir of those that believe that this team can stare down any opponent. By holding the Steelers offense to only 12 yards on eight plays during Pittsburgh's opening two possessions, the Bengals defense force two punts with only one first down allowed. Offensively the Bengals were strong out of the gate, registering 72 yards on 15 plays, moving the football with relative ease during their opening two possessions.

Yet from the very beginning Cincinnati self-destructs their efforts to make any impression as to whether they deserve mention for the AFC North championship this season.

Continue reading this post »

You would think that Bengals wide receivers Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell would be at the top of their games right now considering that they are both in the middle of contract years. They've each done some good things but they've also looked bad at times too. Against the Steelers, especially after A.J. Green left the game with a knee injury, neither receiver really looked too terribly impressive.

Caldwell caught three passes for 25 yards and Simpson laid an egg, catching zero passes in a game that the Bengals needed him to play his best.

It wasn't just the lack of production that doomed the Bengals, though. Dropped passes and poor route running didn't help either. Neither Simpson nor Caldwell really did their part in helping the Bengals win and, based on the way they played yesterday, they are both working their way out of employment in Cincinnati.

Continue reading this post »

If you created a top-five list examining the reasons why the Cincinnati Bengals lost on Sunday, somewhere in muddled in a notes of your erratic hand-writing could be Cincinnati's failure to prevent long third down opportunities from being converted. Pittsburgh's offense converted five of seven third downs in the first half against the Bengals defense; three of which required at least 10 yards or more. Allowing third down conversions, which fails to bring the offense back onto the field, significantly reduces your chances towards victory. Besides the act of scoring (hello John Madden), third downs remain the most critical aspect in the game of football.

Continue reading this post »

One thing we've learned about the Cincinnati Bengals is that they simply don't know how to give up. Cincinnati's five of Cincinnati's first six offensive possessions, excluding the one-play knee to end the first half, ended with punts while three of Tennessee's first five possessions resulted with 17 points. It wasn't like Cincinnati was lifeless, nor did it appear they were looking ahead. Rather the Titans were playing with more fire and the Bengals were just doing whatever they could to maintain reachable distance to make their comeback.

And comeback they did. For the fourth time this season, the Bengals were trailing in the fourth quarter, only to successfully complete their comeback and win the game.

Continue reading this post »

Cincinnati's 34-12 win over the Seattle Seahawks was a combination of grit from the defense, capturing opportunities from the offense and spectacular play-making abilities on special teams. It was truly a combined effort by every player within every unit (except for maybe the pass coverage team) that pushed Cincinnati's league-wide reputation as the emerging Cinderella team this year. Further encouraging is that the league's record for teams coming off a bye week is horrendous, something that didn't affect the Bengals as greatly as other teams; especially considering the team won by 22 points. Before we move onto the next game, here's the game notes from last week. Remember that these are notes written on the fly (some posted as updates on Sunday), so the grammar police can take a smoke break.

Continue reading this post »