Bengals Week 3 Mailbag: Hill vs Gio, meaning of a win, bars to watch the game

Every week, we take on the burning questions of Bengals faithful. This week we got a few questions regarding the running back roster, where to watch Bengals games in Cincinnati and what a loss in Baltimore would mean for the Bengals. Let's get started!

@ScottBantel How concerning would it be for Cincy to lose in Baltimore?

— Connor Howe (@CHoweSports) September 22, 2015

Thanks for the question Connor! Winning on the road in the NFL is difficult and winning on the road inside the division is even more difficult. So concerning? No. Despite their 0-2 record, the Ravens are still a dangerous team and a team many picked to be in the Super Bowl. Plus, the Ravens have one of the best home records over the past few years and this is their home opener, so that stadium will be rocking on Sunday.

In fact, when we predicted the Bengals record before the season, I had this game as a loss. That being said, the Bengals are certainly playing better than the Ravens at the moment and have the opportunity to deal a huge blow to the Ravens division chances. A win would essentially give the Bengals a 3.5 game lead over the Ravens, a difficult hole to climb out of. Do I think the Bengals should win? Yes, I think they are the better team and they are playing much better going into the game. Do I think they will win? It will be difficult. While this is a big game for the Bengals, at 0-2, this game is a must win for Baltimore and is more critical to the Ravens' season.

A loss for the Bengals and they are (at worst) tied with the Steelers for first in the North. A loss for the Ravens and their division chances - in my opinion - are shot. While I think the Bengals should win this game, it will be a difficult game and a loss in Baltimore would not change my opinion of how good I think this Bengals team can/will be in 2015.

@CincyJungle What's the chance Gio gets the start in Baltimore

— Pops Bailey (@PopsBailey1) September 21, 2015

Good question, and a question that a lot of Bengals fans (and Jeremy Hill fantasy owners) have this week. Hue Jackson said in training camp that who is on the field for the first snap doesn't matter and I tend to believe him. While that guy was Hill in Weeks 1 and 2, I think there is a 50/50 chance that guy is Giovani Bernard this week for two reasons:

1. Hill has to earn back the trust of the coaches and prove he can hold onto the football.
2. Bernard has been the more effective runner thus far in 2015 (Bernard: 186 yards and 6.6 YPC; Hill: 102 yards and 3.5 YPC).

Hill now has 7 fumbles in 249 carries as a pro and no matter how good you are, if you cannot hold onto the football, that is a problem and coaches will lose trust. The coaches and players have been very supportive of Hill publicly this week and have said they still trust him and I believe they will get him out there early and often in order to get him over the mental aspect of the fumbling. However, because of the fumbles and Bernard's success, I expect the carries on Sunday to be more of a 50/50 split as opposed to the 70/30 split we saw in Oakland Week 1.

@CincyJungle where's the best place in Cincinnati to watch the @Bengals beat the @Ravens ? #WhoDeyNation

— Michael Vanselow (@Vugalou) September 21, 2015

Personally, my favorite place is on my couch with my computer, control of my remote, my own beer and my own food...but I am assuming you are talking about watering holes. When watching at a bar/restaurant, key for me is a lot of TV's so you have a good view no matter where you are sitting. Here are a few places I would suggest based on their TV to table ratio.

1. Lachey's Bar in OTR has a lot of TVs for the size of the bar, has a sports bar atmosphere and has good food as well.
2. If you are looking for a spot down on the Banks, Holy Grail has the best set up as far as TVs go, but their service can be poor.
3. Another good spot on the Banks with a good TV set up, better food and better service is Yardhouse.
4. I have also watched the game at Tina's (West 4^th Street) and they had a fun crowd. If you like watching with a big crowd, they do show the games at Fountain Square on the big screen and have food and drinks on the square as well.