Official Bengals @ Giants Game Thread.

[TJJackson]

Uhm, no

Sports is a form of entertainment.

People buy tickets to go to it - you know, just like they do for movies, concerts, nightclub shows, wrestling, and other such forms of entertainment other than sports.

If all you care about is the W or the L, which is simply the end result - you have no need to watch the actual game. You can get this information in a variety of ways.

Don't get me wrong, I want the W as well. But if I have to take a loss (and the 18-1 Patriots will tell you, it's really hard not to pick up a L at some point in the season) I'd much rather it be a hard fought close game with the lead going back and forth and the fellows I am rooting for validating my support with 100% effort for 100% of the game. I felt that I saw that today. I did not - as best I can recall - feel that way through the horridness of the 90's. Ever. Not once.

I saw some much-better-than-usual defense today, despite the near complete lack of pressure on the passer. I saw a productive offense. I know if those things can occur against the very-good Giants, they can potentially occur against all the lesser teams we play for the rest of the season. Further, I know that if this happens, we will win more games than we lose.

Simple.

[gregstephens]

Uhm, no

Sports is a form of entertainment.

People buy tickets to go to it - you know, just like they do for movies, concerts, nightclub shows, wrestling, and other such forms of entertainment other than sports.

If all you care about is the W or the L, which is simply the end result - you have no need to watch the actual game. You can get this information in a variety of ways.

Don't get me wrong, I want the W as well. But if I have to take a loss (and the 18-1 Patriots will tell you, it's really hard not to pick up a L at some point in the season) I'd much rather it be a hard fought close game with the lead going back and forth and the fellows I am rooting for validating my support with 100% effort for 100% of the game. I felt that I saw that today. I did not - as best I can recall - feel that way through the horridness of the 90's. Ever. Not once.

I saw some much-better-than-usual defense today, despite the near complete lack of pressure on the passer. I saw a productive offense. I know if those things can occur against the very-good Giants, they can potentially occur against all the lesser teams we play for the rest of the season. Further, I know that if this happens, we will win more games than we lose.

Simple.

I'm not disagreeing with you that there was substantially better play (for the most part, 'No-Show' Jones). You're initial question was whether I'd rather watch a blowout or a nail-biting loss like today. Here's the problem with the nail-biting loss. When it comes to the Bengals, historically, we know they end up on the 'L' side of the column most of the time in these back and forth types of games. Historically, and there were a couple of exceptions in the glory year of 2005, if the Bengals didn't put away the game early, they didn't win.

A game like today, in terms of watching it, may be entertaining at times, but the result is still a 'L'. And I like to root the boys on over the telly, but let's face it. The moment they let the Giants take that fourth quarter lead, we all knew we would not pull it out. Somehow, we would snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and we did. I can't categorically say I'd rather watch that type of game versus the Ravens' fiasco two weeks ago, knowing with 95% certainty, based on history, that we'd blow it.

By the way, how pathetic is it that we as Bengals' fans have to refer to the 'glory year (singular) of 2005'?