Week 1 2021: Vikings at Bengals Game Thread and Post-game chatter

[HoosierCat 703]

33-29 KC!

[membengal 643]

Chiefs doing gods work. 

[HoosierCat 703]

Blatant no call on the PI, refs keeping Clowns in the game 

[HoosierCat 703]

Mayfield PICKED! L for Cleveland!

[AMPHAR 528]

2 hours ago, Stripes said:

I don’t know what to do with Zac Taylor right now.

We got the win, and it will be rightfully credited to his record. But hell, every time I wanted aggression he was conservative and every time I wanted conservative he was aggressive. That doesn’t make him wrong. My head is spinning.

The 3rd and 4 with a lead in the 4th quarter was really only beef I had.  I understand make sure you keep the clock running so you take their last TO but needed a first there.

[membengal 643]

4 minutes ago, AMPHAR said:

The 3rd and 4 with a lead in the 4th quarter was really only beef I had.  I understand make sure you keep the clock running so you take their last TO but needed a first there.

agreed. In hindsight I hate the play call on the 3rd quarter 4th and 1 (and maybe it still works if Mixon doesn't slip a bit) - but at least ZT didn't coach scared. That may be helpful long term. 

[COB 1,008]

One huge takeaway from this game for me:

I no longer want Zimmer as our head coach.  I was enamored with him beyond reason.  That’s over.

[Wraith 268]

23 minutes ago, COB said:

One huge takeaway from this game for me:

I no longer want Zimmer as our head coach.  I was enamored with him beyond reason.  That’s over.

He is a still the best defensive coach in the league IMHO but ultimately I think he is a better DC than HC

[HoosierCat 703]

Fwiw the analytics say the call was not crazy.

 

[COB 1,008]

1 hour ago, Wraith said:

He is a still the best defensive coach in the league IMHO but ultimately I think he is a better DC than HC

I think his personality just fits DC.  Head coaches are often analytical, hyper-organized, buttoned down.  Zim is a fiery motivator.  He’s a defensive schemer on the highest level.  Just ascended one rung too high on the ladder.  As commonly happens.

[redsbengalsbucks 133]

I'm over Taylor as a HC.  The team won this game despite some very bad paly-calls on Offense.  How does Thomas get in the game, I would rather see any other WR on the active roster getting targets.  That early fourth down call was very dumb, considering the way the defense had played to that point.  The only way the Vikings come back is that gift short field drive.  The conservative game plan was so frustrating, let your QB make some plays. I didn't see the first quarter, was there any time that Evans got a couple touches in the pass game?  I did not see any.

Defense looks good, Offense seems to be OK if allowed to actually use the talent on the team.

Taylor needs to learn how to finish a game with a lead, I look for a lot of close games and a new HC next season after not winning many of those close games.

[Stripes 617]

A few disorganized thoughts from the stadium without rehashing what’s already been said too much:

~ Fan engagement may have had the most significant impact on a game I’ve ever seen for this team. Minnesota committed three false starts in their first five or six “snaps” and six in the first half. At least some of that can be credited to noise. It’s a beautiful thing.

~ On the other side of that, the Bengals need to be decimating any team that commits 17 penalties (12 accepted). For a moment it looked like they might do that, but they let Minnesota crawl back. In a vacuum that’s losing football; most games won’t be so kind in the flags department.

~ It doesn’t show on the statistics sheet, but I think Trey Hendrickson was a game wrecker in the first half. He was right there on the sack credited to Ogunjobi, and I believe at least two of the Minnesota holding penalties were the product of desperation grabs on Trey. He slowed down in the second half, but what a promising start for the entire defensive line.

~ It seemed like a nice day for Germaine Pratt. He obviously had the big fumble in overtime, but he was also key in containing Dalvin Cook throughout the game. He strung out some of those outside runs straight to the boundary, and I believe Cook only managed to really cut that corner for a big gain once.

~ Special teams coverage picked up where it left off in the preseason. Only one kickoff was returned, to about the 15. Stanley Morgan (I believe) showed why he was rostered by downing that late 4th quarter punt at the 4. That should have sealed the game really.

~ I tend to agree with mem and much of the early podcast consensus that Taylor’s decision to go for it on 4th down from his own 30 was permissible, but the playcall sucked. Zac said the same thing himself. It’s not the decision I would have made with a 14 point lead, but I won’t pretend that matters. In those situations I really just want a QB sneak every time given the conversion rate leaguewide, but oh well.

~ Burrow’s best throw of the game might have been the one just prior to the beautiful Chase TD. He caught Boyd in a very tight window in front of a defender at the sideline. That sequence of plays to end the half and was Patriots-esque, and Joe had his Peyton Manning going. Keep him upright and he’s MVP candidate good as soon as this season. I really believe that.

~ Eli Apple has already gotten enough bad press so I won’t pile on. I will say though that even if Waynes can’t go against Chicago, maybe Darius Phillips should be the one starting outside in his place. He’s a boom or bust Kirkpatrick type, but that… is better than, well, you know.

~ My absolute favorite highlight of the game is in the moments immediately following the Chase bomb. Burrow ran him down in the endzone and mobbed him like a hype man lunatic. That shit gives me life.

[membengal 643]

 

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[HoosierCat 703]

47 minutes ago, membengal said:

 

Perine keeps playing like he did yesterday and Captain America isn’t going to have 0 snaps for long.

[membengal 643]

I am hoping like hell Evans is into the mix soon. They could use him to take some of the sauce out of the rush w/ screens etc. 

[membengal 643]

 

[membengal 643]

 

[membengal 643]