Stripes

Joe Burrow in the FIRST HALF: 28/36 284 yards 3 TDs

Irwin is an excellent #4 WR moving forward.

Awesome response defense

INT might have been Boy’s fault

Protection struggling, and Joe’s first mistake today. Stick to them defensively and mitigate the damage.

Chicago 10 Buffalo 6

Unfortunate drop, followed by a short sack. Let’s stay on schedule.

Suffocating defense vs inept offense

Nice kick Evan. Get that mojo back.

Almost another tipped INT, thank goodness

Damned flags

Amazing throw/catch to Chase

He limped off, no cart

La’el might be hurt bad

Who cares about PATs if you win 6x6 to 0

No more PATs

IRWIN!

Great job, defense.

It’s pretty windy.

Except for the PAT. Kicking’s gonna suck today.

Best opening drive all year.

Let’s do it. One seed on the line. Division on the line. Maybe Burrow MVP candidacy on the line. Can surpass last year’s regular season win total. Tons to play for.

Per Morrison, Evan McPherson is having some trouble hitting kicks in pre-game warmups. The wind might be a problem on at least one end, where he was coming up short on some 50+ yard kicks. This could be a game where you take the wind if you win the toss instead of receiving/deferring.

Hayden Hurst was downgraded to out, which is a bummer for him. I feel pretty comfortable with the way that Wilcox has been playing though, and I don't figure it will move the needle much. I think this game is pretty simple, really. If the Bengals contain New England's run game, then they will win. Mac Jones and company simply don't have enough juice to win this game if they don't have everything opened up for them by Rhamondre Stevenson. That's why the Sam Hubbard injury looms large, because outside DJ Reader and maybe the two linebackers, he is the most important cog in the Bengals run defense machine. They're going to have to step up in his absence. If the Patriots are able to run the ball and control the line of scrimmage on offense, then that'll simplify everything for Mac Jones and make this game a dangerous one. If the Bengals DO stop the run consistently, then I think it'll just be a win, period. Even if the Patriots play strong defense, the offense would likely only need to generate about 20 points to take care of business (assuming minimal giveaways).

Unfortunate that we couldn’t have a home game this week. Freezer Bowl Lite. -9 in Dayton this morning.