Stripes

That’s better. Churn it on the ground.

Running game blows

Bad throw and bad drop in the same play.

God these refs are worse than ever

Fuck off refs

Battle is so terrible

Zac is getting WAY too comfortable blowing early timeouts

One defensive snap. One missed tackle.

4 TDs in 4.05 games for Gesicki

Cool beans.

Gotta give these guys props for finding Meyers. He’s the #3 and a great returner.

Looks like Ja’Marr was suited up today.

I remember watching the playoff game after the 2013 season. The 11-5 Bengals were 8-0 at home and hosting the 9-7 Chargers in the Wild Card round. At that point, the Andy/Marvin connection hadn't completely solidified itself as the worst playoff tandem in NFL history yet, so we had some measure of hope. The moment Dalton made his first overthrow, I knew it was over. I sat in a chat space with other NFL fans I knew well in that era, and I sarcastically celebrated when Andy missed a wide-open AJ Green for a touchdown by only about three yards instead of ten. He really tried hard. Good try, Andy Dalton.

It's remarkable that Zac and Andy got on so poorly in 2019. They ought to have spent days off in the sandbox building castles together.

He's probably the best quarterback in franchise history. Only Kenny has an argument otherwise, IMO. That doesn't mean he's perfect.

I think this is a good team that is .500 for four primary reasons, some of which may improve and others that won't: 1. This might be the hardest portion of the schedule. Even with Houston and TB at 0-4, I don't really think that's indicative of how difficult those matchups are. - I think it'll get easier more often than it gets harder, but it'll do both. 2. Burrow has been turning it over at deeply inopportune times. - This is becoming an increasingly problematic trend. If it's in his head, he needs to sort it out. QBs get the yips too. I don't think he's just fallen off a cliff, because he has been highly efficient. The turnovers themselves have been preceded by efficient, encouraging drives that just end in a disastrous thud -- he is in his little zone, and when he gets too confident he gets careless. This ought to improve, but it's who he's been since at least 2024. 3. The head coach and the defensive coordinator stink. - This isn't going to improve. Taylor is who he is. He's still going to punt at midfield on 4th and 1 like a complete pansy. He's still going to run the ball too much on 2nd and long. He's still going to add absolutely nothing to the offensive scheme or play-design as should be expected of an "offensive-minded" head coach. I think he's a good coach six days per week, and he is a bad coach on Sunday. Golden could improve in theory, but I'm not holding my breath. He doesn't seem to have a great feel for defensive playcalling, and even in just four games opposing offenses seem to have the perfect counter-attack dialed up all too often. 4. The usual suspects from the 2024/2025 defensive crimes against humanity are still here. The linebackers are genuinely improved behind Dexter Lawrence, but they still take terrible angles and over-pursue too often. Jordan Battle has been the worst player on the starting roster, and he accounted for a staggering proportion of today's defensive lapses. He has always had his limits, but he's gotten even worse. - I think the linebackers are on a positive trajectory, so it's reasonable to think they improve. I don't see Battle improving. He's had more than enough time to learn how to tackle a football player, and he still isn't doing it. Then, today you can add a fifth problem: injuries are stacking up and affecting extremely important parts of the roster.

I don't think this game is some referendum on the team's prospects. The defense was mostly good, and the bad was massively centered around Jordan Battle. They lost because Joe Burrow blew it. I don't care if Chase was hurt. The red zone interception was inexcusable. He can't do that. The Bengals were fortunate to beat Tampa Bay after his pick six almost blew that one too. He's a great quarterback. We all know that. But he has got to be better. $55 million players cannot be committing rookie-level turnovers in the red zone in the 4th quarter.

Joe. Dude.

Someday the Bengals will tackle well

Chase Brown 8 carries for 8 yards

Complementary football, defense. Not a time to shit the bed.

Fantastic drive.

To be clear, the refs have favored the Bengals so far. But they seem to think they’re the reason the stands are full. Obnoxious.

Still a very winnable game, but I have sub-zero faith in the current offense, in Zac Taylor, and that the refs won’t ruin everything anyway.

I can’t hear the broadcast, so I have no idea about Chase. Seems concerning that he hasn’t showed up on the sideline yet