HoosierCat

Heh. You joke but I do expect this to be a brutal game. Both teams need the win and the Steelers are home and have spent all week hearing how they suck. Plus this is the first time Browning faces a team that’s played him before. I hate this game, it feels like so many others that the Bengals have lost to Pitt with the playoffs on the line. And whoever wins will limp out with a bunch of fresh injuries.

Basically all you need to know about clinching this week is that four of the seven AFC playoff spots could be gone by the end of the weekend. Baltimore has already clinched, KC will each grab a spot if they win, Miami gets in with a win and a Bills loss/tie, and Cleveland will clinch if a bunch of stuff happens that mostly involves them winning and Pitt losing.

Works fine for me, sorry. No clinching possibilities for us.

Clinching scenarios for week 16: https://www.threads.net/@adamschefter/post/C1DBDDHPr-q/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Obviously depends on how FA goes but in that scenario I lean toward Mims.

Yup. One thing I’ve found to be true is that “work smarter not harder” is an acquired skill. I suspect Joe is seeing some alternatives he might not have before.

I’ve idly wondered how much of the offensive improvement can be attributed to Burrow in his new role of junior assistant offensive advisor to the head coach. Apparently he has been talking enough to be worried about talking too much, and Zac very publicly said to keep talking, if he wants him to shut up he will tell him. I can’t recall another example of an injured QB taking this kind of role, though I imagine it’s happened before.

I think if anyone told us in August that we would lose Burrow AND Chase and still be talking playoffs, we would have called them nuts. Yet here we are. The magic will likely run out soon enough but might as well enjoy the show while it lasts!

Ah, looks like they did try to get the DT from Tennessee but Houston claimed him first. https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/news/bengals-claimed-teair-tart-following-dj-reader-injury

He hasn’t caught a ball since Jax. You might be thinking of Iosivas, he had a couple grabs Saturday.

Yeah it’s an absolute mess. All they can do is win the game in front of them and hope for the best.

I love me some DJ Reader, but the fact is they were already trash against the run with him. So the silver lining there is that they can’t be much worse. I wouldn’t be opposed to adding someone, though I doubt they will. Losing Chase hurts, no doubt. Charlie Jones needs to grow up quick. Wouldn’t hurt to find where Irwin has been hiding the last couple weeks either.

Bengals are at 6 ahead of the Colts because of head to head — they beat Indy last week. Indy is ahead of Houston because of head to head. Since the Texans lose versus Indy at 7 their win over us doesn’t come into play at the moment, since they have to win a tiebreaker against the team in the 7 hole before tiebreakers for the 6 seed are applied. Bills are out because they lose conference record vs. Indy. At least I think that’s it. I’m not asking too many questions!

Definitive breakdown of the playoff pictures and who to root for from Morrison. https://www.profootballnetwork.com/cincinnati-bengals-playoff-possibilities-preferred-path-2023/

Holy crap almost an hour…

Rudolph to start for Pitt Saturday. https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/news/steelers-make-quarterback-change-mason-rudolph-to-start-against-bengals

I think that speaks to how challenging Burrow’s preferred offense is for the oline. Quick passes, screens, more runs, all make life a lot easier on the line.

There are also the Steelers and Broncos right behind at 7-7. Obviously if they lose this coming weekend Steelers are right back in it. After us they have Seattle and Baltimore. Broncos have the Pats this week, then Chargers and Raiders, so 3-0 isn’t impossible there. Bottom line, Bengals can’t afford any slip-ups.

We got McMoney, they got McMisses

I guess it would be better if Houston won the afc south and the jags were in the WC scrum since we beat Jax but not Houston, but really no, nothing on the line tonight far as I can tell.

Not a minute in and collinsworth starts sucking Baltimore’s nuts

Confirmed today that Reader and Ivey are both out for the year. Ja’Marr day-to-day with a shoulder injury. Meanwhile, in Pitt they’re finally catching up to something I've been saying for a while: it’s time for Tomlin to go. https://triblive.com/sports/mark-madden-steelers-loss-to-colts-another-embarrassment-for-mike-tomlin/

Cowboys are worthless

Not looking like much atm

Cleveland up by 3 with 30 seconds left