Revisiting the Schedule

[rwalling]

Now that we've seen the Bengals' future opponents a couple games, have any of our perceptions of them changed? Personally, I currently view the games as follow:

Cuppycakes: @ TB (paging the Bucs offense?!?), NO (hard to tell against CLE and GB but I think this is a walk over - esp. their D), CLE (tougher at home? - Nah!), OAK (man are they bad)

Favorites: NE (not impressed yet after 2 wins over average to bad teams), CAR (not dominant as I thought they might be), ATL (do we have an improved run D or not), BAL (not in our house, besides McNair will be on IR by then), PIT (our house, could be a lot on the line)

Pick 'em: @ BAL (tough D on the road), SD (they have looked really good), DEN (tough house, could be Cutler at QB)

Dogs: @PIT (worried about D-Jax absence), @ IND (until we show we can beat them, esp. on carpet)

Looks like something north of 9-7 and south of 12-4 if we just take care of business and avoid injuries at a key and/or thin positions (read S, QB, OT)

[agreen_112]

Now that we've seen the Bengals' future opponents a couple games, have any of our perceptions of them changed? Personally, I currently view the games as follow:

Cuppycakes: @ TB (paging the Bucs offense?!?), NO (hard to tell against CLE and GB but I think this is a walk over - esp. their D), CLE (tougher at home? - Nah!), OAK (man are they bad)

Favorites: NE (not impressed yet after 2 wins over average to bad teams), CAR (not dominant as I thought they might be), ATL (do we have an improved run D or not), BAL (not in our house, besides McNair will be on IR by then), PIT (our house, could be a lot on the line)

Pick 'em: @ BAL (tough D on the road), SD (they have looked really good), DEN (tough house, could be Cutler at QB)

Dogs: @PIT (worried about D-Jax absence), @ IND (until we show we can beat them, esp. on carpet)

Looks like something north of 9-7 and south of 12-4 if we just take care of business and avoid injuries at a key and/or thin positions (read S, QB, OT)

I think your pretty much right on with that, I think we'll take SD easily though. This is our year against the Colts and N.E.(if everyone is healthy).

[duus]

You know, I was just thinking about how we were all hopeful for a 2-2 start when we were unsure of Palmer's status a few months ago. 2-2 now is a lock, and I am personally expecting the worst to be 3-1 going into the bye. Knowing we are going into Pittsburgh so banged up, I can see a loss there and still feel comfortable sitting at the bye with 3-1, knowing we will be getting guys healthy for the second half of the season.

I think 11-5 at worst.

[HoosierCat]

For anyone following strength of schedule, our opponents this season are now a collective 14-11, or .560, after 2 weeks (tonights Pitt game will add 1 more to one side of that equation or the other).

[agreen_112]

The difference maker is if we can beat teams with winning records or not.

[derekshank]

I think we will be favorites @ Denver. It's a long way off... and being the 2nd to last game of the season, who knows if the game will matter at that point, but right now it looks pretty good.

Denver lost to St. Louis (the team that just got beat by the 49ers) and then barely pulled off a home game in OT against a QBless Chiefs team. They have only scored 1 TD this season, and are averaging less than 10 points/game. Plummer looks absolutely awful, and Cutler is a rookie. This doesn't look nearly as tough as it did 2 weeks ago.

On the other hand, the SD and Atl games look significantly tougher than they did at first glance... but at least we get them @ Cincy.

[Tasher]

Now that we've seen the Bengals' future opponents a couple games, have any of our perceptions of them changed? Personally, I currently view the games as follow:

Cuppycakes: @ TB (paging the Bucs offense?!?), NO (hard to tell against CLE and GB but I think this is a walk over - esp. their D), CLE (tougher at home? - Nah!), OAK (man are they bad)

Favorites: NE (not impressed yet after 2 wins over average to bad teams), CAR (not dominant as I thought they might be), ATL (do we have an improved run D or not), BAL (not in our house, besides McNair will be on IR by then), PIT (our house, could be a lot on the line)

Pick 'em: @ BAL (tough D on the road), SD (they have looked really good), DEN (tough house, could be Cutler at QB)

Dogs: @PIT (worried about D-Jax absence), @ IND (until we show we can beat them, esp. on carpet)

Looks like something north of 9-7 and south of 12-4 if we just take care of business and avoid injuries at a key and/or thin positions (read S, QB, OT)

I think your pretty much right on with that, I think we'll take SD easily though. This is our year against the Colts and N.E.(if everyone is healthy).

@Kansas City - W

Cleveland - W

@Pittsburgh - ? Very winnable, we are dinged up...

New England - @home W

BYE

@Tampa Bay - very winnable, should be a W

Carolina - @home W

Atlanta - @home will be a good test

@Baltimore - on road division opponent; how good is their offense, really? We will score points; we'll say road L

San Diego - their D? come on, vs Raiders and Titans? @home W

@New Orleans - W

@Cleveland - W

Baltimore - @home W will be a good test

Oakland - W

@Indianapolis - road L (Colt D might be VERY suspect, though)

@Denver - Offense? What Denver offense, only offensive! road W

Pittsburgh - another tight game, @home W

so, methinks at worst 12-4

[Arizona]

I think its still too early to do this kind of assessment. I would say that at least for the Ravens and Chargers wait until week four when they play each other. The Ravens have dominated bad teams to this point, but have yet to play a quality team. Week 4 will reveal which of these teams is for real.

[HoosierCat]

I think its still too early to do this kind of assessment.

I dunno, the season is already 12.5% of the way done.

Aint that depressing?

[Tasher]

I think its still too early to do this kind of assessment.

I dunno, the season is already 12.5% of the way done.

Aint that depressing?

Not at 2-0, it not!

Who Dey!

[Stripes]

I think its still too early to do this kind of assessment.

I dunno, the season is already 12.5% of the way done.

Aint that depressing?

Not at 2-0, it not!

Who Dey!

It might 12.5% of 16 games, but we'll be playing 19 of them.