Bengals vs Colts

[Tasher]

Interesting article on Colts.com...

http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=4407

BETTER ALL THE TIME

By John Oehser - Colts.com

Bengals Surging in Second Half of the Season

INDIANAPOLIS - The odd thing about the changes the Cincinnati Bengals made to get to where they are is there weren't many changes at all.

In fact, Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis said they basically changed nothing.

They focused on what they did well.

They started to do those things better.

And they started to win.

“We just kept doing things the way that we are coached to do them,” Lewis said as the AFC South-leading Colts (10-3) prepared to play the playoff-contending Bengals (8-5) at the RCA Dome Monday at 8:30 p.m.

“At the end of the day, we end up with more points. That’s it.”

And at the end of the last month, the Bengals ended up with a four-game winning streak that did more than make them one of the NFL’s hottest teams entering the last three weeks of the season.

It also moved them well into the AFC playoff picture.

The Bengals, with three games remaining in the regular season, trail the Baltimore Ravens (10-5) by two games in the AFC North, but they are tied with Jacksonville for the AFC’s final two playoff positions – the two wild-card spots that go to the fifth seed and sixth seed.

The Bengals and Jaguars each lead the New York Jets, Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs by a game for the two positions.

A month ago, few figured the Bengals would hold such a lofty position in the competitive AFC.

The Bengals, after not qualifying for the postseason since 1990, emerged last season as one of the NFL’s most talented young teams. With quarterback Carson Palmer – the No. 1 overall selection in the 2003 NFL Draft – developing into a Pro Bowl player, Cincinnati finished the season 11-5, won the AFC North title, and entered this season considered Super Bowl favorites by many analysts.

They won their first three games this season, then endured a mid-season slump in which they lost five of six games, including three of three – to Atlanta, Baltimore and San Diego – during October and early November. During that stretch, linebacker Brian Simmons missed two games with a neck injury, further depleting a group that already lost David Pollack to a neck injury and Odell Thurman to suspension. Pollack and Thurman were first and second-round selections in the 2005 NFL Draft, respectively.

“That stretch was almost like preseason for us,” Bengals offensive tackle Willie Anderson said. “New guys were having to learn how to play together. Now, we’re rolling again, even though we still have some guys out. Are we peaking? I don’t know.

“I want to peak Week 17, heading into the playoffs.”

During the three-game losing streak, the Bengals allowed 104 points, and during a two-game stretch in November, they allowed 1,026 total yards to the Chargers and Saints. The Bengals led San Diego, 28-7, at halftime before allowing 42 points in the second half, the most ever allowed by Cincinnati in a half.

But in the last four games, the defense has improved drastically. And the Bengals have, too.

While they allowed the Saints 595 yards of offense – the third-most ever by a Cincinnati opponent and 29 first downs, they also forced four turnovers in a 31-16 victory.

Since then, the Bengals shut out the Browns, held the Ravens to a fourth-quarter touchdown in a 13-7 victory and beat the Raiders, 27-10, this past week.

“We have just continued to do things the correct way,” Lewis said. “We have done a better job tackling, done a better job getting the ball back for our offense, and I think that’s important. We really had basically two bad quarters of football and gave up some points against San Diego when we had a lead. A lot was made of that, but we rebounded from it.”

The offense hasn’t rebounded – mainly because it didn’t need to.

Since Palmer became the starter in 2004, the Bengals have been one of the NFL’s top offenses, and this season, they rank 7th in the NFL in total offense, 4th in passing. Palmer is the AFC’s top-rated quarterback, having completed 269 of 414 passes for 24 touchdowns with 11 interceptions for a rating of 98.7.

The Bengals also have one of the league’s top trios of wide receivers, with Chad Johnson – a Pro Bowl selection the past three seasons – having caught 77 passes for an AFC-high 1,247 yards and seven touchdowns and T.J. Houshmandzadeh catching 73 passes for 894 yards and eight touchdowns. Chris Henry has 29 receptions for 451 yards and seven touchdowns.

Running back Rudi Johnson last week surpassed 1,000 yards for a third consecutive seasons, and now has 1,054 yards and 10 touchdowns on 276 carries.

As a result, the Bengals entering the final three games are a balanced team – and one again with serious Super Bowl hopes.

“I’d like to think we’re peaking at just the right time,” Houshmandzadeh said.

“We were doing things and maybe not quite getting the plays we needed to be made when we lost some football games and we won some games early – both,” Lewis said. “But we have been a little more consistent through this stretch and we realize our backs are against the wall.

“We came out and we’ve made some plays in the game which have made a difference in the outcome.”

And they really didn’t change a thing.

[CJBestInAFC]

Wow, all the media is talking about how small the Colts are in the front seven, but wow!

Looking at the Colts' depth chart:

end to end 245, 300, 274, 268 (2nd string 271, 275, 288, 257)

backers 228, 235, 227 (236, 243, 240)

Just for comparison, the Bengals go:

end to end 304, 350(listed), 297, 275 (2nd 265, 325, 319, 295)

backers 245, 240, 228 (259, 225)

Bengals' O-Line: 339, 290, 305, 345, 340

Whoa Nellie!

Run, Rudi, Run!

I want the Bengals to put Steinbach at center and then put Stacy Andrews in at LG. The Colts small lineup would get run over. Eveybody on that oline would be 340 plus except for Steinbach. It will never happen but I would love to see it.

[derekshank]

I want the Bengals to put Steinbach at center and then put Stacy Andrews in at LG. The Colts small lineup would get run over. Eveybody on that oline would be 340 plus except for Steinbach. It will never happen but I would love to see it.

If all you want is to put the biggest guys in there, why bother moving Steiny? Just take him out. He's by far our smallest O-Lineman. Ghiaciuc is 15 lbs bigger, and has been playing just fine. Steiny is the guy who has been underperforming on this O-Line.

But it's a non-issue. Do you remember Willie's comments about Atlanta's D-Line being a joke because of how small they were? Well the Colts are more than 70 lbs lighter than the Falcons. We don't need to change a thing to take advantage of how small that line is.

P.S. The Colts LB's are also more than 40 lbs lighter than the Falcons LB's. Our O-Line is really big... and they should have no problem getting to the 2nd level to make blocks against this undersized Colts D.

[HairOnFire]

I thought Cris Collinsworth nailed it pretty good on Inside the NFL. He claimed that week after week all teams are doing is constantly crashing their offensive tackles inside where they overpower the smaller interior defensive lineman of the Colts. Adding to their misery the Colt ILB's are also undersized, and behind that unit there's no physical presence at SS with Bob Sanders out. The result is a defensive unit that is consistently physically overpowered and eventually demoralized. And there's no quick fix possible.

Best, the moment I heard Collinsworth make the above remarks I reminded myself that while Andrew Whitworth may not be as good a LT as Levi Jones is...he's far more physical and comfortable crashing inside than Jones has ever been.

[derekshank]

I'm really hoping the Bengals decide to take what the Colts give them. If they put 8 in the box... I'm sure Chad will find a couple Colt cheerleaders he can propose to. If they start to drop their safeties back in cover-2... Rudi can take advantage of them.

I'm happy that our secondary appears healthy... but I still get the feeling that they will be able to score points on us. We need to get a lead, and the way to do that is to exploit whatever weakness they present to us.

Let's not be so arrogant that we think that we can do whatever the hell we want to them. Instead, we should be confident enough in every aspect of our game that we know we can exploit whatever they bring with a mismatch somewhere on the field... and then is simply comes down to execution.

[schweinhart]

The result is a defensive unit that is consistently physically overpowered and eventually demoralized. And there's no quick fix possible.

The only strength they have left is LB coverage in the middle of the field. Throwing into that is playing to their strength but it also a major part of the Bengals offense. Barring a rash of fumbles and picks, the Bengals should drive every time and put up lots of points, even though Palmer is not quite as perfect as he was when the Bengals-Colts squared off last year.

The bigger question IMO is not can the Colts stop the run but can the Bengals contain the Colts RBs. Addai and Rhodes are a formidable running attack with a lot of stretch and cutback ability, plus they both can fly and are outstanding receivers. Manning will get some yards between Harrison and Wayne but the difference should be how much Addai and Rhodes can make up for with the loss of a great receiving TE in Clark and a decent 3rd WR. My guess is that the Bengals will bend but not break in that regard and benefit from the shortened field when the Colts are in the red zone.

But if the Bengals D gives up a few ringers, they should be able to handle the Colts D and stay on the game the whole way if not steadily build a lead.

Bengals 31

Colts 30