The motivation to win the last 3?

[walzav29]

49ers - I've seen the Bengals lose to these guys a couple of times before. I never want to see it again.

Browns - Paybacks a B!tch. Knock em' out of the playoffs

Dolphins - Don't want the Bengals to be the ONLY team to lose to them

Yeah it will mess the draft pick up, but it's momentum going into next year.

[cincyhokie]

49ers - I've seen the Bengals lose to these guys a couple of times before. I never want to see it again.

Browns - Paybacks a B!tch. Knock em' out of the playoffs

Dolphins - Don't want the Bengals to be the ONLY team to lose to them

Yeah it will mess the draft pick up, but it's momentum going into next year.

I'm going to be at the Browns game and you know the stadium is going to be full of Browns fans especially if they lose to the Bills and haven't clinched a playoff spot. I'm looking forward to seeing us knock the Browns out of the playoff picture and send their fans home sad!

I've been excited about this game since week 2 and I still am!

[Ænigma]

I deffinatly think that we can go 8-8. But like everyone knows this has been a dissapointing year for all bengals fans. But maybe we can go to the playoffs next year.

[GregCook]

49ers - I've seen the Bengals lose to these guys a couple of times before. I never want to see it again.

Browns - Paybacks a B!tch. Knock em' out of the playoffs

Dolphins - Don't want the Bengals to be the ONLY team to lose to them

Yeah it will mess the draft pick up, but it's momentum going into next year.

8-8 looks all to likely and such a waste. With all the extra draft picks for next season, it would be nice to draft around 10-12. 8-8 doesn't get that done. Nor does 7-9. Finishing 8-8 again simply proves the bengals have gone from Bungels on a yearly basis to mediocre on a yearly basis. Whoopee.

[agreen_112]

49ers - I've seen the Bengals lose to these guys a couple of times before. I never want to see it again.

Browns - Paybacks a B!tch. Knock em' out of the playoffs

Dolphins - Don't want the Bengals to be the ONLY team to lose to them

Yeah it will mess the draft pick up, but it's momentum going into next year.

8-8 looks all to likely and such a waste. With all the extra draft picks for next season, it would be nice to draft around 10-12. 8-8 doesn't get that done. Nor does 7-9. Finishing 8-8 again simply proves the bengals have gone from Bungels on a yearly basis to mediocre on a yearly basis. Whoopee.

Play to win. There's nothing wrong with going 8-8 instead of 5-11 or 6-10. I want to see the Bengals finish on a high note as well. Leon Hall was a great pick after an 8-8 season. We should get a really good LB'r this year at about the 15-18th pick... I do not want to loose to the Browns or Miami.

[walzav29]

I read last week somewhere all of the guys in the top 10 in J. Smith's rookie season and it really does depend on your scouting. Other than Jake Long or Glenn Dorsey I wouldn't say there is a lock. 8-8 is annoying, but since there hasn't been any arrests this season and the young corners being groomed. A good draft will be just what this team needs.

[damiancasey]

Play to win. There's nothing wrong with going 8-8 instead of 5-11 or 6-10. I want to see the Bengals finish on a high note as well. Leon Hall was a great pick after an 8-8 season. We should get a really good LB'r this year at about the 15-18th pick... I do not want to loose to the Browns or Miami.

Couldn't agree more...furthermore, I want to enjoy watching the last three games. I don't want to spend two hours grinding my teeth, cursing, and wishing I was some place else.

[Ox]

Good god I can smell that Miami game a mile away... the fins 0-15 with the Bengals coming to Miami. I think I will be more nervous for that game than any other this year.

[BengalszoneBilly]

Good god I can smell that Miami game a mile away... the fins 0-15 with the Bengals coming to Miami. I think I will be more nervous for that game than any other this year.

That's a HUGE trap game. The Dolphins have everything to play for, and the Bengals will have very little, if nothing to play for! (And please spare me the word "pride". If that was anything to them, their record wouldn't be what it is now.)

[redsbengalsbucks]

To show everyone that when somewhat healthy, they can actually win games. Oh, by the way, it is what they are paid to do; WIN.

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

49ers - I've seen the Bengals lose to these guys a couple of times before. I never want to see it again.

As Rick Pitino would say, Roger Craig isn't walking through that door. Joe Montana isn't walking through that door. Jerry Rice isn't walking through that door.

Seriously, though, what a wasted opportunity. Our non-division sched this year included the putrid NFC West that has, at best 1 good team, and the NFC east, which has the one guaranteed loss but not much else. Add to that Baltimore falling apart. Finally, we get a very winnable schedule and the team decides to stink. Grrrr.

[Bengals44]

Good god I can smell that Miami game a mile away... the fins 0-15 with the Bengals coming to Miami. I think I will be more nervous for that game than any other this year.

That's a HUGE trap game. The Dolphins have everything to play for, and the Bengals will have very little, if nothing to play for! (And please spare me the word "pride". If that was anything to them, their record wouldn't be what it is now.)

If been worried about losing this game for a few weeks now, I could easily see it happening, damn I hope not...

[HairOnFire]

Browns - Paybacks a B!tch. Knock em' out of the playoffs

Win 'em all, but especially that one.

[Stripes]

Browns - Paybacks a B!tch. Knock em' out of the playoffs

Win 'em all, but especially that one.

Agreed... great way to get some vengeance for the last game of the 2003 season.

[Ænigma]

My biggest worry is losing to Miami. Everyone will rub that in our face for at least five years. Unless the beat the Patriots which would be the biggest upset in sports history.

[kingwilly]

I really do not care about any game left, as we need as high a pick as possible, but it would be good to smoke Cleveland. F them. If we can fudge their playoff chances then it will be a merry x-mas for me.

[walzav29]

Next years schedule will be in the Bengals favor as well. The team will be better next year. I just don't want any more primetime games. It sucks. I hate waiting and all of the extra commercias. Let's face it, this is the Pats year. Next year will be wide open. The Bengals will improve.

[HoTbOy]

As long as we don't lose that Miami game, I would be content if the Browns made the playoffs...I'm not saying that I want to lose to them but if they did win I would root for them in the playoffs...

[Bobcat Bengal]

49ers - I've seen the Bengals lose to these guys a couple of times before. I never want to see it again.

Browns - Paybacks a B!tch. Knock em' out of the playoffs

Dolphins - Don't want the Bengals to be the ONLY team to lose to them

Yeah it will mess the draft pick up, but it's momentum going into next year.

co-signed.

And as far as the draft pick, the Ravens and Colts seem to make their picks count regardless of their draft position.

Picks fall all the time.....look at Leon Hall.

But yeah, with all those picks this year, it would be nice to move up in the draft order.

But not at the expense of losing to any of those 3 teams.

[BengalByTheBay]

Play to win. There's nothing wrong with going 8-8 instead of 5-11 or 6-10. I want to see the Bengals finish on a high note as well. Leon Hall was a great pick after an 8-8 season. We should get a really good LB'r this year at about the 15-18th pick... I do not want to loose to the Browns or Miami.

Couldn't agree more...furthermore, I want to enjoy watching the last three games. I don't want to spend two hours grinding my teeth, cursing, and wishing I was some place else.

Definitely! I understand the practical reasons to lose to improve draft position, but I think it's easy to outsmart yourself at that anyway. I want to see this team play like I know they can, not so much just to get to 8-8, but more just to prove to me that there is some sportsmanship and pride. These guys should want to win. They're playing teams that they should beat and I, for one, don't want to see them lose these games even if it moves us up a few draft spots next spring. At a very basic level, I just want to see my team win.

[bengalsfansince68]

Picks fall all the time.....look at Leon Hall.

Hey Tom, how long have you been following the NFL?

Ever see a good corner who struggled as a rookie?

Leon made mistakes early but has progressed as the season progressed and has made a lot of plays.

Declaring him a fallen pick at this point in his career is terribly short-sighted, IMO.

[Bobcat Bengal]

Picks fall all the time.....look at Leon Hall.

Hey Tom, how long have you been following the NFL?

Ever see a good corner who struggled as a rookie?

Leon made mistakes early but has progressed as the season progressed and has made a lot of plays.

Declaring him a fallen pick at this point in his career is terribly short-sighted, IMO.

uhm, I was referring to his rankings......he slid in the draft, not him actually falling on the field.

Most publications had him ranked somewhere in the top 10 overall prospects, so for the Bengals to get him at 18 was good.

That's what I was talking about.

[damiancasey]

There has been a TON of buzz on this board about draft picks next year. How important are draft picks? I really wonder. We had top draft picks for basically all of the 90's and how much good did it do us? I'm really interested in seeing Marvin's development as a coach and the decisions he makes about his assistants.

I'm interested in seeing who we draft but I don't think it's going to make a whole lot of difference.

These last three games will, to some extent, set the tone going into the spring and ultimately next season.

[walzav29]

It's the most important thing for a team. You talk about the 90's, and how bad we were and that's the reason. Bad drafts.

Ki-Jana

Klingler

Big Daddy

Melvin Tuten

Etc.....

Go to the draft history on Bengals.com and you'll see a horrible display of drafting. Why do you think Pittsburgh year in and year out can just let guys go and plug someone else in. The draft.

[jonahdsage]

There has been a TON of buzz on this board about draft picks next year. How important are draft picks? I really wonder. We had top draft picks for basically all of the 90's and how much good did it do us? I'm really interested in seeing Marvin's development as a coach and the decisions he makes about his assistants.

I'm interested in seeing who we draft but I don't think it's going to make a whole lot of difference.

These last three games will, to some extent, set the tone going into the spring and ultimately next season.

i'm all for high draft picks but that point about the 90s is huge. I'm more interested in seeing what marv & co do with what they get -- the patriots are a great example of this. we should all see that talent, while important, isn't everything. I'd rather see us win out and toss our D and O coordinators then trust that if we go 5-11 our draft pick will save us.