The Long View

[Stripes]

I'm surprised too, certainly. I'm not sure who in his/her right mind could feel remotely good about a team sitting at 3-5 and riding a 4-game losing streak. Major props to this team for sticking with it and forcing their way back into contention with the three straight ass-kickings and these more recent three ugly wins in the last four. Hopefully they're still hungry to achieve even more, because this core ought to remember that regardless of how it happened -- they're now exactly where they sat at this time last season (albeit they hadn't clinched yet). The road will be extremely difficult no matter who they play, but so long as they play defense like this they can beat anyone anywhere.

[skyline]

And don't lose sight of an even bigger picture here:

3 playoff appearances in the past 4 years. This is officially a trend.

[Stripes]

For sure, Skyline. Just don't let anyone tell you this division features three playoff contenders most of the time. It's all Steelers and Ravens every single year. The other two teams only exist in our imaginations. Every single time the Bengals make the playoffs, they're shocking the world. :P/>