I Challenge Something

[membengal]

I get that we are often this team's own worst critics, but the sense that the Bengals were "lucky" to win the game Thursday night or that "the Eagles gave the game away" or "gave it to us" I think is false. Wrong. Etc.

Each of those four fumbles came on effort plays or design from the Bengals. Each one. The Hall pick was perhaps a bit of a gift (terrible pass), but the other plays? I thought a defense that did a great job, for once, at swarming to the ball and making an effort to get it out. Started with Dunlap's effort on the first series where he tracked down the runner and caused the fumble. Continued with the hellacious edge rush from Herron in forcing the blocked punt. And the series of fumbles to seal the game post-Hall interception all came from hats on ball or efforts to loosen it (Pat Sims - nice play, Reggie Nelson - nice play). Even the fumble on the kickoff was made possible by design--- that was clearly a called short high kick that worked as designed.

In any event, yeah, the offense was less than good (although they ran the ball well), but the defense/special teams carried this, and, I would submit, something to enjoy, rather than wander through the board claiming "the Eagles gave it away". To the extent the Eagles "gave it away", it was because the Bengals made them do so.

[BengalszoneBilly]

I get that we are often this team's own worst critics, but the sense that the Bengals were "lucky" to win the game Thursday night or that "the Eagles gave the game away" or "gave it to us" I think is false. Wrong. Etc.

Each of those four fumbles came on effort plays or design from the Bengals. Each one. The Hall pick was perhaps a bit of a gift (terrible pass), but the other plays? I thought a defense that did a great job, for once, at swarming to the ball and making an effort to get it out. Started with Dunlap's effort on the first series where he tracked down the runner and caused the fumble. Continued with the hellacious edge rush from Herron in forcing the blocked punt. And the series of fumbles to seal the game post-Hall interception all came from hats on ball or efforts to loosen it (Pat Sims - nice play, Reggie Nelson - nice play). Even the fumble on the kickoff was made possible by design--- that was clearly a called short high kick that worked as designed.

In any event, yeah, the offense was less than good (although they ran the ball well), but the defense/special teams carried this, and, I would submit, something to enjoy, rather than wander through the board claiming "the Eagles gave it away". To the extent the Eagles "gave it away", it was because the Bengals made them do so.

I'll give props to the defense and special teams. I'll give props to Andy for that TD run. I still feel we got lucky against a very poor team, but all in all we were due for a dose of that. Now the Bengals face the Steelers and Ravens. It's put up or shut up time.

[ArmyBengal]

I was arguing the same point at work when people were saying "It was handed to us".

Had the Bengals not made the plays they did by picking off the passes they should, recovering the fumbles they should, and putting points on the board after turnovers, causing the Bengals to LOSE the game, everyone would be saying how the Bengals "Gave the game away". They do what they were suppose to do and it was handed to them.

To that I say, whatever.

[Stripes]

The Eagles have been committing an obscene number of turnovers all year, so I do think some of them can be assigned to "good fortune" from the Bengals' perspective. You're right though, mem, that they can't happen completely on their own -- the Bengals did force them even if against a team already more likely to make those mistakes.

Where I am a bit less inclined to assume total luck is when I observe what the Bengals did with those turnovers. They scored on all five of them (I think three touchdowns and two FGs?). The offense was inconsistent at best, but I give them credit for throttling down at every opportune moment supplied by the defense and special teams. As poorly as they played at points, they definitely asserted their will as a superior football team when the Eagles were just begging for it.

Correction, one of the TDs off a turnover was Gilberry's touchdown. The point still stands though.

Edited December 15, 2012 by StripesInSuffolk

[redsbengalsbucks]

I just hope some of that luck holds over for the Stealers game.

[HoosierCat]

Each of those four fumbles came on effort plays or design from the Bengals. Each one.

While that may be true, as any NFL stat geek will tell you, fumble recovery is random. Thursday night, the Bengals recovered all four of Philly's fumbles. There is no question that they were very, very lucky. That doesn't somehow invalidate anything else they did in the game or mean that the Eagles "gave the game away." But luck was a lady Thursday night, and she was wearing stripes.

[Spor_tees]

The worst team lost Thursday. Luckily for the Bengals, they were the second worst team.

[ArmyBengal]

I will buy in on luck playing a part, because had any of our CB's caught any of the Romo throws that hit them in the hands, that would have been a win.

[HoosierCat]

Luck plays a part in every game. How many wackaloon things have we seen happen? The 09 opening loss to Denver on that one-in-a-million deflection pops immediately to mind. All I'm saying is that catching some breaks doesn't somehow make the win less. In that I agree with you and mem.

[Spor_tees]

Luck plays a part in every game. How many wackaloon things have we seen happen? The 09 opening loss to Denver on that one-in-a-million deflection pops immediately to mind. All I'm saying is that catching some breaks doesn't somehow make the win less. In that I agree with you and mem.

Crazy things don't keep good teams from making the playoffs. Crazy things, might however, keep fringe teams from making the playoffs. When the Bengals missed an extra point from making the playoffs, they didn't deserve to be there in the first place. When it comes to the playoffs, the cream rises to the top, and in the playoffs, where its win or go home, the great teams find a way to win. Its that simple. Don't be a team that points back at a mid season lose where a guy should have have made an interception. He didn't, end of story. The Bengals aren't that good yet, and I'm not sure this corp of players can get there. The defense doesn't have a leader. I'm not sure Dalton can be the leader on offense, and I think a lot of players see Whitworth as a union boy. We'll leave it at that.

[HoosierCat]

Luck plays a part in every game. How many wackaloon things have we seen happen? The 09 opening loss to Denver on that one-in-a-million deflection pops immediately to mind. All I'm saying is that catching some breaks doesn't somehow make the win less. In that I agree with you and mem.

Crazy things don't keep good teams from making the playoffs. Crazy things, might however, keep fringe teams from making the playoffs. When the Bengals missed an extra point from making the playoffs, they didn't deserve to be there in the first place. .

Luck had nothing to do with missing that XP. That was simply a failure to execute a routine play.

[Spor_tees]

Luck plays a part in every game. How many wackaloon things have we seen happen? The 09 opening loss to Denver on that one-in-a-million deflection pops immediately to mind. All I'm saying is that catching some breaks doesn't somehow make the win less. In that I agree with you and mem.

Crazy things don't keep good teams from making the playoffs. Crazy things, might however, keep fringe teams from making the playoffs. When the Bengals missed an extra point from making the playoffs, they didn't deserve to be there in the first place. .

Luck had nothing to do with missing that XP. That was simply a failure to execute a routine play.

No Luck wasn't in the NFL yet.

No seriously, I didn't say luck did, but good teams in the face of making the playoffs, don't screw up routine plays.