Bengals @ Bears Game Thread

[skyline]

still waiting for Andy to direct a fourth quarter comeback drive against a good defense.

Andy did nothing yesterday to cause us to lose the game, and did quite a lot to help us win it. If you still want to complain, then go ahead, but you sound silly doing it. There may come a time later in the season when this complaint is valid, but yesterday was not that day...

Gio played well, Army, so I'm not sure what you're talking about there. He just didn't get a lot of touches.

You hit it, the touches. He looked good when given the chances, he just wasn't given as many as he should be getting.

He's a threat with the ball in his hand. BJGE ?? Not so much.

I have no issue pounding the short yardage stuff with BJGE, but how many swing plays to BJGE do we have to witness for no gain ??

You want to run a swing play where the RB beats people in space ?? Give those to Gio.

I think the only thng holding Gio back is the coaches concern about his pass protection abilities, which is a fair concern. Hopefully we see the balance shift as the year progresses.

[princeton]

still waiting for Andy to direct a fourth quarter comeback drive against a good defense.

Never got a chance yesterday

8 minutes left: 3 and out

still waiting for Andy to direct a fourth quarter comeback drive against a good defense.

Andy did nothing yesterday to cause us to lose the game, and did quite a lot to help us win it. If you still want to complain, then go ahead, but you sound silly doing it. There may come a time later in the season when this complaint is valid, but yesterday was not that day...

it's an observation: Andy's QB ratings are in the 90s when ahead by 1-8 points, and around 70 when trailing by 1-8. Good QB when ahead but so far not the guy that pulls victory from defeat. Same for the Bengals.

[Stripes]

Dalton had a great game. I can't believe he would be the subject of complaints after everything we saw yesterday.

[Stripes]

still waiting for Andy to direct a fourth quarter comeback drive against a good defense.

Never got a chance yesterday

8 minutes left: 3 and out

How about breaking a tie against one of the best defenses in the NFL to secure a playoff berth and eliminate a top rival?

If we're looking for meaningless emotional circumstances to prop Dalton up with instead of the actual numbers.

[skyline]

still waiting for Andy to direct a fourth quarter comeback drive against a good defense.

Never got a chance yesterday

8 minutes left: 3 and out

How about breaking a tie against one of the best defenses in the NFL to secure a playoff berth and eliminate a top rival?

No kidding. This is also a classic case of people having tunnel vision regarding their own team.

Other qbs that failed to lead 4th quarter comebacks yesterday?

Aaron Rodgers

Matt Ryan

Eli Manning

Losers, all of 'em.

And I'm willing to bet that some of the teams that came out on top had QBs that may have gone 3 and out in the 4th quarter a time or two.

It takes an entire team to win a game. Green was responsible for 2 turnovers yesterday. Sanu had another. Those guys take care of the ball, and the Bengals win by 20. Of course, then we could complain that Dalton's completion percentage wasn't 100%. Or that he went 3 and out once in the 1st quarter.

[princeton]

still waiting for Andy to direct a fourth quarter comeback drive against a good defense.

Never got a chance yesterday

8 minutes left: 3 and out

How about breaking a tie against one of the best defenses in the NFL to secure a playoff berth and eliminate a top rival?

No kidding. This is also a classic case of people having tunnel vision regarding their own team.

Other qbs that failed to lead 4th quarter comebacks yesterday?

Aaron Rodgers

Matt Ryan

Eli Manning

Losers, all of 'em.

And I'm willing to bet that some of the teams that came out on top had QBs that may have gone 3 and out in the 4th quarter a time or two.

but Andy's never done it.

as a rookie, there were those four comebacks against lesser defenses, which was really promising. But since then, there's been very little.

so far, he's the Inertia Man. If Bengals have momentum, he does well; if the momentum is against us, then he's not the guy that's going to reverse that.

he's got better weapons now so I'm hoping to see this trend altered. But for now, Inertia remains the guiding physics principle for the Bengals offense and their qb.

[volcom69]

He can't do it himself everybody around him needs to play a role. So when guys can't get open, or somebody gives up a sack, or his playmakers are losing the ball all day long, or a lack of a running game, this ties in with it. If everybody is not clicking there will be no comeback. Andy can't do it himself.

BJGE average 1.8 yards, while Bernard was 5.5 yards. So it's time Gio saw more carries. Sorry just thought I would throw that out there.

[HoosierCat]

As far as Bengals losses go, my unhappiness level is about a 1 on ye olde 1-10 scale. It probably helps that I was expecting them to not only lose, but lose badly. Instead, while they fell short, this was arguably the best opening day game they have played since 2007. To review:

2012: 44-13 blowout loss to Baltimore

2011: ugly 27-17 win over Cleveland fueled by free AJ Green TD. Cleveland would finish the year 4-12.

2010: 38-24 blowout loss to NE

2009: 12-7 loss to Denver on "immaculate deflection" play

2008: 17-10 loss to Baltimore. Total offensive points: 3

2007: 27-20 win over Ravens, Baltimore turns ball over 4 times.

It's difficult to point to any one play yesterday and say: that was the game. I know people are complaining about the sequence right before the end of the half, but even if Marvin had run the ball three times and taken time off the clock, they still would have had to punt. And even if Dre hadn't committed a dumb personal foul on the return that gave them 15 free yards, Gould's 58 yard kick sailed 20 feet over the crossbar and hit the net. That kick would have been good from lunar orbit.

Andy's early INT hurt, but was compounded on the punt return two plays earlier when an illegal block in the back by Peerman wiped out a 50 yard Pacman return. If that stands Dalton's subsequent pick givens the Bears the ball around their own 40, not already in FG range. (And for those looking for ugly picks, the worst by far yesterday was Cutler's.)

The wasted timeouts on nearly back-to-back defensive snaps were frustrating, but Burfict's injury caused confusion in an LB corps that's already best described as "rag-tag." To me that's as much on the FO, which was obviously trying to muddle through until this week so that whomever they sign doesn't have a guaranteed salary. Mikey tried to save a few nickels and got burned.

Sanu's fumble? A killer, yes, but watch the replay. He's got both hands on the ball, the defender just comes in at a perfect angle and puts his hat on the ball. Great play. AJ Green's deflection that ended in a pick? Yes, Green should have caught it, but even the best aren't perfect, and 9 times out of 10 that ball hits the turf. Bears defense made another great play.

If I had to point at anything, it's that our vaunted defense came up small yesterday. They didn't have a particularly bad day, and they played well in places (keeping Forte contained, for example). But they only made one big play, Vontaze's interception, and that was gift thrown to a wide-open linebacker. Seriously, there was not only not a Bear within 8 yards of Burfict, there wasn't another player near him period. I have no idea what Cutler was doing there. OTOH the Bears' D made three big plays, two INTs and a forced fumble, and that told the tale.

And even with all that they still had a shot at at least OT if Maualuga doesn't royally screw up at the end.

Frustrating? Yes. But I see no reason for pessimism right now. Bring on the Steelers.

[princeton]

He can't do it himself everybody around him needs to play a role. So when guys can't get open, or somebody gives up a sack, or his playmakers are losing the ball all day long, or a lack of a running game, this ties in with it. If everybody is not clicking there will be no comeback. Andy can't do it himself.

I agree that there's a collective problem here. I don't really like the playcalling late in either half... more importantly though, when a team doesn't make comebacks, then they don't expect to make them, and they don't play with confidence if they suddenly find themselves behind late in a game. Similarly, when a team is used to making comebacks, they come out with great confidence, and tend to march down the field.

remember a few years ago when Belicheat ran that dumb fourth down play deep in his own territory, because he just refused to give the ball to Manning because he knew, absolutely knew, that Manning would lead a long gamewinning drive?

now it goes without saying that Dalton is no Manning. But teams with a late lead can play conservative ball position offense against the Bengals because they don't mind giving the ball to Dalton and company

Bengals could really use a late comeback. Would build confidence and hopefully snowball.

[skyline]

still waiting for Andy to direct a fourth quarter comeback drive against a good defense.

Never got a chance yesterday

8 minutes left: 3 and out

How about breaking a tie against one of the best defenses in the NFL to secure a playoff berth and eliminate a top rival?

No kidding. This is also a classic case of people having tunnel vision regarding their own team.

Other qbs that failed to lead 4th quarter comebacks yesterday?

Aaron Rodgers

Matt Ryan

Eli Manning

Losers, all of 'em.

And I'm willing to bet that some of the teams that came out on top had QBs that may have gone 3 and out in the 4th quarter a time or two.

but Andy's never done it.

Completely ignoring the mention above to Andy driving down the field against the Steelers last season to kick the winning field goal and send us to the playoffs? That's really the most recent example we have.

Have it your way.

We could talk about the turd of a playoff game against the Texans last year, but I think we'd all agree that it was pretty much a total team collapse on offense with Gruden and Gresham being primary offenders.

Truth be told, I understand peoples' lack of faith in Dalton, but he did nothing yesterday to reaffirm those doubts.

[skyline]

As far as Bengals losses go, my unhappiness level is about a 1 on ye olde 1-10 scale. It probably helps that I was expecting them to not only lose, but lose badly. Instead, while they fell short, this was arguably the best opening day game they have played since 2007. To review:

2012: 44-13 blowout loss to Baltimore

2011: ugly 27-17 win over Cleveland fueled by free AJ Green TD. Cleveland would finish the year 4-12.

2010: 38-24 blowout loss to NE

2009: 12-7 loss to Denver on "immaculate deflection" play

2008: 17-10 loss to Baltimore. Total offensive points: 3

2007: 27-20 win over Ravens, Baltimore turns ball over 4 times.

It's difficult to point to any one play yesterday and say: that was the game. I know people are complaining about the sequence right before the end of the half, but even if Marvin had run the ball three times and taken time off the clock, they still would have had to punt. And even if Dre hadn't committed a dumb personal foul on the return that gave them 15 free yards, Gould's 58 yard kick sailed 20 feet over the crossbar and hit the net. That kick would have been good from lunar orbit.

Andy's early INT hurt, but was compounded on the punt return two plays earlier when an illegal block in the back by Peerman wiped out a 50 yard Pacman return. If that stands Dalton's subsequent pick givens the Bears the ball around their own 40, not already in FG range. (And for those looking for ugly picks, the worst by far yesterday was Cutler's.)

The wasted timeouts on nearly back-to-back defensive snaps were frustrating, but Burfict's injury caused confusion in an LB corps that's already best described as "rag-tag." To me that's as much on the FO, which was obviously trying to muddle through until this week so that whomever they sign doesn't have a guaranteed salary. Mikey tried to save a few nickels and got burned.

Sanu's fumble? A killer, yes, but watch the replay. He's got both hands on the ball, the defender just comes in at a perfect angle and puts his hat on the ball. Great play. AJ Green's deflection that ended in a pick? Yes, Green should have caught it, but even the best aren't perfect, and 9 times out of 10 that ball hits the turf. Bears defense made another great play.

If I had to point at anything, it's that our vaunted defense came up small yesterday. They didn't have a particularly bad day, and they played well in places (keeping Forte contained, for example). But they only made one big play, Vontaze's interception, and that was gift thrown to a wide-open linebacker. Seriously, there was not only not a Bear within 8 yards of Burfict, there wasn't another player near him period. I have no idea what Cutler was doing there. OTOH the Bears' D made three big plays, two INTs and a forced fumble, and that told the tale.

And even with all that they still had a shot at at least OT if Maualuga doesn't royally screw up at the end.

Frustrating? Yes. But I see no reason for pessimism right now. Bring on the Steelers.

I'm with you, overall.

I would pin that first INT on Green, however. He got beat to his spot, plain and simple. Or, at the very least, credit Tillman for a great play.

It seems that Andy played his part as he should have on that play unless the coaches come out and say that he actually threw to the wrong spot on the field.

[HoosierCat]

I'm with you, overall.

I would pin that first INT on Green, however. He got beat to his spot, plain and simple. Or, at the very least, credit Tillman for a great play.

It seems that Andy played his part as he should have on that play unless the coaches come out and say that he actually threw to the wrong spot on the field.

Joe Goodberry agrees with you. He breaks down the play here and pins it on Green.

/>http://joegoodberry.wordpress.com/2013/09/09/bengals-at-bears-plays-of-interest-the-first-interception/

[princeton]

still waiting for Andy to direct a fourth quarter comeback drive against a good defense.

Never got a chance yesterday

8 minutes left: 3 and out

How about breaking a tie against one of the best defenses in the NFL to secure a playoff berth and eliminate a top rival?

No kidding. This is also a classic case of people having tunnel vision regarding their own team.

Other qbs that failed to lead 4th quarter comebacks yesterday?

Aaron Rodgers

Matt Ryan

Eli Manning

Losers, all of 'em.

And I'm willing to bet that some of the teams that came out on top had QBs that may have gone 3 and out in the 4th quarter a time or two.

but Andy's never done it.

Completely ignoring the mention above to Andy driving down the field against the Steelers last season to kick the winning field goal and send us to the playoffs? That's really the most recent example we have.

Have it your way.

We could talk about the turd of a playoff game against the Texans last year, but I think we'd all agree that it was pretty much a total team collapse on offense with Gruden and Gresham being primary offenders.

Truth be told, I understand peoples' lack of faith in Dalton, but he did nothing yesterday to reaffirm those doubts.

here, I looked up stats over the past couple of years for your four QBs in question:

with a lead of 1-8 points, Rodgers has a 126 qb rating, Ryan is 102, Andy is 95 and Eli is 83

with a deficit of 1-8 points, Rodgers is 113, Eli is 97, Ryan is 93 and Andy is.... 71.

95 is a really strong number, and will lead to a lot of victories and playoff berths, as we've seen.

but that 71 really needs to be addressed. For Eli, his comeback score of 97 is probably the difference between stardom in New York, and being shipped out to Jacksonville. Can you imagine if Andy could just be the same QB with a small deficit as he is with a small lead? And can you imagine how many wins that would lead to?

last year's "drive" was a single play after a big INT. Inertia had already been changed by the defense, and it was not a come-from-behind (tie game). But I did think that it was a hopeful sign. That 71 number really needs to come up.

[Sea Ray]

No kidding. This is also a classic case of people having tunnel vision regarding their own team.

Other qbs that failed to lead 4th quarter comebacks yesterday?

Aaron Rodgers

Matt Ryan

Eli Manning

Losers, all of 'em.

And I'm willing to bet that some of the teams that came out on top had QBs that may have gone 3 and out in the 4th quarter a time or two.

It takes an entire team to win a game. Green was responsible for 2 turnovers yesterday. Sanu had another. Those guys take care of the ball, and the Bengals win by 20. Of course, then we could complain that Dalton's completion percentage wasn't 100%. Or that he went 3 and out once in the 1st quarter.

And how many of those QBs were playing on the road? Think maybe that was a factor? It's not easy directing a late comeback on the road in the NFL

[ArmyBengal]

I know it must have been mentioned somewhere along the line, but I failed to mention it myself.

Anthony Collins. What a great day going up against Peppers !!!

Yesterday should erase many of the concerns people had with him prior to the start of the season.

[volcom69]

I know it must have been mentioned somewhere along the line, but I failed to mention it myself.

Anthony Collins. What a great day going up against Peppers !!!

Yesterday should erase many of the concerns people had with him prior to the start of the season.

Yep, and I think he's one of the best O-linemen on the team, too bad he will be soon on the bench. I hate that!

[skyline]

still waiting for Andy to direct a fourth quarter comeback drive against a good defense.

Never got a chance yesterday

8 minutes left: 3 and out

How about breaking a tie against one of the best defenses in the NFL to secure a playoff berth and eliminate a top rival?

No kidding. This is also a classic case of people having tunnel vision regarding their own team.

Other qbs that failed to lead 4th quarter comebacks yesterday?

Aaron Rodgers

Matt Ryan

Eli Manning

Losers, all of 'em.

And I'm willing to bet that some of the teams that came out on top had QBs that may have gone 3 and out in the 4th quarter a time or two.

but Andy's never done it.

Completely ignoring the mention above to Andy driving down the field against the Steelers last season to kick the winning field goal and send us to the playoffs? That's really the most recent example we have.

Have it your way.

We could talk about the turd of a playoff game against the Texans last year, but I think we'd all agree that it was pretty much a total team collapse on offense with Gruden and Gresham being primary offenders.

Truth be told, I understand peoples' lack of faith in Dalton, but he did nothing yesterday to reaffirm those doubts.

...but that 71 really needs to be addressed. For Eli, his comeback score of 97 is probably the difference between stardom in New York, and being shipped out to Jacksonville. Can you imagine if Andy could just be the same QB with a small deficit as he is with a small lead? And can you imagine how many wins that would lead to?

Yes, it would be HUGE. Can't argue with that.

And, with all of his new weapons I believe that it can happen. Everything we saw from him yesterday points to him being capable. I would love to see people complain about his arm strength and accuracy after that game. He has the physical tools that he needs to be successful.

[cHaD711Johnson]

D-line has done crap today didnt even hear from Atkins all day

I was out at soccer all day so I did not get to see this one

I looked at the stats sheet and Atkins isnt even on it

No sacks against a line that was one of the more porous in the entire nfl last year?

The d-line - 3 of them with HUGE contracts this season - needs to stop reading the articles on how great they are and start playing at their pay grade

I'd say they lost this one on a combination of turnovers and the DLine not getting more pressure on Cutler

The silver lining, I suppose, is that even with playing so badly against a 2012 playoff team on the road, they still only lost by 3

And of course that all the other AFC North teams lost

All of the game analysis after saying that you didn't watch the game? C'mon, man.

That one hurt. Outplay a team for 3 quarters and watch it all crumble.

[TJJackson]

All of the game analysis after saying that you didn't watch the game? C'mon, man.

Actually, as I said, I was looking at (analyzing?) the stats

The dline is conspicuous by their absence in the stats

The turnovers were conspicious by their presence in the stats

[HoosierCat]

Well, if you put any stock in some dumbass web site, the top three Bengals defenders were, in order, Dunlap, Atkins and MJ. I'd put up the link but the PFF site is down at the moment.

[cHaD711Johnson]

All of the game analysis after saying that you didn't watch the game? C'mon, man.

Actually, as I said, I was looking at (analyzing?) the stats

The dline is conspicuous by their absence in the stats

The turnovers were conspicious by their presence in the stats

Yes, but ESPN stats are going to be different than what you see watching the game. Especially in regards to D-Line.

[volcom69]

Well, if you put any stock in some dumbass web site, the top three Bengals defenders were, in order, Dunlap, Atkins and MJ. I'd put up the link but the PFF site is down at the moment.

Really that's surprising. I'm not saying they didnt get in the backfield, they were great against the run, but there pass rush? Cutler was getting the ball out quick, but just watching it something didnt seem right.

James Harrison didnt have many stats, but he blew in the backfield a couple of times.

[HoosierCat]

Yeah surprised me too. Here is the piece.

/>https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/09/09/refo-cin-chi-week-1-2/

Re the dline:

With two of the four highest cap hits on the Bengals coming from their starting defensive ends, there is going to be high expectations. So it’s a good thing that Carlos Dunlap (+4.0) and Michael Johnson’s (+2.6) were the first- and third-highest graded defenders for the Bengals on Sunday (Geno Atkins was the second-highest). The two were just too long and too strong for for the smattering of Bears that tried to block them. Both would routinely walk back the tight end or tackle on outside runs and squeeze the running lanes to their sides. They also handled a good deal of the load rushing the passer combining for six of the Bengals’ 12 pressures on the day. Money well spent.

[volcom69]

12 pressures is awesome, but 0 sacks to show for it. I'm suprised at that considering in the second half, Cutler was hitting Marshall wide open, or getting the ball away fast. Well hopefully in the Pitt game they get sacks with those pressures. Still something just didnt seem right.

On Sirius I heard how great the Bears O-line did so who knows lol. I guess because they didnt give up a sack.

[TJJackson]

All of the game analysis after saying that you didn't watch the game? C'mon, man.

Actually, as I said, I was looking at (analyzing?) the stats

The dline is conspicuous by their absence in the stats

The turnovers were conspicious by their presence in the stats

Yes, but ESPN stats are going to be different than what you see watching the game. Especially in regards to D-Line.

Not ESPN. The stats were from NFL.com. Gameday section.

But again, yes, I said I had not watched the game, and these were my thoughts based on the __stats__ (solely and exclusively), so I don't know what your point is. Is it that I am I am not permitted to discuss stats?

The dline did not produce a sack

The offense committed turnovers

These are Facts.

Get over yourself