Steelers @ Bengals Game Thread

[gregcook68]

7-0 Eagles

[combatbengal]

Personally, I think the entire organization (From Mike Brown down to the practice squad players, to include trainers, team doctors, admin staff, etc.) should forfeit their pay checks this week and give it to local schools or hospitals. They sure as hell didn't earn them. I also think that every Bengal fan that went to todays game should be reimbursed for their tickets and parking. What a waste of time and money for the entire city of Cincinnati! There is no reason why we should have lost that game. The coaches failed, the players failed, the doctors failed, MB failed.... So do we start talking draft now?

[HoosierCat]

Browns lose. Get ready for Manziel.

Bengals will win regardless. I am as confident about a win next week as I was about a loss today.

[cincyhokie]

This team needs a mental enema.

Talent and game planning aside, literally throwing in the towel WITH THE LEAD speaks volumes.

Anyone have any clues???

[gregcook68]

This team needs a mental enema.

Talent and game planning aside, literally throwing in the towel WITH THE LEAD speaks volumes.

Anyone have any clues???

Bengals fans are like the Red Sox fans, pre-2004. We hang tough, but always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Hopefully there will be a 2004 in the future for us??

[gregcook68]

Browns lose. Get ready for Manziel.

Bengals will win regardless. I am as confident about a win next week as I was about a loss today.

They will win out!

[cincyhokie]

This team needs a mental enema.

Talent and game planning aside, literally throwing in the towel WITH THE LEAD speaks volumes.

Anyone have any clues???

Bengals fans are like the Red Sox fans, pre-2004. We hang tough, but always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Hopefully there will be a 2004 in the future for us??

I'm not talking about the fans. I want to know why the team quit with the lead. I also want to know why this team is 5-19 at home against the Steelers since 1991.

[gregcook68]

This team needs a mental enema.

Talent and game planning aside, literally throwing in the towel WITH THE LEAD speaks volumes.

Anyone have any clues???

Bengals fans are like the Red Sox fans, pre-2004. We hang tough, but always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Hopefully there will be a 2004 in the future for us??

I'm not talking about the fans. I want to know why the team quit with the lead. I also want to know why this team is 5-19 at home against the Steelers since 1991.

No clue hokie. Along the same line of questioning, how do we explain how a 46 year old franchise has the same amount of playoff wins as a 19 year old franchise (Jacksonville)??

[Stripes]

At least we're not in danger of losing to the Raiders.

[cincyhokie]

This team needs a mental enema.

Talent and game planning aside, literally throwing in the towel WITH THE LEAD speaks volumes.

Anyone have any clues???

Bengals fans are like the Red Sox fans, pre-2004. We hang tough, but always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Hopefully there will be a 2004 in the future for us??

I'm not talking about the fans. I want to know why the team quit with the lead. I also want to know why this team is 5-19 at home against the Steelers since 1991.

No clue hokie. Along the same line of questioning, how do we explain how a 46 year old franchise has the same amount of playoff wins as a 19 year old franchise (Jacksonville)??

It's not just bad luck and poor game plan execution. Figure it out or more of the same.

[Stripes]

~~~> Head Coach <~~~

[volcom69]

~~~> Head Coach <~~~

I'm starting to wonder about a lot of coaches on this team, head coach included. It's there job to bring out the best in players, and I'm thinking that's not happening at all.

[gregcook68]

~~~> Head Coach <~~~

There have been 9 HCs for this franchise.

Four have made the playoffs.

Here's the breakdown:

Paul Brown 0-3 Stepped down as HC and named Tiger Johnson as HC instead of Bill Walsh. Probably the most damaging franchise decision made for strictly selfish reasons.

Forest Gregg 2-3 Left for HC position in Green Bay.

Sam Wyche 3-2 Was fired by Mike Brown.

Marvin Lewis 0-5 Still coaching per Mike Brown.

Seems to me it isn't the HCs, it's the decisions the owners have made hiring Johnson, firing Wyche, and staying with Lewis.

[cincyhokie]

Imagine this plausible scenario:

The Bengals had just gone up on the Steelers in the 3rd quarter 17-14. The Steelers answer with an 81 yard TD pass to make it 21-17. The Bengals take the ensuing kickoff and drive down into Steelers territory only to come up short on 3rd and 8. The Bengals kick a field goal to make it 21-20 into the 4th quarter with 12:30 to go. Sounds believable, right?

Here's where it gets less believable.

The Steelers fumble the ball on a handoff on a read play with the Bengals recovering. Marvin Lewis is seen celebrating on the sidelines holding up 2 fingers saying "we're going for 2!", as if he was willing his team to put themselves in the end zone.

The Bengals then score in 3 plays from the 25 yard line with Jeremy Hill dragging tacklers into the endzone. The 2 point conversion makes the score 28-21.

From here out the Bengals score 2 more touchdowns with relative ease burying the Steelers in the 4th quarter. They end up scoring a total of 25 points in the 4th quarter in approximately 8 minutes.

Can you imagine this happening? I can't either. The difference in the Bengals and top teams is their belief in themselves. Call it swagger, call it confidence, call it whatever. The Steelers didn't stomp on the Bengals in the 4th quarter today. The Bengals tucked their tails and cowered while winning 21-20 because they were already waiting for something to go wrong. When it went wrong, against a team that expects to win, they cowered. Something great teams simply do not do.

[HoosierCat]

I'm done with you assholes. Goodbye.

[cincyhokie]

I'm done with you assholes. Goodbye.

Account hack?

[volcom69]

Not really understanding that, he has been on here long enough to know that after a loss this place blows up. Next week if they win everyone will be here praising this team, it's like this on any forum you go to. Hopefully he was joking, or maybe just really drunk?

[Passepartout]

Who knows Volcom69! Who knows!?

[ArmyBengal]

Up until the fumble in the 4th quarter Dalton was having a stellar game. AJ Green ?? Beastly.

The defense ?? SUCKED BALLS.

The Steelers simply wanted this game more than the Bengals did and come the 4th quarter, they made it happen and we didn't.

They are still in control of the AFCN. Through all the stupid games, they are still in control.

Get to the playoffs. Once there anything can happen.

Do I expect them to go on a deep playoff run ending up in the Super Bowl ?? No, but stranger things have happened.

They don't have to win out, but they need to win this week in Cleveland for sure.

Lose and they are no longer in control unless the Steelers and Ravens both lose.

Even if they end up losing to the Broncos (which isn't foregone) they can still get in by beating the Steelers in the last game.

I can see the last week of the season being a game that is for all the marbles.

Winner takes the AFCN crown and the other is out of the playoffs.

Watch for this game to get flexed into the primetime game.

Last game of the season, everything on the line, primetime game, and on the road at Pittsburgh.

Anyone else shaking their head if that comes to be ??

[cincyhokie]

Up until the fumble in the 4th quarter Dalton was having a stellar game. AJ Green ?? Beastly.

The defense ?? SUCKED BALLS.

The Steelers simply wanted this game more than the Bengals did and come the 4th quarter, they made it happen and we didn't.

They are still in control of the AFCN. Through all the stupid games, they are still in control.

Get to the playoffs. Once there anything can happen.

Do I expect them to go on a deep playoff run ending up in the Super Bowl ?? No, but stranger things have happened.

They don't have to win out, but they need to win this week in Cleveland for sure.

Lose and they are no longer in control unless the Steelers and Ravens both lose.

Even if they end up losing to the Broncos (which isn't foregone) they can still get in by beating the Steelers in the last game.

I can see the last week of the season being a game that is for all the marbles.

Winner takes the AFCN crown and the other is out of the playoffs.

Watch for this game to get flexed into the primetime game.

Last game of the season, everything on the line, primetime game, and on the road at Pittsburgh.

Anyone else shaking their head if that comes to be ??

I'm shaking my 8 Ball. "Outlook not good".

[cincyhokie]

Up until the fumble in the 4th quarter Dalton was having a stellar game. AJ Green ?? Beastly.

The defense ?? SUCKED BALLS.

The Steelers simply wanted this game more than the Bengals did and come the 4th quarter, they made it happen and we didn't.

They are still in control of the AFCN. Through all the stupid games, they are still in control.

Get to the playoffs. Once there anything can happen.

Do I expect them to go on a deep playoff run ending up in the Super Bowl ?? No, but stranger things have happened.

They don't have to win out, but they need to win this week in Cleveland for sure.

Lose and they are no longer in control unless the Steelers and Ravens both lose.

Even if they end up losing to the Broncos (which isn't foregone) they can still get in by beating the Steelers in the last game.

I can see the last week of the season being a game that is for all the marbles.

Winner takes the AFCN crown and the other is out of the playoffs.

Watch for this game to get flexed into the primetime game.

Last game of the season, everything on the line, primetime game, and on the road at Pittsburgh.

Anyone else shaking their head if that comes to be ??

Dalton looked ok. Not great, IMO.

The Steelers secondary is terrible and the Bengals really could have done a better job at taking control of that game.

Too many 3 and outs and too few 3rd down conversions. Dalton still has difficulty looking through his progressions unless the pocket is cleaner than clean.

I'd give Dalton a B grade for the day.

[GapControl]

The Bengals just don't have it on the lines this year. In practice, you go against each other. Our def line is horrible against the run. Our off line with Hill and Gio running win in practice all the time. It's bad news for game day. When you go against poor competition day after day, you have no chance to improve. That's why we see the deer in the headlights act by the offense. They run into teams with individually talented def lines and lose.

Biggest mistakes happened in the offseason. No talent was added to the off line and no one was signed to replace MJ. Geathers wasnt cut. No one was added to help take some pressure off a rehabbing Geno either.

[cincyhokie]

The Bengals just don't have it on the lines this year. In practice, you go against each other. Our def line is horrible against the run. Our off line with Hill and Gio running win in practice all the time. It's bad news for game day. When you go against poor competition day after day, you have no chance to improve. That's why we see the deer in the headlights act by the offense. They run into teams with individually talented def lines and lose.

Biggest mistakes happened in the offseason. No talent was added to the off line and no one was signed to replace MJ. Geathers wasnt cut. No one was added to help take some pressure off a rehabbing Geno either.

Yep. This team goes as the defense goes and not nearly enough was done in the offseason. There are starters that shouldn't be starting and need to be replaced.

[GapControl]

One more thing... I really hope there is a PLAN. I hope the team intends to make a big splash in free agency and the draft this year. Because they did nothing to improve the team before the season started. (Except for cutting Cook). I hope they figured to make a playoff run this year with what they have, see if Dalton improved, then go all out for a Super Bowl run next season.

[ArmyBengal]

86 yards rushing isn't going to cut it.

Bernard with 17 yards on 6 attempts ?? C'mon.

After Green (15 targets) the ball was distributed evenly among everyone else and they made good on those opportunities.

3rd down conversion was pathetic at 3 for 11, but the defense gave up over 500 yards on the day. Good God.

Of the 11 3rd downs, 7 were 5 yards or more, so they aren't putting themselves in a good situation.

The other 4 were 3 yards or less and they picked up 1 of those, so they were executing.

Gresham's 3rd down false start didn't help things either.

Of Dalton's 8 missed passes, 7 were on 3rd down.

Yeah, maybe I overshot with "stellar"...