Bengals @ Seahawks Week 1 Game Thread

[Stripes]

Oh well, nobody called a win here.  The Bengals fought their asses off and did a ton of good things.

Losing sucks, blah blah blah, but if the attitude in Cincinnati emerging from this game is anything but positive then we don't deserve a team.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

1 minute ago, Stripes said:

In what universe can that fumble call be confirmed?  That's complete nonsense.

Yeah I didn't get that...at all.

[Stripes]

Andy Dalton has played one NFL game under an offensively-oriented head coach.

It's his first 400 yard game.

[Passepartout]

Tough game but really proud of how they played despite losing. Shows that the new coach knows what he seems to be doing. Losing by one point.

[COB]

Liked that all the drive killing false starts seemed to leave town with Marvin.  As someone pointed out earlier in the thread, look what being aggressive at the end of a half gets you - 7 points.  Defense suddenly looks good.

Tv talking heads pointed out this defense has the same players it had last year, just the coaches have changed.  

So encouraging to see a well-coached Bengals team compete on the road out west.

[ArmyBengal]

Hard to be too upset about that one.

Nice to be in it at the end.

[jonf45uk]

At least we showed a load more intent than last year. Desperately needed a running game but bearing in mind dalton threw 51 times I thought we did well. Defence played far better than expected, I really like Hubbard, absolute beast! The officiating was dodgy as expected, said in the game chat I didnt expect much from them and they delivered!

Big 3 games coming up, if we're 3-1 or 2-2 then I can see us having a bloody good go at it for the rest of the season. 

If we can get the ground game working we could be lethal, because Dalton spread the ball around nicely without  AJ.....

Anyway, "superbowl favourites Cleveland" implode and Steelers destroyed by NE so not a bad day 

 

Onwards and upwards......

[membengal]

I am still kinda giddy. From my perspective:

1. Confirms this doesn't have to be a lost season and that this isn't a rebuild.
2. On the defense, they held the Seahawks to 72 yards running - a team that averaged 160 per game last year. So...I guess that going with only a few linebackers was NOT a problem.
3. On that note, both P. Brown and Vigil made plays at LB that were few and far between last year. The play with Brown forcing the fumble was extreme quality. If Dre doesn't trip, they score there on the defense.
4. The d-line is gonna cause problems for a LOT of teams. It looks like Hubbard is making a leap, and the combos they can run at teams are gonna be a problem. Dunlap was huge, Billings was really good, and the consistent pressure from the d-line all game was noteworthy.
5. Seattle had like, what, 6 three and outs? Felt like we didn't force that many all of last year.
6. For all the worrying about the o-line, no false starts in perhaps the nastiest and loudest road atmosphere in the league. Andy got hit some, but also had enough time to do things. Get Glenn back and build from here.
7. Sounds like Seattle was doing schematically things to make it hard to run. At least we didn't force it. I assume that they will have a bit more room in future games.
8. John Ross was a revelation. This team's trajectory is a LOT different if this staff has finally unlocked him and he can stay healthy.
9. TE screens!!! Uzomah is a load too. Yes please.
10. They had some plays that were there that got blown up by good Seattle plays. Clowney knocked down what looked like would have been an enormous screen to Mixon in the first.
11. They need to go ahead and get the W next week. Somehow the 49ers are favored by 2. Whatever. We're gonna win that one. I remain bullish on this team. Get AJ back at some point and man do I want to see where this can go. This team is better than Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Right. Now.

[COB]

Just a thought - Remember Marvin’s illogical obsession with vets?  Remember how he cut that kicker we drafted, who then won a super bowl with the Eagles and is now a great kicker?  Remember how Randy missed that 45 yarder yesterday that turned out to be the difference in the game?  Jake Elliot probably would have made that kick.  Thanks Marvin, you cost us that fucking game.  Your incompetency casts such a long shadow.

[AMPHAR]

My take always: 

1. Adam Archuletta - TV color analyst. Lazy and unprepared.  Fully expected a blow out and couldn’t comprehend the level of play of the bengals

2.  Bengals still probably a 6/7 win team but won’t be ass horrible like a lot of national pundits had them.  Which is a relief. 

Step by step, get the first ZT win this week. 

 

[HoosierCat]

It will be interesting to see if the Bengals really are better than advertised, or if yesterday was more of a case of the Seahawks not being all that this season. 

At least the Steelers got humiliated in prime time and presumptive Super Bowl LIV Champions Cleveland got pantsed by Tennessee, so the only team that gained anything was Baltimore. They look scary, but again not sure that that the Fish are much of a measuring stick.

[COB]

No way is Baltimore that good.  Something’s wrong with the Dolphins.  Hardly any NFL team is capable of giving up 42 points in the first half of a game.

[AMPHAR]

Dolphins are on the Cleveland Brown plan. 

They have sold off a lot of capable vets for cap room and picks. 

The remaining players in the lockeroom know it.

Reports from a radio show have some Dolphin players texting their agents to get them out of there because they are tanking on purpose to get the Alabama QB. 

[AMPHAR]

There were a few times the Seattle RB had big holes and looked like a big run was coming.   LBs were able to fill and most importantly make the tackle.

Tackling was night and day compared to last year.   A lot of bodies around the ball carrier too. 

Hope it continues. 

 

[ArmyBengal]

It was quite enjoyable to watch that effort, even though it was a losing one.

It was certainly not what I, and I assume most others, thought was going to happen.

How many screen passes were there in that game ??  I know people say our running game needs to get better, but it seems like a very solid screen pass game has taken ahold this offense.
Maybe that is the preferred route of the coaches at this point. 

[TJJackson]

I agree with Mem on all of his points

I had already written this off as a loss (good opponent on the road in arguably the loudest stadium in the league while missing several key players) but there was a LOT to like in this loss, far more silver linings than I thought were even possible

If only Bullock had not missed that easy FG.......ah well, we played well enough to win, and I am happy about that.  Bodes well for the future