Week 15: Ravens @ Bengals

[HoosierCat]

With postseason hopes now reduced to the level of "pipe dream," it's just about time for the Bengals' patented Dead Cat Bounce to start. I think there's some hope that Baltimore comes away with the win, if only because they will be desperate to keep their own playoff hopes alive against a Bengals squad that may be a bit deflated after the Buffalo loss. But they just lost to us two weeks ago and the faceplant against Pitt yesterday gives me no indication they have improved since then. To paraphrase Thanos, a Bengals win feels inevitable.

On the draft front, the Bengals exit the weekend in the same No. 10 slot they began with. The (relatively speaking) good news is that the most wins Cincy can get now is 8 and there are already two 8-win teams on the outside of the playoffs looking in, Detroit and Indy. Unless both teams lose out (and, well, Indy could now) the Bengals' ceiling looks like 16.

 

[ArmyBengal]

Here we go Ravens, here we go !!

[AMPHAR]

Nah,  I'd like to see Burrow notch another win in a game Lamar starts.   Its a dumb narrative but one that's constantly referenced.     I would also like to see if the defense can keep Lamar in check another time. 

 

[Stripes]

Beat Baltimore and lose the rest.

[ArmyBengal]

Sure why not?
Tell you what though, I won't be losing sleep if they don't beat them.
Winning serves zero purpose come the draft.

If they win, most fans won't be able to remember who they beat on 14 December 2025.
They will be able to tell you which player it would have been nice to get in the draft had they been picking a spot or two higher.

[HoosierCat]

So ends the Jermaine Burton Experience in Cincy.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2025/12/08/bengals-release-receiver-jermaine-burton-2024-third-round-draft-pick/87674580007/

 

[AMPHAR]

If Burrow is playing, then I want them to win a many games as they can with the biggest offensive number as possible.  

[volcom69]

27 minutes ago, HoosierCat said:

So ends the Jermaine Burton Experience in Cincy.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2025/12/08/bengals-release-receiver-jermaine-burton-2024-third-round-draft-pick/87674580007/

 

Ugh biggest offense waste in Zacs era, really had hope for this guy thought he could really be something. He must have done something terrible to get released, but this should have happened awhile ago considering he never saw the field 

[volcom69]

I also see Tee is back in concussion protocol again, interesting that he could continue to play all game yesterday. Nothing like risking a guys mental health, for a 5-8 record if they won, sorry but what a joke not worth the risk. So guess he will be out this week 

[ArmyBengal]

26 minutes ago, HoosierCat said:

So ends the Jermaine Burton Experience in Cincy.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2025/12/08/bengals-release-receiver-jermaine-burton-2024-third-round-draft-pick/87674580007/

 

It's a shame really.  Just another victim of the Two Cent Head Syndrome.

In going back to look at when the Bengals took him in the draft and who else was there, it's littered with garbage for the most part.
Just move on and try again later.  Saved them about $1m in dumping him so no big gain there either in the grand scheme.

I'll say it one last time...
Come get your boy TJ Houshmandzadeh.
Dude no longer has any player evaluation cred.

[Allentown21]

4 hours ago, AMPHAR said:

Nah,  I'd like to see Burrow notch another win in a game Lamar starts.   Its a dumb narrative but one that's constantly referenced.     I would also like to see if the defense can keep Lamar in check another time. 

 

Every time the bills play the Ravens I don't really have any fear 

 

Joe Burrow scares the crap out of me

[volcom69]

Just saw Hendrickson will now need surgery WTF why did they not put him on IR sooner and bring up that other DE they picked up on the practice squad. Just another waste. This year has been just that a big old Waste! 

[HoosierCat]

17 minutes ago, volcom69 said:

Just saw Hendrickson will now need surgery WTF why did they not put him on IR sooner and bring up that other DE they picked up on the practice squad. Just another waste. This year has been just that a big old Waste! 

That Trey needed surgery has been out there for a few weeks. He was waiting in the hopes the Bengals would make the playoffs and he could come back in some capacity. Now that that's extremely unlikely, he's pulling the trigger on surgery. No surprise.

I suspect something similar was true for Tee: he and/or the team fudged the protocol clearance to try and keep the playoff hopes alive. with them extinguished, they can drop the charade. 

[HoosierCat]

Bengals/Dolphins next week flexed out of prime time.

[gregcook69]

5 hours ago, ArmyBengal said:

Sure why not?
Tell you what though, I won't be losing sleep if they don't beat them.
Winning serves zero purpose come the draft.

If they win, most fans won't be able to remember who they beat on 14 December 2025.
They will be able to tell you which player it would have been nice to get in the draft had they been picking a spot or two higher.

As bleak as this franchise has been, looking forward to the draft is all the hope we have . . . right?!?

We know that most of these picks should be defensive players but do we trust management to do the right thing???

What’s ironic is outside of Munoz, Burrow, Higgins, and Chase (all Division I colleges), the best draft pick this franchise made was Kenny Anderson, who went to a Division III college!!!

But then again, that was PB, one of the most brilliant minds in football!

 

[COB]

I absolutely cannot help myself.  When the bengals play I just find myself watching and rooting for them.  
 

Same way with draft picks.  Mike could take a shit in a bucket, draft it in the 4th round, throw a bengal jersey on it and I’d be like, “how’d the rest of the league let this dude slide to the 4th?  Complete steal of the draft!”  

[COB]

Then TJ would be going, “hey idiot, that is just a bucket of shit in a bengal jersey, I’m calling it now, BUST!!”

[gregcook69]

Thing is, when you draft, it’s often a crap shoot.  
 

Eifert, Denmark, William Jackson, John Ross, Billly Price, Jonah Williams

Probably the most recent one and biggest one is Jermaine Burton!

[TJJackson]

7 hours ago, ArmyBengal said:

It's a shame really.  Just another victim of the Two Cent Head Syndrome.

In going back to look at when the Bengals took him in the draft and who else was there, it's littered with garbage for the most part.
Just move on and try again later.  Saved them about $1m in dumping him so no big gain there either in the grand scheme.

I'll say it one last time...
Come get your boy TJ Houshmandzadeh.
Dude no longer has any player evaluation cred.

I have an odd feeling that he will be a star for whatever team picks him up

plus an even odder feeling that it will be one of the division teams

[TJJackson]

3 hours ago, COB said:

Then TJ would be going, “hey idiot, that is just a bucket of shit in a bengal jersey, I’m calling it now, BUST!!”

I called Shemar

The Bengals had one.......just one........good draft pick this year

[AMPHAR]

Joe does dress like a goof.  

 

 

[ArmyBengal]

I’m sure Joe is going to lose sleep over that.

[HoosierCat]

Apparently it’s fake. Deleted.

[Stripes]

I said Fairchild was the best pick this time. That was clearly the result of my insights and experience and not a lucky guess.

Clearly.

[Coltsguy451]

Y'all had to deal with Flacco being in your house, now I have to deal with Philip Rivers being in mine....

I have some great bourbon here...

cheers