comstock Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 6 of the 8 home games we have are against this years playoff teams (4) or teams that were in it until the very last game but didn't have the cards fall right (2).ouch. away schedule actually looks easier, though KC is on there but you can never tell with them from year to year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 6 of the 8 home games we have are against this years playoff teams (4) or teams that were in it until the very last game but didn't have the cards fall right (2).ouch. away schedule actually looks easier, though KC is on there but you can never tell with them from year to year. Ya never know from year to year (raise your hand if you thought Pitt or SD was going to be as good as they are) but I had the same first impression. Still, that's how you want it: make the tough teams come to you, and then take your shots at the lesser ones on the road. Right now, I think that schedule looks about as playoff-friendly as it could be...but like I said, ya never know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bengalfreak Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 That is the advantage for being 3rd in the division u get the tougher teams at home ala pittsburgh this year and a friendlier schedule on the road Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjakq27 Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 That is the advantage for being 3rd in the division u get the tougher teams at home ala pittsburgh this year and a friendlier schedule on the roadI think the home vs. away part is predetermined by the league as part of their schedule rotation. I don't think it has anything to do with last year's record. The two "at large" games (Buffalo and KC) are the only two that are directly tied into to the place you finished in your division. http://bengals.com/tickets/schedule0509.aspxI was happy to see that the farthest west that we travel is KC and I hope we play at Jacksonville in November and not September. Other than that, I think the other non-divisional away games are pretty close to home (Detroit, Chicago and Tennessee). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 Pass DefensesMinnesota rank 29thIndianapolis rank 28thGreenBay rank 25thHouston rank 24thRoad gamesKansasCity rank 32ndDetroit rank 20thTennessee rank 26thChicago 15thDoesn`t look so tough if you factor in a healthy Palmer and Warrick ! :player: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottishbengal Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 We were pretty good at Home this year and I don't fear anyone coming to Cincinnati.The Away schedule will be tougher just because it's away.I'll say what I said before the start of this season - it'll all be about the divisional games. Go 6-0 or 5-1 and we'll take the division, go 4-2 and hope for a wild card, go 3-3 or less and put your trust in the Gods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalszoneBilly Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 go 3-3 or less and put your trust in the Gods. Go 3-3 in this division, and I see no playoffs whatsoever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jditty47 Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 Pass DefensesMinnesota rank 29thIndianapolis rank 28thGreenBay rank 25thHouston rank 24thRoad gamesKansasCity rank 32ndDetroit rank 20thTennessee rank 26thChicago 15thDoesn`t look so tough if you factor in a healthy Palmer and Warrick ! :player: werent u the one that said our schedule was hard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delhole Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 I love the 05 schedule. Get to play some teams that get alot of coverage. Hopefully we'll get some more night games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TubThumper Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 This team is good enough - even as depleted as they were by injury - to make the playoffs regardless of schedule if they learn to play "with [their] backs to the wall" more consistently, as Marvin Lewis put it. If they do that - eliminating the turnovers and the rookie and plain-ol-dumb mistakes, return and stay reasonably healthy, and significantly upgrade a position or two while retaining enough of their current core not to drop off in other areas, they can go deep into the playoffs - regardless of schedule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPW Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 To be a good team you have to be able to beat other good teams... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delhole Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 To be a good team you have to be able to beat other good teams... Apparently the Bills fans don't understand this concept............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 Pass DefensesMinnesota rank 29thIndianapolis rank 28thGreenBay rank 25thHouston rank 24thRoad gamesKansasCity rank 32ndDetroit rank 20thTennessee rank 26thChicago 15thDoesn`t look so tough if you factor in a healthy Palmer and Warrick ! :player:werent u the one that said our schedule was hard? To Quote John Thornton "Everyone looks tougher in the Offseason." I said it looks tough. And it does. I was just pointing out the Pass Defenses that we face.Those teams have top OFFENSES THOUGH.We play all 4 of the top Offenses in the NFL next year.But anywayChiefs: #1 Offense in the NFL...and that was without a healthy Priest Holmes.Colts: Playoff Team (Manning is a Football God) #2 overall Offense in the NFLPackers : Playoff Team (Brett Farve Hall Of Famer)#3 overall Offense in the NFLVikings: Playoff Team (Culpepper and Moss)#4 overall Offense in the NFL Steelers: (Twice) Playoff Team that owned us.Ravens:(Twice) Have owned us since 1996. (Finally broke the streak though)Jags: Up and coming team (Has Leftwich, Fred Taylor and Greg Jones)Texans: Up and coming team that lost 1 more game than us.Titans: has to good of a coach to be down 2 years in a row. Andif McNair comes back 100% should be a tough road game.Lions: Up and coming young team. Another tough road game.Bears: Up and coming team that has improved under Lovey Smith.Bills: Barely missed the Playoffs ...beat the s**t out of us with KitnaAnd they have the 13th Rushing Offense in the NFL.We don`t play top Defenses next year like we did this year.But we have our weakness (defense) going up against their strengths (offense) There should be alot of shoot-outs. But hopefully our D is MUCH IMPROVED. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjakq27 Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 Bills: Barely missed the Playoffs ...beat the s**t out of us with Kitna. And they have the 13th Rushing Offense in the NFL. Please don't ever say that here again! Your asking for another outbreak of Willis-itis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jditty47 Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 Pass DefensesMinnesota rank 29thIndianapolis rank 28thGreenBay rank 25thHouston rank 24thRoad gamesKansasCity rank 32ndDetroit rank 20thTennessee rank 26thChicago 15thDoesn`t look so tough if you factor in a healthy Palmer and Warrick ! :player:werent u the one that said our schedule was hard? To Quote John Thornton "Everyone looks tougher in the Offseason." I said it looks tough. And it does. I was just pointing out the Pass Defenses that we face.Those teams have top OFFENSES THOUGH.We play all 4 of the top Offenses in the NFL next year.But anywayChiefs: #1 Offense in the NFL...and that was without a healthy Priest Holmes.Colts: Playoff Team (Manning is a Football God) #2 overall Offense in the NFLPackers : Playoff Team (Brett Farve Hall Of Famer)#3 overall Offense in the NFLVikings: Playoff Team (Culpepper and Moss)#4 overall Offense in the NFL Steelers: (Twice) Playoff Team that owned us.Ravens:(Twice) Have owned us since 1996. (Finally broke the streak though)Jags: Up and coming team (Has Leftwich, Fred Taylor and Greg Jones)Texans: Up and coming team that lost 1 more game than us.Titans: has to good of a coach to be down 2 years in a row. Andif McNair comes back 100% should be a tough road game.Lions: Up and coming young team. Another tough road game.Bears: Up and coming team that has improved under Lovey Smith.Bills: Barely missed the Playoffs ...beat the s**t out of us with KitnaAnd they have the 13th Rushing Offense in the NFL.We don`t play top Defenses next year like we did this year.But we have our weakness (defense) going up against their strengths (offense) There should be alot of shoot-outs. But hopefully our D is MUCH IMPROVED. just wanted to make sure, and bust ur balls a lil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrishcovga Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 You're Kidding me right about a Hard schedule ....???? Injuries aside, as long as our defense is better, Cincinati should go no less than 5-3 at home and 6-2 on the road !Either way We're a playoff team next season, YOU CAN WRIGHT IT DOWN ! :player: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Antonio Bengal Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 On the average, any given team will play approximately 6 games against teams that were in the playoffs the previous year. Next year, we only have 5 games against playoff teams. That's pretty good since every team is guarenteed to play at least 4 games against teams that were in playoffs the previous year. With the way the schedule worked out, we happen to have 4 of those games at home. I'd much rather play those games at home than on the road.Minnesota is in the playoffs, but they also had an 8 - 8 record like us. Green Bay in the playoffs, but I'm thinking that this may be a swan song for Farve. I still think the Packers will be good next season, but will finish closer to an 8 - 8, however in the NFC you can get into the playoffs with such a record. Both of those teams are beatable and we should beat them with the game being at home.Indy will come to town with that high powered offense, but they still don't close to anything resembling a real defense. On paper the game looks to be a shootout, but remember that the Ravens and the Texans were able to do some things late this season that really disrupted Indy's offense. The Colts still won those games, but they we forced to take FGs instead of scoring touchdowns. Indy only scored 2 TDs on the Texans in their second meeting (Indy scored 7 TDs in the first meeting). So, it is possible to slow their offense... it just depends on the execution of our defense.The other two games against playoff competition are against Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh had a great run this year, but they are a divisional opponent and it's just impossible to make predictions about division games. You never know what's going to happen next (24 points against Baltimore in the fourth quarter?!?!) Whatever happens, we need to go 4 - 2 in the division. This season wasn't lost because of our games against the rest of the league; it was lost because of a 2 - 4 division mark. Simply having been able to defeat Cleveland at Cleveland and either of the close Pittsburgh games, we'd be sitting at 10 - 6 instead of 8 - 8.Then we have our 2 games each against Cleveland and Baltimore. I really believe we can beat Cleveland twice in one season. We must beat Cleveland twice. Baltimore will still be good, but probably down a little bit. We've beaten them before and can do it again.The Chiefs could be a really good team next year or really mediocre. They need to improve their defense if they want to win. The Bills are a good team and could give us some problems like this year, but I wonder how things would have been different this year had that not been Kitna's first game. Nevertheless, it will be a good competition and I'm glad we have that one at home.The Texans are a good, young team. Their season was marked with inconsistency. They've beaten quality opponents, but also lost games they should have won. They're very simliar to the Bengals in that respect. I expect a very good game out of them, but the good news for us is that they will be going to Cincy. (Bad news for me is that the game won't be in Houston... a game I could actually drive to...) The Jags will give us some problems. Aside from the divisional games, the Jags will probably be the best team we'll face on the road. I expect big things from Leftwich next season. Rounding out the AFC south are the Titans, and I really don't know what to expect from them. You would think they'd have a better record than they do. Yeah, McNair was not healthy, but still, it should have been better. Really, I would have preferred one more loss on their schedule! I don't know what to think about the Lions. They've been an "up-and-coming young team" for what seems like years now. They are improving, but very slowly. They do have some good players, but at best, they're still a middle of the road team. That doesn't necessarily mean that we'll win that one on the road, but it should be a very winnable game. The Bears are.... um.... I don't know what they are. They've absolutely tanked since the 2001 season. I keep thinking that the next season will be the one that the Bears get back on track, but you know that your team has serious problems when you bring in Jeff George, even if he didn't take any snaps. Long story short, the Bears aren't going to do much better next year.Now that I've said all this, watch it all be wrong. Without knowing what happens in the draft or other offseason dealings (for us and our opponents), my early guess will be a 5 - 3 at home and 5 - 3 on the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
semiotter Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 The way the NFL is now, theres no easy schedules anymore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Antonio Bengal Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 The way the NFL is now, theres no easy schedules anymoreYeah, that happened when the NFL thought of the whole idea of playing 8 games on the road! What were they thinking?! Actually, San Diego has a very tough schedule next year. Here are some notables from the non-division games. At home vs. Pittsburg, Buffalo. Away against New England, Philly, Jets, Indy. They will have 7 games against playoff teams (Pitt, N.E., Philly, Jets, Indy and Denver (twice)). Compared to that, our schedule looks easy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjakq27 Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 I was looking at the bengals.com site and it showed all of the helmets of the teams on next years schedule. I noticed that 5 of the 8 road games are against 3 present and 2 former members of the AFC Central division. Time to put a few more ghosts to rest next year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turningpoint Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 not to mention i have a feeling Favre is due a collapse, and i think it's coming this season, if he doesn't retire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjakq27 Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 not to mention i have a feeling Favre is due a collapse, and i think it's coming this season, if he doesn't retire. Yeah, but they've got Akili waiting in the wings. Oh, hold on, that was last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Antonio Bengal Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 Yeah, but they've got Akili waiting in the wings. Oh, hold on, that was last year.And don't forget Tim Couch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjakq27 Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 Yeah, but they've got Akili waiting in the wings. Oh, hold on, that was last year.And don't forget Tim Couch! Sorry, I did, until you brought it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsrule2500 Posted January 13, 2005 Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 You never can tell from year to year, and maybe having a harder home schedule is good...better than hard away sched! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.