Chasing the Dream:

[JPW]

I thought that some of you might enjoy this article by Matt Thomas of Sports Central.

Chasing the Dream: Forecasting the AFC

AFC North

Cincinnati Bengals 11-5

Pittsburgh Steelers 11-5

Baltimore Ravens 9-7

Cleveland Browns 3-13

And the Winner is...

Cincinnati, but barely. There are no facts to suggest that the Steelers' run last season was a fluke, but I think the Bengals are finally ready to come of age and parody (not to mention a full year of film on Ben Roethlisberger for opponents to review) should cut Pittsburgh's win total down at least a little bit. The Ravens are the x-factor here, as they could easily be a 12-win team, but I'm just not so sure that an overworked running back and mistake-prone quarterback will be able to finish games off, and I think the loss of LBs Peter Boulware and Edgerton Hartwell are going to sting that defense. Better luck next year for Crennel in Cleveland, but, as they say, you cannot succeed until you fail first.

Playoff Picture

Division winners: New England, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, San Diego

Wildcard entrants: Indianapolis, Pittsburgh

Round 1: Pittsburgh over San Diego, Cincinnati over Indianapolis

Round 2: New England over Pittsburgh, Cincinnati over Jacksonville

AFC Championship Game: Cincinnati over New England

There you have it! In a shocker, the Cincinnati Bengals upset the defending champs and punch their ticket for Super Bowl XL in Detroit, Michigan.

I know that I Loved it ...

[jditty47]

wow

[brownsblow05]

I would love to see it happen.

I can see that happening, its far from impossible.

Who-Dey :player:

[Kazkal]

Very possible

Good read indeed

[UK Bengal]

i dont know that guy but i like him already

thats some gutsy predicting and I am praying right now it comes true :player:

[derekshank]

Fun to read... but he also had Jacksonville winning the division over Indy. I guess that isn't "impossible" either, but all signs point to Indy romping in that divison. Makes me wonder if this guy has credibility, or if he's just trying to stir the pot with an crazy prediciton to get his article talked about.

[Spain]

I feel exactly the same wy except I dont think we can beat the Pats. We are too inexperienced.

[bengalboomer7]

Enjoyed the dream, soudns great and he makes valid points. What I like the most is that there isn't hardly anyone in the reply posts laughing, mocking, or talking about how absurd that would be that the Bengals could actually make it to the big show. As a matter of fact, there wasn't even hardly a peep about it.

[TecmoFever]

Enjoyed the dream, soudns great and he makes valid points. What I like the most is that there isn't hardly anyone in the reply posts laughing, mocking, or talking about how absurd that would be that the Bengals could actually make it to the big show. As a matter of fact, there wasn't even hardly a peep about it.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I just posted on there saying basically the same thing. They're all whining about the Ravens and Dolphins predictions and nobody seems to think that a Bengals Super Bowl prediction is anything to talk about.

I must say that all of this positive talk is making me a bit nervous. God forbid we become the Seattle Seahawks of last year. I bet you that TheBigOrange gets real nervous reading articles like this.

A simple prayer:

Lord, please teach Marvin how to get our beloved Bengals to win early in the season. If you can do that, then he (and the rest of the team) can figure it out from there. Amen.

[OSUBengal]

Fun to read... but he also had Jacksonville winning the division over Indy. I guess that isn't "impossible" either, but all signs point to Indy romping in that divison. Makes me wonder if this guy has credibility, or if he's just trying to stir the pot with an crazy prediciton to get his article talked about.

gutsy indeed!

I like it, but I"m not sure it would work out that way.

I think (practically sure) Indy will take their division, and it will be Jacksonville with the wild card.

Then we beat Jacksonville in the Jungle, and play Indy in Indy. That will be one tough game.

[CBin2k7]

God forbid we become the Seattle Seahawks of last year.

I don't think it would be too bad to be the Seattle Seahawks from last year. They did win their division and made the playoffs.

I would be esctatic if the Bengals just made the playoffs.

[derekshank]

I don't think it would be too bad to be the Seattle Seahawks from last year. They did win their division and made the playoffs.

I would be esctatic if the Bengals just made the playoffs.

True, but they were only 9-7, and you can't forget that two 8-8 team won the wildcard in the NFC. The AFC is a whole different kind of animal. The worst record in the AFC to make the playoffs was a 10-6, and both of them were wildcards.

It seems to win your division in the AFC you have to go 12-4. If the Rams had played even slightly well, the Seahawks would not have won their division, and if they had been in the AFC (as they were a few years ago) they would have missed the playoffs completely.

So I understand that as Bengal fans, we wouldn't mind being the Seahawks from the standpoint that they at least got to play in the playoffs, but it was perhaps the least impressive run to the playoffs in NFL history. No one was afraid of the Seahawks... and no Bengals fan wants that for our team.

[HairOnFire]

That was a fun read. I've got the Bengals going the wildcard route, but if Pittsburgh actually slips to 11 wins a division championship isn't out of the question. Not sure about the claim that Baltimore could be a 12 win team easily...or an 8 win squad. A dozen wins by that team in this division seems unlikely.

Loved the projected playoff run thru the Colts, Jags, and then the drama filled soap opera that would be a Bengal/Patriots game that determined which team would go to the Super Bowl. Corey got his ring last year...now the Bengals get theirs. Nice.

[BengalszoneBilly]

I feel exactly the same wy except I dont think we can beat the Pats. We are too inexperienced.

I see the Pats as one team the Bengals (for whatever reason) match up to, and play well against! Last seasons loss on the road versus the Pats wasn't near as bad as losses suffered by teams that finished with much better records than did Cincinnati!

Remember the blowout/shellacking they got by the Bengals in Cincy in preseason last year. It was their first preaseason loss in three years, so don't think they weren't trying, or some crap like that! Belichick was LIVID! :player: Conversely it may have been the wake-up call they needed to rally them back to the Super Bowl. Whatever. They are beatable, as is EVERY team in the NFL!