Looking at the rest of our scheduale...

[turningpoint]

@JAX W/L

@TEN W

PIT W

GB W

@bal W/L

INDY L

BAL W

@PIT L

CLE W

@DET W

BUF W

@KF W/L

I tihnk we'll go 7-5 at worst if 11-5 isn't playoffs then i don't know what is.

[Stripes]

I like it. Depending on how we perform against the Jaguars, we could have two different seasons on the way. We could continue at this pace and end up as good as 12-4 or 13-3. We could also take the route of the 2003 Vikings (who started 6-0 and missed the playoffs) and stumble against the more difficult competition. This team doesn't have the look of a choker. We will win plenty more games.

[duus]

As I've said before, these next couple weeks are critical. After these next two away games, we get 4 out of 5 at home. The competition won't be easy, but being home will help.

I like to break the season in quarters.

Q1 gives us a 4-0 record.

Q2 is 2 away followed by 2 home. The Jags and Steelers will spell trouble, but 2-2 or 3-1 will be a success.

Q3 has its own headaches with a tough home game against Indy, and away games against Baltimore and Pittsburgh. 2-2 will be great.

Q4 is the home stretch, and I'm expecting good things from them just like previous years. 3-1 at least, and maybe a 4-0 record just like Q1.

That puts us with at most 5 losses, maybe as few 3. My guess is 4.

Go Bengals!

[ShulaSteakhouse]

As I've said before, these next couple weeks are critical. After these next two away games, we get 4 out of 5 at home. The competition won't be easy, but being home will help.

I like to break the season in quarters.

Q1 gives us a 4-0 record.

Q2 is 2 away followed by 2 home. The Jags and Steelers will spell trouble, but 2-2 or 3-1 will be a success.

Q3 has its own headaches with a tough home game against Indy, and away games against Baltimore and Pittsburgh. 2-2 will be great.

Q4 is the home stretch, and I'm expecting good things from them just like previous years. 3-1 at least, and maybe a 4-0 record just like Q1.

That puts us with at most 5 losses, maybe as few 3. My guess is 4.

Go Bengals!

Yep pretty much sums it up. I think 12-4 or 11-5, at this point, is realistic. I wish this upcoming week were the bye week though.

[bengalindian]

Definitely agree with you there, Shula. They REALLY need to work on those penalties, because one day, they're really gonna bite them in the butt. There's a lot that happened in this game that needs to be improved, and a bye week here would be clutch. But hopefully, Marvin can take care of it in 6 days.

[Stripes]

As I've said before, these next couple weeks are critical. After these next two away games, we get 4 out of 5 at home. The competition won't be easy, but being home will help.

I like to break the season in quarters.

Q1 gives us a 4-0 record.

Q2 is 2 away followed by 2 home. The Jags and Steelers will spell trouble, but 2-2 or 3-1 will be a success.

Q3 has its own headaches with a tough home game against Indy, and away games against Baltimore and Pittsburgh. 2-2 will be great.

Q4 is the home stretch, and I'm expecting good things from them just like previous years. 3-1 at least, and maybe a 4-0 record just like Q1.

That puts us with at most 5 losses, maybe as few 3. My guess is 4.

Go Bengals!

I agree with your assessment, though it seems centered around beating the bad and moderate level teams, and probably losing to the good ones. Being at 11-5 or 12-4, but with those losses coming to the Steelers, Colts, Ravens, etc... may as well be going 9-7 and getting a wild card, because we'd go nowhere in the playoffs.

Then again, maybe that is where this team is at right now, and if I don't like it, then tough. Actually, forget the sad smiley, we are four and freaking zero. Rock on.

[Lita]

This team doesn't have the look of a choker. We will win plenty more games.

I kind of disagree about the choking thing, I think right now it does look that way... we have SO many penalties that kill big plays... It's been like that all season now... Maybe we won't tank the whole season like the Vikings did, but we can't keep this up and not tank important games. Fortunately, our schedual looks really easy... So maybe it won't be such a big deal... But, at some point, we really WILL take a win away from ourselves...

I guess I just want a winning season more than anything, and I think we'll get that. I just hope we can learn some discipline quickly... and that we don't run out of steam... It's a young team, after all.

[Stripes]

This team doesn't have the look of a choker. We will win plenty more games.

I kind of disagree about the choking thing, I think right now it does look that way... we have SO many penalties that kill big plays... It's been like that all season now... Maybe we won't tank the whole season like the Vikings did, but we can't keep this up and not tank important games. Fortunately, our schedual looks really easy... So maybe it won't be such a big deal... But, at some point, we really WILL take a win away from ourselves...

I guess I just want a winning season more than anything, and I think we'll get that. I just hope we can learn some discipline quickly... and that we don't run out of steam... It's a young team, after all.

I agree that the penalties have to stop, or we will be in trouble, but however, I think one our our chief strengths lies hidden in this madness. After we commit stupid penalties, it seems the team is always primed on the next play to regain that yardage in one quick burst. I've seen this specifically fro T.J. Houshmandzadeh this year, and also some from Rudi. Also, when penalties have caused our offense to stall into punting the ball, the ensuing drive by the opposition has at the same time seemed to stall. The Bengals defense is stepping up at clutch stages of games, and that is a great sign with them being so young.

I want the penalties to stop as much as anyone else, but because of the team's usually positive response to these mistakes, I am not overly concerned, not even against the tougher teams. The offensive line is at fault for most of these errors, and that may be due to the shuffling around of late. If they are given the chance to gell, and follow Carson's lead, this issue should be resolved soon.

I certainly hope so at least!

[Bengals4Life]

I think the Bengals will be undeafted going into the Pittsburgh game!

[Columbusbengal]

<I want the penalties to stop as much as anyone else, but because of the team's usually positive response to these mistakes, I am not overly concerned, not even against the tougher teams. The offensive line is at fault for most of these errors>

Just for fun, I divide the penalties into four categories -

(1) Ones that are preferable to the alternative (i.e. ones committed to protect Carson Palmer) or that are the result of over-intensity (some false starts, e.g.). I don't mind these.

(2) Ones resulting from the over-enthusiasm of the refs (e.g. they can call holding on every play if they want to). There's not a lot we can do about those. If the team tries too hard to avoid holding they will be disadvantaged versus the other team that ISN'T worrying about it.

(3) Ones resulting from being a rookie or playing a new position. These should decrease over time.

(4) Ones resulting from lack of attention or lack of discipline (delaly of game, personal fouls, two many men on the field, and those illegal formation penalties not falling into category (3), etc.).

Overall, I think the Bengals need to work hard on cagegory (4) and hope that the category (3) penalties will lessen as players get more experience. Often the referees get less whistle-happy as the season progresses, too. Sometimes the refs take a while to realize that they shouldn't call a penalty on every play (even though they could).

[tmai1323]

There is no reason we shouldn't be 6-0 by the time Pitt comes to town... We do need to play better than we did yesterday if we plan on being 6-0.. We also have to not make the stupid penalties and mistakes when Pitt comes, because if we do Pitt will take full advantage of it..

With being 4-0 right now... I am predicting a 11-5 season..

[San Antonio Bengal]

At the end of last season, I predicted 11 - 5. After the pre-season, I predicted 11 - 5. And I'm still prediciting 11 - 5, although I'd love to see a 12 - 4 or 13 - 3.

[HairOnFire]

Marvin is our coach. Thus, I believe we must prove we've learned our lessons by spouting Marvinisms whenever possible.

The Bengals play a series of 16 one game schedules.

Last week counts for nothing.

The Bengals won-loss record to date counts for nothing.

The Bengals are 0-0.

There is only one game on the Bengals schedule. Jacksonville.

Not a single word of the script has been written yet.

Who Dey.

[ahanes]

Looking at the schedule, if the Bengals can win 2 more road games (Tennessee and Detroit most likely), they'll break even on the road. Go 6-2 at home (losses to Indianapolis and Pittsburgh maybe) and they finish 10-6 and make the playoffs. That is a worst case scenario though.

I think the only losses for the Bengals from here on out will be: at Baltimore, Indianapolis, at Pittsburgh, and at Kansas City. That would put the Bengals at 12-4 and in the playoffs!! WHO DEY!!*

[derekshank]

It's hard to make predictions for week 17 right now. There is no guarantee we will still be playing this well, there is no telling which KC Cheifs will show up.. etc.

You can make pretty decent arguments for every game on this schedule ending in a win. For Instance, a lot of people just assume we will lose the Colts game, but it is in Cincy, in late November (cold weather for Manning) after a bye week, so we can prepare for them for 2 weeks.

Anyway... at the beginning of the season I predicted 10-6. I'll move my prediction up to 11-5, because 7-5 to finish the season is pretty reasonable. 6-6 would be disappointing.

We'll find a way to lose a game we shouldn't, like very team does (i.e. NE vs Miami last year) We almost had a stupid loss yesterday... I imagine we'll probably drop a stupid one sooner or later... and I predict a win no one expects (i.e. Indy) 11-5 is playoffs, but not homefield. It will require 12-4 maybe 13-3 to get homefield advantage, and that might be asking too much. We'll just have to see.

[thefrazz]

I don't want to just go to the playoffs...I was the Bengals to WIN the division!

11-5 or one more win then the second place team in the division...whichever is better!

Whats so hard to understand about that

[kingwilly]

I am scanning the schedule again and do not see one game that is really unwinnable. The games at PIT, BAL, and KC are the ones where being on the road really impacts us but they are all thoroughly winnable.

Is this the year that MIAMI does not get to pop the champagne???

[ArmyBengal]

It's hard to look at the rest of the schedule and try to figure it all out. Injuries on our team, injuries on other teams to start with, can change the whole landscape. (Look at the Pats) None of this will matter if we can't cut down the penalties. Yes Billy, I will take up the burden of being the penalty b**ch. It's rediculous week in and week out to have those mistakes. For anyone to say false starts are acceptable needs to review TJ's touchdown being called back... Anyway, the season will play its way out one way or another and Marvin just needs to keep the focus on ONE WEEK AT A TIME. KC won't matter if we go 2-10 before playing them !!!

WHODEY !!!

[bengalboomer7]

I get a headache trying to balance my checkbook, I don't think i can take so many different schedule numbers

[HoosierCat]

Just looking at the near future...I pick the Bengals to win next Sunday night in Jax. But whether it will be a blowout or another close, sloppy win like Houston I cant tell, tho I'm leaning toward the latter scenario.

The Titans game actually scares me the most. Second straight game on the road against a team likely in "trying to stay alive" mode -- and if we are 5-0 looking to at least notch up some Bengals scalp as a sop to a probably playoff-less season. And the Bengals with Pitt coming up the week after. In short, another trap game.

The Pitt game I think we can win, but we can't let Cheeslisburger have success rolling out like we let Carr have.

[OrangeStripes]

I agree with you JoiseyCat but I shouldnt really get to much into the pits game its to far away but o well ill just say all we need to do is get our defenders long enough on randel el and ward for justin smith and geathers to add pressure and "The BIG O" to come and knock Cheeslisburger on his buns.

[The Big Orange]

Looking at the remainder of the schedule...the Bengals only play 2 teams who have winning records to this point(I know it's early)..Indy and Pitt (twice) and only one of those games away. It is not out of the realm of possibility that we have Pitt's regular season record from last year.

On the other hand, I think the Texans would have beat most teams last week with the attitude they came to the game with. Just like the Browns would have beaten most teams if they had played most teams the way they played us. There play has gone down and Texans have never played so well.

I don't think that the Jags or Titans will play us very well and well rack up another 30+ per game in the next couple.

My prediction: Chad will dance that Russian dance that you kick your feet out in Jacksonville.