The Colts came into the Jungle on a 4 game winning streak. The Bengals came out and showed the Colts who was the big dogs! Bengals defense played well, special teams played solid, and the offense with Browning at QB continued to play at a high level and with confidence. Even though JB9 can’t play right now Browning has found his zone and Zac Taylor and the coaching staff has prepared him well. This is what you want out of a backup QB. Bengals are now 7-6.
Bengals face the Vikings on Saturday at home. Get that W and become 8-6. Then it is back to back away games facing the Steelers and then Chiefs. Then the regular season finale is at home versus the Browns. Beating the Browns and Steelers should get them into the playoffs. Winning 3 of the last 4 might guarantee the playoff wildcard spot. It is going to be fun to see what happens. Can Browning be like former Eagles backup Nick Foles and lead them to the Super Bowl and win it all? If the Bengals continue to play at this level and stay healthy I can see them getting to the AFC Championship game again. If they get there anything is possible.
Let’s go Bengals……Vikings are going to be in for a gut check after a poor performance where they won over the Raiders 3-0. Bengals are stacking wins now. Let’s continue it!
The Cincinnati Bengals (5-6) traveled to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars (8-3) for Monday night football. Bengals have not won an away Monday night football game since 1990. For this game the Jags were playing to extend their 1st place lead in the AFC South as the Bengals were playing to edge one game closer to the Browns and Steelers in a tight AFC North race.
During the 1st quarter the Bengals came out showing they would run the ball consistently and throw short range passes to move down the field. They were feeling out the Jags defense to see how they would attack Browning as well as the receivers as Higgins was back in the lineup. The Bengals moved the ball ok but could not move it in chunks. The Jaguars went down the field on their first drive and got a TD. The Bengals then missed a field goal that hit the crossbar.
The 2nd quarter is when the momentum changed as the Bengals dialed in the full playbook on offense. The defense pressured QB Lawrence all day trying to make him to force tough throws. Bengals came out and Browning unleashed with the WR and running game. Bengals scored 2 TDs to the Jags 1 making it a 14-14 halftime score.
In the 3rd quarter both offenses did not disappoint as the Bengals scored a TD and the Jags did as well. Also, a very poor play call had WR Boyd throw a reverse pass across the field the was intercepted by Jags Josh Allen (former UK Wildcat) for a TD. The Bengals were then down a TD because of that play. The Bengals didn’t point fingers but instead stayed together and fought hard.
In the 4th quarter the Bengals got the Jags to punt and the the Bengals scored a TD. The Jags got the ball and were moving it into field goal range when QB Lawrence had his ankle stepped on by a teammate and then Lawrence landed awkwardly on it forcing him to be taking out of the game. It is reported a high ankle sprain as he will miss some time. Jags missed a FG attempt giving the Bengals the ball in a tie game. Bengals were able to get down the field and make a FG going up by 3. The Jaguars got the ball and moved down the field and made a 53 yard FG to send the game into OT.
In OT the Jags won the toss and got the ball first. The Jags had the ball for 10 plays but Bengals defense held strong to force them to punt. Bengals got the ball and ran 12 plays and got in FG range. Money Mac came into the game and nailed the game winner!!!
Bengals are now 6-6 and in the thick of the Wild Card playoff hunt as the 3 teams in the Wild Card spots at the moment are the Browns (7-5), Steelers (7-5), and Colts (7-5). The Bengals play Colts this upcoming Sunday at home and they still get to play the Steelers and Browns one more time each before the regular season ends. Bengals control their destiny. With 5 games remaining the Bengals face the Colts, Vikings, Steelers, Chiefs, and Browns.
The Jags fall to 8-4 but still in 1st place of the AFC South by 1 game. With Lawrence out at least 2 games the question will be can they get the wins over Browns and Ravens? After that they face the Buccaneers, Panthers, and Titans.
Bengals set some records during this game:
Browning threw 32-37 for 354 yards and a touchdown. The 86.5% completion rate is the highest all-time in a QB’s first or second career start. The 86.5% completion rate is also the 5th highest completion percentage in team history.
Jamar Chase became the second player in NFL history to have 1,000 receiving yards in his first 3 seasons.
Joe Mixon surpassed 6,000 yards which places him 3rd in team history. He is now 3rd in team history with 46 rushing TD’s.
Tyler Boyd is now 5th all-time in Bengals history with 501 career catches.
Next game is Sunday December 10th at 1:00 PM, Paycor Stadium vs Colts (7-5).
The Bengals came off their BYE week on a 2 game win streak Beating the Cardinals 34-20 and then Beating the Seahawks 17-13. Bengals traveled to San Francisco where they faced the 49ers and won 31-17. Bengals looked back into form and Burrow healthy from the calf injury that set him back and limited his mobility. Now he was firing on all cylinders and teams were beginning to have trouble keeping up with Cincinnati. Bengals were on a 3 game win streak as they faced the Bills at home for another rematch. Bengals came out strong and controlled the game and won 24-18. Now with a 4 game win streak thoughts of taking the lead in the AFC North started to ramp up. The Bengals hosted the hot Texans where the game was a battle. Texans edged out the Bengals to beat them 30-27. Next up was the Ravens in Baltimore. Bengals came out hot and were controlling the game. Mixon was running well and catching passes. Irwin caught a TD. Bengals controlled the game until Burrow hurt his throwing wrist after the TD to Mixon. His ligament tore in his right wrist which caused him not to be able to grip the ball. Burrow did not get to plat the end of the second quarter or second half of the Ravens game. Bengals fell short 34-20. Burrow is finished for the season. He had successful surgery and will be ready to lead the way next season. In the meantime he will be on the sidelines cheering on his team and giving advice to Browning and also AJ McCarron.
Browning got his first start last week against the Steelers at home. Bengals stayed in it as the defense held Steelers to 16 points. Bengals could not move the ball as well on offense but did get 10 points which resulted in a 16-10 loss. Browning had flashes of good plays and bad plays which showed with his inexperience. If next week against the Jags goes bad look for AJ McCarron to step in. Bengals are now 5-6 and will fight each and every game to get some Ws. This will be good experience for younger players and will help get them ready for next season. We will see what happens next week. Let’s cheer them on and get the W !!
After coming off a win in Arizona over the Cardinals the Bengals hosted the Seahawks.
The Bengals offense came out strong scoring 14 points in the first half and the defense kept Seahawks scrambling. In the second half both defenses came out strong and made it hard for both offenses to move the ball like the Bengals did in the first half. The Bengals defense played a solid game coming up big with their red zone defense shutting down the Seahawks.
The Bengals were able to get the W 17 – 13. Now the Bengals are in a good spot at 3-3. Their BYE week is this upcoming week. Players that are sore or hurt get to rest and come back strong after this BYE week to make their push. Week 8 Bengals travel to 49ers in what will be a good matchup. Then the Bengals host the Bills and Texans. They will then have 2 games in a row facing AFC North teams facing Ravens at Baltimore and then hosting the Steelers. Getting key wins in these matchups will place the Bengals in a nice position to be able to win the AFC North for a 3rd year in a row and guarantee another playoff spot and make a run for the Super Bowl. This team is built for this and it is going to be exciting to see it unfold.
Cincinnati Bengals traveled to Arizona to face the Cardinals. Bengals were on a mission. Burrow came out and dominated as everyone could see his calf is getting better as he was able to scramble and move around the pocket unlike the first 4 games. 9 to 1 was in full affect.
Chase set a Bengals franchise record with 15 catches 192 yards and 3 TDs. Burrow was back to his normal self throwing as he was 36-46 with 317 passing yards 3 TDs and 1 INT (Irwin fell on his route which caused the interception). Irwin caught 8 passes for 60 yards; Boyd had 6 catches for 39 yards. Mixon ran hard and well as he had 25 carries for 81 yards.
Bengals defense suffocated the Arizona Cardinals as they had 3 sacks, 1 fumble, and 2 interceptions (1 was a pick 6 by CB Taylor-Britt).
This was a well rounded team effort and the best version of themselves so far this season. This is a turning point for them as they are now 2-3 and get to be home vs Seattle on Sunday October 15. If the Ravens lose to the Titans in Tennessee they will fall to 3-3; if Browns lose to 49ers they will be 2-3; and if Steelers lose to Rams a week later they fall to 3-3. AFC North will be up for the Bengals to grab and run with it. The Bengals are built for this and have the opportunity to win the AFC North for 3 years in a row and get into the playoffs to get back to the Super Bowl.
The Cincinnati Bengals traveled to Nashville to face the Titans. After the first drive the Bengals had Tennessee clamped down and forced Burrow and the offense to struggle as Burrow was not able to move around in the pocket. It was a 3-3 game in typical fashion as it has been in recent years between these teams. Late in the 2nd quarter and in the 3rd quarter Titans were able to get a throwing TD and then a Henry running TD. Bengals were unable to move the ball well enough and later in the game the Titans sealed the deal with a Henry wildcat option as he threw a 2 yard TD.
The Bengals looked off all day on offense but good news is next week is a new week and another week to get Burrow calf healthier.
The Bengals hosted the Rams on Monday night football and had a white out in the stadium as they also wore their alternate white helmets. This is the first time since the Super Bowl that the Bengals have seen the Rams. Some things have changed for each team but a lot of players that played in the Super Bowl are still on the respective teams.
Burrow and his team treated his calf muscle to prepare him to be able to play. Bengals defense shined as they made it a very rough day for the Rams offense and Stafford. The Bengals offense started off slow but as the game went on they started clicking. The offensive line did a good job at protecting Burrow. Stafford was hit for 16 times in the game with 6 of those being sacks. Burrow hit only 6 times and 2 of those were for sacks. This version of the Bengals offensive line is going to keep getting better and will be the best line Burrow has had so far in his career.
Burrow spread the ball around and in key situations went to Chase as he caught a career high 12 catches. The Bengals occasionally added in play action plays as their run game and Mixon ran hard. Mixon got a TD to expand their lead late in the game.
Bengals defense made Stafford struggle as Logan Wilson ended up with 2 interceptions. Stafford got rattled and the crowd was loud. The fans showed why it is hard for opposing teams to play in the jungle!!
Burrow got through the game and no setbacks with his calf muscle. They will play Sunday at Titans. Burrow will rest and then practice at the end of the week. Bengals now at 1-2 have a chance to get to 2-2 with Ravens (2-1) playing the Browns (2-1) and Steelers (2-1) playing Texans (1-2). If Steelers and Browns or Ravens lose with a Bengals win will put the Bengals right back into the mix. It is a long season and Bengals players and fans have seen this before. Now is the time Bengals offensive line will protect Joe. Offense is getting a flow. Time to stack some wins and by the bye week the Bengals will be in first in the AFC North and Burrow will get about 11 days to rest his calf.
What makes this Bengals team so tough is they block out all the noise that occurs outside the locker room. They are focused and ready to get back to the Super Bowl.
In another AFC North battle for the second week in a row the Bengals hosted the Ravens. The game went back and forth. Bengals defense kept Ravens in check all game. Bengals offense went in waves as Burrow was dealing with his sore right calf muscle. Bengals had a turnover on offense in the second half when they were in the red zone and moving the ball better. This turnover was costly and in the end the Ravens were able to run the clock out without giving Burrow a chance to win or tie to go into overtime. Burrow reaggravated his calf late in the game. We will see how he does versus the Rams next week when they host the Rams on Monday night football. Bengals are 0-2 and in a similar position as last season. They will bounce back,
In any given week anything can happen in the NFL. The start of the season had a lot of different situations for each team.
Chiefs vs Lions started off the regular season on Thursday night football with the Chiefs raising their Championship banner for winning last season Super Bowl. Both teams kept answering one another and at the end of the game the Lions got an opportunity to take the lead in which they were able to get a TD and make the extra point to go up by 1 point. Defense then stayed strong shutting down the Chiefs. Lions were able to run the clock out and beat last years Super Bowl champs 21-20. TE Kelce did not play for the Chiefs and the WR group missed a lot of key passes. We will see how this WR core performs as the season goes along because most were backups except for Valdes-Scantling.
Falcons came out strong against the Panthers and won 24-10. The Ravens beat the Texans 25-9 however they had multiple injuries to key players: left tackle Ronnie Stanley, safety Marcus Williams, center Tyler Linderbaum, cornerback Marlon Humphrey & RB Dobbins (season ending knee injury). It looks like the 4 starters on this report besides RB Dobbins will not be able to play vs the Bengals next week.
Bengals went to Cleveland to play the 100th matchup against one another. Once again home field advantage worked for the Browns as they came out and got a 10 point lead in nasty rain and gloomy weather. Bengals had opportunities in the 3rd quarter and in the first half of the 4th quarter to tie or take the lead but could not get in sync on offense. I expected it to be a close game and hoped the Bengals offense could get in sync but it didn’t work out this time. Like these last 3 seasons Burrow has not played much during training camp. This has resulted in the last 2 seasons of a slower start within the first 2 games of the regular season. They will look to get back on track at home vs the Ravens on Sunday for Week 2. A win for the Bengals can out them tied for 1st place in the AFC North with the Ravens. The Browns face the Titans. I look for a drop off with the Browns as RB Henry is in town, I expect Bengals, Browns, and Ravens to be 1-1 after week 2.
Jags came into Indy and beat the Colts 31-21 as I expected them too as the Colts are in rebuild mode this season. Bucs with new starter QB Mayfield (no more Brady) traveled to Minnesota to face the Vikings. Mayfield willed his team to a 20-17 win. The Saints were at home and faced the Titans in a close battle as the Saints pulled away at the very end to get the W 16-15. 49ers steamrolled the Steelers 30-7. Cardinals played at Washington as both are rebuilding and Commanders won a close battle 20-16. Bears hosted the Packers as they faced QB Love (no more Rodgers). Packers took control of the game and won 38-20. Broncos hosted the Raiders and new Raiders QB Garoppolo edged out Broncos QB Wilson to get the win 17-16. Dolphins and Charges had a high scoring game as the Dolphins outlasted the Charges to get the W 36-34. Eagles faced the Patriots with Patriots newly acquired RB Elliott. He had a solid all around game with rushing and catching passes minus his fumble. Eagles took care of business winning 25-20. Rams went to Seattle and roasted the Seahawks 30-13. However, the most lopsided win of the day belongs to the Giants vs Cowboys game as the Giants must have forgot there was a game and lost 40-0. Ouch!!!
The night cap was the anticipated Jets vs Bills as QB Aaron Rodgers made his first start as a Jet. Introductions were loud and proud and Aaron got to lead the team onto the field. This would be his most running and production he could give. 4 plays into his season as the Jets QB1 he got tackled and took a bad step which resulted in a ruptured Achilles. His season is over even before it could begin. It is a massive blow to this Jets team as they had free agents sign on to play with Rodgers. Example is his best friend and longtime Packers WR Cobb. Also former Packer WR Lazard. RB Cook also signed on. Bills had their chances but Allen got too wild and threw 3 interceptions and a fumble. That hurt their offense flow and they lost at the end in OT as a punt return TD by undrafted rookie WR Xavier Gipson ran back the game winning TD for 65 yards! QB Zach Wilson is the starter again as he had struggled as he was their former starter. Will he be able to stay consistent to help them get enough wins to be a playoff team? Or will they have to wait until next year to hopefully have Rodgers back and health for at least 1 to 2 more years before he hangs up his cleats for good?
Stay tuned for Week 2 as it begins Thursday night Vikings @ Eagles!!
The NFL season has finally arrived. On Sunday September 10th the Bengals will be facing the Browns in Cleveland to open up their season. This will be the 100th Battle of Ohio !!!
This will be the first season opener for Burrow playing an away game. CB Chidobe Awuzie is healthy and back after suffering his season ending injury last year in October when they were facing the Browns. It is fitting he gets to play his first game back against them. Awuzie is the #1 CB for the Bengals. The defense is healthy and with new starters at Safety with Hill and Scott. The defense is ready to help set the tone and the offense is ready to get out there and play consistent with passing and running keeping defenses in a squirm trying to figure out how to contain everyone.
The Bengals are looking to win their 3rd AFC North Division in a row and make it back to the AFC Championship for a 3rd time in a row then to the Super Bowl 2 times in last 3 years. This team is built for success and the core of the team is here as contract extensions keep getting signed. I believe the Bengals will be back in the playoffs and be able to get back to the Super Bowl and win it all. This team is accomplishing so many achievements breaking team records as a team and individuals. Only thing left now is to come home with the Lombardi Trophy.
The Browns are looking to see what they have as a team with QB Watson as the starter from the start of the season. They are always a solid defense and their offense goes in waves. Watson has to play consistent in order for them to win. I think they will win 8 or 9 games. With Bengals, Ravens, and Steelers in the AFC North with them it will be hard for them to win.
The Bengals time is now. Let’s begin the season getting the W right out of the gate and setting the tone!
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