The San Francisco 49ers willed their way to the Super Bowl after they had a tough battle with the Lions in the NFC Championship game. The Chiefs went into Baltimore calm cool and collective. The Ravens lost their cool as a team as early as the middle of the first quarter. They could never get in rhythm as an offense. Chiefs managed the game well. Ravens had a poor game plan for defense against the Chiefs and the Ravens offense would not do what they do best and that is run the football. Chiefs won and are in Vegas to face the 49ers.
Both teams are as healthy as they can be late into this season. All the cards are on the table. Who will be able to use their ace and win this Super Bowl?
I predict Chiefs outlast the 49ers and with their experience win 27 – 20. Chiefs can become the first football team to win back – to – back Super Bowls since Tom Brady and the Patriots did it in 2003 & 2004.
Good luck to both teams!
I can’t wait for next season as Burrow and the Bengals will come back with a vengeance and settle some unfinished business. Road to Glory to New Orleans begins now for the Bengals!!!
The Bengals hosted the Browns in the final regular season game winning 31 -14. Browns did not play many starters and the Bengals played theirs 3/4’s and some half of the game. Joe Mixon ran for 111 yards and a TD and caught a TD. He got his 1,000 yards rushing for the season and is now #2 all time in Bengals history with 40 rushing TD passes. Chase got his 4 receptions he needed in the first half to complete 100 catches on the season. Trey Hendrickson got a sack to give him a personal best 17.5 sacks for the season and 2nd in the NFL Sack leaders. Safety – Battle had his first career INT and Rookie Princeton WR Andrei Iosivas had 2 TDs. Browning played solid passing 18/24 for 156 yards and 3 TDs. QB AJ McCarron came into the game in the 4th quarter and went 3-4 passing for 20 yards. WR Boyd caught 1 pass marking his catches to 513 catches for 6,000 yards.
Bengals finish the season 9-8. This is not the season they expected but they stayed together as a group and fought hard. This will make them even better going into next season.
For this years playoffs there are many teams that can win it all. Key is they need to be healthy. Right now I feel on the NFC the 49ers have the best shot at making it to the Super Bowl and possibly winning. On the AFC I think the Bills have the best opportunity to make it to the Super Bowl and win. They are healthy and starting to get hot at the right time.
Next season, 2024, the Bengals Super Bowl opportunity will be in New Orleans. It is fitting the Bengals make it and win it as Burrow and Chase won their national championship there. The Bengals youth on defense gained a lot of experience this year and on offense found form as the season went on. Look for Burrow to have an amazing season and lead this Bengals team to winning the Lombardi Trophy.
Going into the last half of December the Bengals had some life remaining of making the playoffs in such a crazy season where many starting QBs had season ending injuries in the middle of the season. The starting QBs that got hurt this season are the following:
QB
Team
Type of Injury
Games Missed
Aaron Rodgers
Jets
Achilles
Season
Anthony Richardson
Colts
Shoulder
Season
Deshaun Watson
Browns
Shoulder
Season
Daniel Jones
Giants
Knee
Season
Kirk Cousins
Vikings
Achilles
Season
Joe Burrow
Bengals
Wrist
Season
Justin Herbert
Chargers
Finger
Season
Ryan Tannehill
Titans
Ankle
Benched
Jimmy Garoppolo
Raiders
Back
Benched
Bengals faced the Vikings at home on Saturday December 16th. Both teams fought hard and it went into OT where the Bengals won 27 – 24 !! Higgins made a game tying TD at the end of the fourth quarter. That catch and score will go down as one of the best ones of the season.
Bengals then traveled to Pittsburgh and fell short losing 34 – 11. Browning had his poorest game as a starter making silly mistakes for interceptions that cost the Bengals a chance to win.
Last week Bengals traveled to the Kansas City Chiefs where they fought hard. Defense bent but did not break giving up field goals. Bengals had a chance in the 4th to tie so they could go into OT in a very close game (like many of these matchups). Bengals fell short 25 – 17 and this loss cost them a playoff opportunity as they needed to beat the Steelers and Browns to have a shot at the playoffs.
Next week the Bengals finish the season at home versus the Browns. Chase is a few catches away from 100. Mixon is close to another 1,000 yard rushing season. Trey Hendrickson is setting personal and team records for sacks in a season. Can he get another sack this upcoming game? I think so. Bengals are playing to win. As of now we are not sure how many starters will play to end the season and the Browns are going to play mostly 2nd and 3rd string players.
Who will win the Super Bowl this year? I think the 49ers, Ravens, and Cowboys have the best opportunities if they are healthy in the playoffs and in the Super Bowl.
Bengals will bounce back and prepare for next season as the Super Bowl will be in New Orleans. What a story line this upcoming season can be for the Bengals and Joe Burrow. Can Burrow and Chase get back to New Orleans where they won their National Championship in college? Can they then win the Super Bowl? They would be on of the few to ever make it back to where they won in college and then to win the Super Bowl there. As for this season the players gave it their all even as Burrow was hurt and had to miss half the season. The fans cheered them on and the support for this Bengals group is amazing.
Good luck to all the playoff teams and finishing this season. I can’t wait to get ready for next year!
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.
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