Steelers Game Part Deux Recap/Analysis

[Bengals1181]

Kevin Goheen ‏@FSOhio_KGoheen34m

Last time #Bengals allowed 21 pts in 1st qtr of game was 9/28/86 vs. Chicago.

[saphead]

Another Bengal with a jaw wired shut and nobody does jack fucking shit about it. Again

[Bengals1181]

Kevin Goheen ‏@FSOhio_KGoheen6m

#Bengals have scored 49, 41, 42 points their last 3 home games (3-0). They've scored 20, 17, 17, 20 last 4 road games. About to go 1-3.

[BengalRep85-9]

If this team has to go on the road in the playoffs they lose. Period.

[big_dish]

Another Bengal with a jaw wired shut and nobody does jack fucking shit about it. Again

Marvin Lewis teams always get bullied. Never retaliate. At this point, I don't give a shit about sportsmanship. The Stealers make it a point to cheap shot the shit out of our players with intent to do serious harm- and our players sit there and take it like bitches. The bengals under ML will never be anything other soft underperforming wimps that manage to win some games despite their coaching, but will never be tough enough to out bully anyone when the games truly count.

[bigboi]

Another Bengal with a jaw wired shut and nobody does jack fucking shit about it. Again

 

ed hochuli has earned his check tonight,and of course you will not hear any of the talking head in the media talking about it.The way they talked about referee Jeff Triplette giving benjarvus green ellis a touchdown.

[bigboi]

Marvin Lewis teams always get bullied. Never retaliate. At this point, I don't give a shit about sportsmanship. The Stealers make it a point to cheap shot the shit out of our players with intent to do serious harm- and our players sit there and take it like bitches. The bengals under ML will never be anything other soft underperforming wimps that manage to win some games despite their coaching, but will never be tough enough to out bully anyone when the games truly count.

 

in 2006 the Bengals would retaliate, and it would result in the Bengals getting penalized for it.

[fluhartz]

Another Bengal with a jaw wired shut and nobody does jack fucking shit about it. Again

 

 

hines ward approves of this..

 

I fucking hate that team so much... I swear I could't hate anything worse....

[Bgal]

So, what now? Pick a punter up off the street? Sucks extra because he's the holder too.... going to make special teams shaky down the stretch.

[SnickyCat]

So, what now? Pick a punter up off the street? Sucks extra because he's the holder too.... going to make special teams shaky down the stretch.

Yep it sucks but they will obviously have to pick one up. I think Chris Kluwe possibly would be an option.

[Phatcat]

So, what now? Pick a punter up off the street? Sucks extra because he's the holder too.... going to make special teams shaky down the stretch.

 

Very very very tough loss, but what concerns me more is this team was totally beat down in all 3 phases.   

[Orange 'n Black]

I wonder if the fact that half the team had the 24-hour flu in the past few days had anything to do with this. In the pre game show, Lap said that Pacman was spewing out of both ends yesterday.

[Phatcat]

I wonder if the fact that half the team had the 24-hour flu in the past few days had anything to do with this. In the pre game show, Lap said that Pacman was spewing out of both ends yesterday.

 

I hope so...  because I would put this as their worst loss since the Browns.  The final score was kind in how this game really turned out.    Bengals sucked in all 3 phases of this game.   

[ValleyBengal]

If the hit on huber doesn't draw a heavy fine this week, I am officially calling bullshit on the NFL, Goodell and their efforts to reduce concussions and helmet to helmet hits.

[MAGICTOUCH]

I have no idea who all the available punters are, but one I know is available is Zoltan Mesko. He did get let go this year by the squealers but had previously done well with the Patriots, who drafted him in the 5th round. He also holds for place kicks. Apparently it is suspected that going into the 4th year of his contract he was due 1.3 million and rookie Ryan Allen would make $405,000 so the Pats went with Allen. 

 

He is a high character kid that actually I got to meet when he was still at Michigan. He was helping out at a kicking clinic that my son attended. 

 

Reading his wiki page he has quite the interesting story.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoltan_Mesko_(American_football)

[Le Tigre]

Besides Huber, who else was hurt last night, and how bad?

[Bengals1181]

Coley Harvey ‏@ColeyHarvey6h

Kevin Huber's jaw has already been wired shut. #Bengals

[Bengals1181]

Besides Huber, who else was hurt last night, and how bad?

 

 

I think just Harrison's concussion.

[Bengals1181]

Over the powerful airwaves of NBC it looked bad. And it did so in a hurry. Yet, as the dust settled inside the visitor locker room at Heinz Field that feeling didn’t translate to the 53 players coming off the field following Steelers 30, Bengals 20.

Despite a chance to claim the No. 2 seed slipping away like Antonio Brown in the open field, a feeling of confidence and almost defiance overtook the Bengals mentality following the game.

No panic. No concern. Just two wins away from accomplishing the goals they set out to achieve. Michael Johnson offered maybe the most powerful quote of the night as one of the last players still remaining in the locker room.

“We lost a football game,” he said. “Now we are going to come back and win two in a row at home and go into the playoffs and wreak havoc.”

Here’s more from Johnson and others from inside the locker room after the game on the outlook of the team following the loss:

Michael Johnson on the mindset of the team: 

“We let one get away. What we going to do about it? Going to cry? We are going to come to work and get better. We are going to come to work and get better.”

Johnson on if they squandered an opportunity at the No. 2 seed:

“No. We lost a football game. Now we are going to come back and win two in a row at home and go into the playoffs and wreak havoc. We are going to be all right. Nobody should have their head down.”

Andrew Whitworth on if he’s concerned following the loss:

“We had some really bad breaks and you just move forward and try to get on a streak and get back to playing the way you want and treat those for exactly what they were kind of something that for this season I would say is fluke to happen to this football team. Everyone knows that. It’s bad breaks. Now we just need to get on another roll, get ourselves in the playoffs.”

Whitworth on if the team came out flat: 

“I don’t really see the flatness. I see they made two huge plays. We dropped a punt. Once you are down 21-0 you are down 21-0. I don’t really know that there is a flat deal as much as they made a great special  teams play and we dropped a snap, we didn’t get the first down on third-and-1. I don’t think it dictates the game you just wish you maybe got better field position tot whether that would not be possible but I don’t know that it changed anything either way.”

Chris Crocker on disappointment over a missed opportunity: 

“Just disappointing how this game got away from us really early. It got away from us early and we were trying got just save our face and get back into it. I think that’s the most disappointing thing, I don’t think we were thinking about the rest of the league and what they were doing. Really just trying to win the ballgame. Just disappointing how we started.”

Dre Kirkpatrick on how the loss affects him, this team: 

“Just make us want to get hungry get back in the film room and work extra harder to become the team we are destined to be.”

Andy Dalton on the team’s outlook: 

“There is no panic. There’s not extra little bit where we are trying to get frantic. We still have two games at home. If we take care of our business a lot of good things can happen.”

 

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2013/12/16/quotes-of-note-confidence-defiance-from-the-locker-room/

[big_dish]

Wreak havoc? Haha... In big, must win games? Yeah right MJ. The only thing you do in big games is reek.

If this team "wreaks havoc in the next two games and plays two good playoff games I'll shave bengals stripes into head. Pretty sure my hair will be staying intact- at least while Marvin Lewis is the weakling coach of the team.

[saphead]

I also look forward to seeing this 'havoc' from 93.

[Bengals1181]

What it means: Much of the Bengals' focus this season had to do with proving themselves to the rest of the football universe. As a team that has spent much of its history in the lower tier of the AFC, the Bengals entered this season with the belief that many others doubt them, and they even carried that thought with them into this week when a third straight postseason berth was on the line. But in actuality, there were few who doubted the Bengals this past week. There was an overwhelming belief by pundits that they might actually be a force once the postseason began. When the New England Patriots lost to the Miami Dolphins earlier in the day, it seemed a foregone conclusion that Cincinnati would win and retain the No. 2 seeding the Patriots' loss was about to give them. All the Bengals had to do was win. But that didn't happen. They didn't even show up at Heinz Field, and now, like before, the Bengals still have to rely on help from others in order to script their postseason story. With a win, they would have fully controlled their fate. 

Stock watch: Offensive line -- falling. Cincinnati's offensive line has been rather solid all season, consistently ranking among the best in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. The group didn't look quite as strong Sunday, as the Steelers were getting consistent pressure on quarterback Andy Dalton. Most of the pressure came in the first two quarters. It eased a bit in the second half as Pittsburgh was trying to protect the lead and wasn't rushing Dalton quite as regularly. What also helped Dalton was the fact he and his receivers became more committed to running quick-strike screen and slant routes that didn't give the pass rush much time to develop. The early pressure led to Dalton being sacked in the first half for the first time since Nov. 10 at Baltimore. It was the only sack the Bengals' line allowed. 

Injuries pile up: Injuries have ravaged the Bengals all year, and they hit them even harder in this game. With Dre Kirkpatrick starting at cornerback in place of veteran Terence Newman, the Bengals already were down one of their top defenders. Late in the first half, though, they also lost linebacker James Harrison. The former Steeler was run from the game with a concussion in the same quarter that Cincinnati punter Kevin Huber left with a fractured jaw. 

Green short of 100: Bengals receiver A.J. Green was seven yards short of 100. He hasn't gone beyond the 100-yard mark since that same Nov. 10 game when Dalton was previously sacked. He had a chance to do that on the Bengals' last drive, though, but he didn't catch up to a Dalton deep pass. 

What's next? The Bengals will try to get back on track next weekend when they return home and host the Minnesota Vikings in the first of two regular-season games left at Paul Brown Stadium. Minnesota blew past Philadelphia on Sunday, 48-30.

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/cincinnati-bengals/post/_/id/3946/bengals-steelers-nfl-football-rapid-reaction

[Zins30]

I have no idea who all the available punters are, but one I know is available is Zoltan Mesko. He did get let go this year by the squealers but had previously done well with the Patriots, who drafted him in the 5th round. He also holds for place kicks. Apparently it is suspected that going into the 4th year of his contract he was due 1.3 million and rookie Ryan Allen would make $405,000 so the Pats went with Allen. 

 

He is a high character kid that actually I got to meet when he was still at Michigan. He was helping out at a kicking clinic that my son attended. 

 

Reading his wiki page he has quite the interesting story.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoltan_Mesko_(American_football)

 

Is Quinn Sharp still out there? He made up until the last cuts in preseason.  Would at least be familiar with the team, although I'm not sure there's a ton of familiarity needed to punt.

[Bengals1181]

 

Is Quinn Sharp still out there? He made up until the last cuts in preseason.  Would at least be familiar with the team, although I'm not sure there's a ton of familiarity needed to punt.

 

 

he is indeed.  

 

 

However, is it needed?  I see no reason why Huber can't punt with his jaw wired shut.  It's very rare that punters get hit, or touched at all.  

 

Last night was an out of the norm cheap hit.

[Bengals1181]

PITTSBURGH – The Bengals went to Heinz Field Sunday night with a chance to show the rest of the NFL they are more than just playoff participants. They left with a puzzling 30-20 loss to Pittsburgh team on the verge of missing the playoffs for a second straight 
season. 

It wasn’t so shocking that the Bengals lost. How they lost was a surprise and will keep eyebrows raised when it comes to questions of just how good is this team. 

Three special teams gaffs in the first quarter led to the Steelers taking a 21-0 lead at the end of the first 15 minutes. The Bengals, who have scored 40 or more points in their last three home games for the first time in franchise history, were held to no more than 20 points for the fourth consecutive road game. A defense that has prided itself all season on tackling and getting off the field didn’t do either very well. 

The Bengals were playing catch-up all night long on all three fronts. It’s a scenario they’ve faced before and just like games at Cleveland, Miami and Baltimore before it was a recipe for an L. 

New England’s loss earlier in the day at Miami had opened the door for the Bengals to take control of the AFC’s No. 2 playoff seed with two games to play.  Now at 9-5, the Bengals still control their fate. At 9-5 they are still in first place in the AFC North, although Baltimore can make it a one-game advantage with two games left by winning in Detroit Monday night. With the last two games against Minnesota and Baltimore at Paul Brown Stadium, where the Bengals are 6-0, they are still in shape to get to the playoffs for 
a third straight season.

But more is expected this season. Sunday night offered them a chance to grab something more but instead the game looked all too familiar, and not in a good way.

“We didn’t make anything happen,” said head coach Marvin Lewis. “If you don’t play good, you’re going to get beat. If you don’t make things happen you’re going to lose the football game. That’s what happened. 

“It surprised me (how we played), but we did.” 

Punter Kevin Huber bobbled a snap near the goal line and was tackled at the 1-yard line, setting up Pittsburgh’s first touchdown of the game. Cedric Peerman was ruled to have called for a fair catch on a short kickoff, negating a decent return and forcing the Bengals to start at their own 9. The offense gained one net yard on six plays, Huber punted the ball away but couldn’t flip field position and the Steelers turned the short field into a second touchdown.

Antonio Brown made it 21-0 with a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown with 1:12 left in the first quarter. Adding insult to injury – literally – Huber was knocked from the game on a vicious block by Steelers backup linebacker Terence Garvin. Huber was watching Brown, trying to look for an angle to take and never saw Garvin. 

Huber’s jaw is broken and wired shut. No official announcement has been made but chances are a Pro Bowl-caliber season for him is finished. Kicker Mike Nugent punted twice in place of Huber the rest of the game but the Bengals are already setting up replacement tryouts for this week. 

The offense managed minus-9 net yards in the first quarter. By the time running back Giovani Bernard scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 5:14 left in the second quarter it was only good enough to cut the Steelers’ lead to 24-7.

“It was surprising at the beginning but obviously if you have a first half like that you’re not going to win too many ball games,” said center Kyle Cook. “When one thing goes astray and goes bad and then snowballs on top of it, it’s hard to recover from it, especially on the road. By the time we actually got around to recovering from it, moving the ball and scoring points, by then it’s too late.”

There was no sense of panic in the Bengals postgame locker room. This team hasn’t panicked all season. Sunday was the sixth time it has found itself trailing by double digits in a game. It came back from 16 points to beat Green Bay and from 13 points down to beat Cleveland. Both of those games were at home. They came back from 14 points at Miami and 17 points at Baltimore before losing in overtime. 

No matter what happened Sunday, the Bengals will only change perceptions of them in January. They’ve got two more games left to prove they belong playing in January.

“We are still in control of everything,” said quarterback Andy Dalton. “That’s where we want to be right now. There is no panic. There’s no extra little bit where we are trying to get frantic. We still have two games at home. If we take care of business a lot of good things can happen. We have to play well these next two weeks.”

 

http://www.foxsportsohio.com/nfl/cincinnati-bengals/story/Bengals-lay-egg-in-prime-time?blockID=973229&feedID=3724