Also on offense, Burton needs to play as the WR3 ... watch this clip of how he eats up space. 

 

They should have thrown this like 5 times to Burton at least ... 

 

In Week 9 of the 2021 season, the Bengals lost 41-16 at home to Cleveland, and had given up 34 points in a loss to the Jets the week before. The defense had given up 75 points in two games, the record stood at 5-4 and the team wasn't giving us much to be confident about.  In Week 8 of the 2022 season, they lost 32-13 at Cleveland and stood at 4-4, and again looked like anything but a playoff team. Granted, we're looking at 3-5 this year and not 5-4 or 4-4, but looking like dogshit at midseason is nothing new for this team. So, I'm gonna hold out hope for another week or two.

 

Another point is that they are currently 1.5 games out of the final wildcard spot, with two teams to overtake to reach the #7 spot. If their postseason hopes are over, as so many are saying (not necessarily here but on X), then the AFC playoff field is basically set after Week 8, with only eight teams left to compete for the seven spots. Otherwise, the Bengals are out of it but the teams below them are not, which doesn't really make sense.

 

But as @BlackJesus said, they either have to go 2-0 in the next two or 6-1 in the last seven.

The Ray-duhs will certainly be a chance for a “feel good” game. They need something to feel good about.
 

Bitching about coaches and parts of the team make-up is fine for the folks on the watching side…and thankfully—so far—there hasn’t been anything from the guys who entertain us. 

I missed the game. Looked at the final score and that's it. I can't bring myself to look at the stat sheets on this one. Much less watch the highlights.  Lets just forget all about this Eagles game.  Joe we are going to win 11 games.   

9 minutes ago, Catfish Bob said:

I missed the game. Looked at the final score and that's it. I can't bring myself to look at the stat sheets on this one. Much less watch the highlights.  Lets just forget all about this Eagles game.  Joe we are going to win 11 games.   

 

 

Same here but I did look at the stat sheets.  After last weeks win, (made possible by a fluke 100 yard K.O. return to start the game and the

Browns getting down to their 3rd string QB before the game was over), a few on here were bragging about the Bengals holding the Browns to something like 2.2 yards a carry like all is fixed since Rankins was healthy and Jackson was coming off I.R.  The Browns OL has been hit with the "injury bug," probably harder than any other teams OL.  Their 2nd and 3rd string RB's are not going to cause defensive coordinator's to lose sleep and Chubb was making his 1st start in

13 months coming back from a major knee injury!  Wilson and Pratt are both in the top 6 in tackles so far this season because  

NO ONE on the DL can stop a nosebleed let alone anything resembling an NFL run game/scheme and it's NOT because the Bengals let

D.J. Reader walk in F.A., because the last 2 seasons WITH Reader the Bengals were still bottom 5 in stopping the run!  Barkley went for

108 yards and I think as a team the Eagles went for a hair over 160 yards.  I was surprised Barkley himself didn't go over 160 yards and the

Eagles as a team didn't go over 200 yards rushing!  Meanwhile, the Chiefs, with a little less than $1.5 million in cap space and being the only

undefeated team in the league are making moves left and right to better themselves while the Bengals sit on their HEADS, (because the entire

F.O. has their head's up their asses), are standing pat with not only a mediocre to less than mediocre team but coaching staff as well!  A DIRECT

reflection of ownership and the F.O.!  The 2 season run of a SB appearance and AFC championship game appearance is looking more and more like a fluke

than a building block for the future and with the Ja'Marr Chase contract situation on the horizon and the way the Bengals operate, it's not going to 

get any better because even with the cap going up year after year, after signing Chase to a giant contract, IF they are even competent enough to do it,

that will be the excuse as to why they can't get any top tier FA's!!  It use to be the Bengals can't get any top FA's because they suck so bad when all along

it's been ownership/F.O. ineptitude because that's the only common denominator between then and now!  This team is playing a last place schedule

and after 8 games they're 3-5 overall and 0-4 at home!!  If I were a season ticket holder, I'd be furious with the wash, rinse, repeat "modus operandi,"

of the Bengals!  Joe can stand up there and spew the company line all he wants and with his contract and position as QB, maybe that's expected but

don't piss on me and try to tell me it's raining because there's no way this team is winning 10 games!  3 wins against teams who COMBINED have a 

record of 5-18!

 

 

 

 

 

 

10-7 is the consensus threshold for making the playoffs (likely helped by Burrow's comment), but seven teams of 9-8, 8-8, or 9-7-1 have made the playoffs in the four years since the league went to seven teams per conference in 2020:

 

2020: CHI (8-8)

2021: PHI (9-8) and PIT (9-7-1)

2022: NYG (9-7-1), SEA (9-8) and MIA (9-8)

2023: GB (9-8)

 

Twelve teams have gone 9-8 or better in those four years and failed to make the playoffs, so the chances of getting in with 9-8 are about 37% overall, but that middle group of teams that includes LAC, DEN, IND, CIN seems pretty mid (NYJ and PIT may end up in that mix of near-.500 teams, as well), so the chances of getting in this year might be better than the historical average. Obviously we nor the team should be thinking in those terms, but it might provide one last glimmer of hope once if they lose Thursday (or if they later reach eight losses). Right now, DEN is the #7 seed at 5-4, followed by IND and the Bengals at 4-5.

 

Oh, and only one team has won 10 games and failed to make the playoffs since the 7-team field began:  MIA (10-6 in 2020)

9 wins may get you in. 10 wins will get you in. Generally speaking.

 

The one good thing for us is that it is still within our power to own all critical tie-breakers. We play the Chargers & Broncos. And even within the AFC North, as long as the Ratbirds & Squealers split their 2 games, we still determine whether we win the division or not.

 

But it's a good news/bad news thing. With Burrow, we have a shot against anybody, home or away. But we have so many holes elsewhere, it really tempers any optimism you can muster.

I hope I'm wrong, but I just go back to the 2nd half of last week against Philly and I cannot accumulate any hope for anything in the post season. We do well against bad teams, come close to the best teams, and get our asses kicked by good-ish teams. It doesn't make sense.

Although things look dire right now, I still don't plan to give up until the 9th loss or mathematical elimination. It will take 6-1 to get to 10-7 or 5-2 to get to 9-8. As long as Zac gives up play calling and they replace most of the players on defense, they'll be fine.

 

Here's what's left:

 

@LAC (5-3)

PIT (6-2)

@DAL (3-5)

@TEN (2-6)

CLE (2-7)

DEN (5-4)

@PIT (6-2)

 

LAC, PIT, and DEN are not as good as their records. They've played soft schedules. But if I'm being honest, I see 9-8, with a split against Pittsburgh and one more loss. The teams currently in it for the #6 and #7 playoff spots are LAC, DEN, IND, CIN, and NYJ. Two of those five will get in, possibly with a 9-8 record.

 

 

4 minutes ago, Bleeds Orange said:

Although things look dire right now, I still don't plan to give up until the 9th loss or mathematical elimination. It will take 6-1 to get to 10-7 or 5-2 to get to 9-8. As long as Zac gives up play calling and they replace most of the players on defense, they'll be fine.

 

Here's what's left:

 

@LAC (5-3)

PIT (6-2)

@DAL (3-5)

@TEN (2-6)

CLE (2-7)

DEN (5-4)

@PIT (6-2)

 

LAC, PIT, and DEN are not as good as their records. They've played soft schedules. But if I'm being honest, I see 9-8, with a split against Pittsburgh and one more loss. The teams currently in it for the #6 and #7 playoff spots are LAC, DEN, IND, CIN, and NYJ. Two of those five will get in, possibly with a 9-8 record.

 

 

 

 

This is where I am at too. I don't think Pitt is as good as their record. I also think we can beat Denver.  The Chargers have beaten the Raiders, Panthers, Broncos, Saints and Browns. I don't think any of those teams are particularly good. 

 

I think we either run the table the rest of the season and make it to 10-7 or we spit with Pitt and go 9-8, both give us a chance at the 7 seed, which right now would take us into Buffolo.

 

What we can't do is get swept by the Steelers. But if we do, we don't deserve to be in the playoff anyway.

 

1 hour ago, Jamie_B said:

 

 

This is where I am at too. I don't think Pitt is as good as their record. I also think we can beat Denver.  The Chargers have beaten the Raiders, Panthers, Broncos, Saints and Browns. I don't think any of those teams are particularly good. 

 

I think we either run the table the rest of the season and make it to 10-7 or we spit with Pitt and go 9-8, both give us a chance at the 7 seed, which right now would take us into Buffolo.

 

What we can't do is get swept by the Stealers. But if we do, we don't deserve to be in the playoff anyway.

I think they can win all their remaining games.The Ravens,are better than,all the rest of the teams the Bengals have left to play,IMO.And the Bengals, had them beat in their house.The officiating,cost them the game.

Winning at the Chargers will be tough, if for no other reason than overcoming the emotional drain from last night's game. (having a few extra days off may offset that, though) We very well could/should win the next 5 after that. Then we finish in Pittsburgh.

 

Heading into last night, we had room for 2 losses to still finish at 10-7. We used up one of our mulligans, which many expected us to. (just not in quite such gut-wrenching fashion)

 

That means our playoff chances come down to splitting our games at San Diego Los Angeles and at Pittsburgh. If we beat the Chargers, the final game will be for seeding. If we lose next week, the final game will be do or die.

 

We are still very much alive for a playoff spot. But given how this season has gone, we'll probably head to Pittsburgh at 9-7 in a "win and you're in" situation, take a 14-point lead into the 4th quarter and lose on some previously-never-seen play in NFL history, probably abetted by some level of referee incompetence.

 

Just enough success to give us the worst possible draft position w/o making the playoffs.

31 minutes ago, KA14_HOF said:

Winning at the Chargers will be tough

 

If we have Tee back we can win. If we'd have had him in Baltimore we'd have won.

 

1 hour ago, KA14_HOF said:

and lose on some previously-never-seen play in NFL history, probably abetted by some level of NFL skullduggery 

FIXT

1 hour ago, CincyInDC said:

 

If we have Tee back we can win. If we'd have had him in Baltimore we'd have won.

 

 

The fact that Joe did what he did with packages that consisted of the likes of Chase-Iosivas-Gesicki-Sample and Chase-Irwin-Gesicki-Hudson speaks while getting hammered from up the middle speaks volumes to how good that MFer is.  And really, should have won even without Tee.  But, HeS oNlY gOoD wItH tWo ElItE rEcEiVeRs.

2 hours ago, CincyInDC said:

 

If we have Tee back we can win. If we'd have had him in Baltimore we'd have won.

 

Only if Tee can get pressure/sacks on the QB...

Once Joevember hits ...

 

Best QB on planet Earth ...