How do you see Cinci's season going from now?

[Hunter2_1]

8	Sun, Oct 31	@New York
9	Sun, Nov 7	vsCleveland
10	BYE WEEK
11	Sun, Nov 21	@Las Vegas
12	Sun, Nov 28	vsPittsburgh
13	Sun, Dec 5	vsLos Angeles
14	Sun, Dec 12	vsSan Francisco
15	Sun, Dec 19	@Denver
16	Sun, Dec 26	vsBaltimore
17	Sun, Jan 2	vsKansas City
18	Sun, Jan 9	@Cleveland

 

 

Then I saw Ja'marr Chase....Now I'm a Belieeever! Not a trace, of doubt in my mind!

 

I weren't buying them until now. And it's not just the win over Baltimore, but according to DVOA charts, they're also the 5th best defensive team in the league. Already thought Burrow was the real deal, and now Chase is emerging as a bona fide superstar as a rookie. 

How does the rest of the season play out ?

 

Edited October 27, 2021 by Hunter2_1

[MSURacerDT55]

Regardless of what happens, they are going to be a force for the foreseeable future (Given Burrow stays healthy) 

[Johnny Nix]

Staying healthy (knock on wood) has been the biggest difference maker this year. With how they’ve played thus far, and with some of these other “tough” teams struggling and injured, 10 wins seems like the floor at this point. Burrow seems to get better every week as he continues to recover from injury and the OL is gelling. The defense really has been awesome, they have a bend but don’t break mentality, and are keeping us in the game until the offense starts to click. It’s an exciting time to be a Bengals fan for sure, but as always I try to keep my expectations tempered. 

[August4th]

11-6/10-7. that playoff win drought could come to a end

[Hunter2_1]

7 minutes ago, Johnny Nix said:

Staying healthy (knock on wood) has been the biggest difference maker this year. With how they’ve played thus far, and with some of these other “tough” teams struggling and injured, 10 wins seems like the floor at this point. Burrow seems to get better every week as he continues to recover from injury and the OL is gelling. The defense really has been awesome, they have a bend but don’t break mentality, and are keeping us in the game until the offense starts to click. It’s an exciting time to be a Bengals fan for sure, but as always I try to keep my expectations tempered. 

What's been the difference for the defense? Any individuals standing out? 

[MWil23]

Regression back towards the mean, wildcard team. I think they lose at least 2 of their remaining 4 divisional games in some capacity, and we'll see what happens with the Chiefs, Raiders and Broncos both on the road, and 49ers as to which of those teams shows up on any given Sunday.

I think that Cincinnati, while playing great, has MAJOR depth issues, and if they get dinged up, they could have that bottom fall completely out from under them.

[FrantikRam]

The next two games probably will tell the story of their season. They should win both and be 7-2 going into the bye. That will prevent them from panicking once they inevitably drop some of those tougher games.

So - if they win the next two and go into the by at 7-2, I see them as 11-6 AFC Champs

If they drop one of the next two, I think they'll end up a 9-10 win team and will be a wildcard team.

[Hunter2_1]

Intrigued to see what they do against CLE. Probably robbed of a legit test though, given Baker and ALL their RBs are out. Still, should be a good game.

They ought to blow the doors off NYJ

[AFlaccoSeagulls]

I feel like they could go into the BYE losing to Cleveland, and then out of the bye, man that schedule is tough. One way or another if they make the playoffs there's no doubt they will have earned it, but that 2nd half is rough.

[MWil23]

3 minutes ago, Hunter2_1 said:

Intrigued to see what they do against CLE. Probably robbed of a legit test though, given Baker and ALL their RBs are out. Still, should be a good game.

They ought to blow the doors off NYJ

Meh, Chubb is back to practicing this week and is likely to play, and Baker may also play hurt...so who knows.

[MWil23]

13 minutes ago, FrantikRam said:

The next two games probably will tell the story of their season. They should win both and be 7-2 going into the bye.

Should...interesting. They may win against Cleveland, but it'll be on the road and the Browns should have Conklin and Chubb back. They might win, but projecting it as a "should" I find interesting.

[Matts4313]

49 minutes ago, Hunter2_1 said:

Then I saw Ja'marr Chase....Now I'm a Belieeever! Not a trace, of doubt in my mind!

Thanks for putting this in my head, satan.

[SmittyBacall]

34 minutes ago, MWil23 said:

I think that Cincinnati, while playing great, has MAJOR depth issues, and if they get dinged up, they could have that bottom fall completely out from under them.

Can you elaborate? Certainly the depth on the OL is an issue, but I don’t see much elsewhere. 

[MWil23]

1 minute ago, SmittyBacall said:

Can you elaborate? Certainly the depth on the OL is an issue, but I don’t see much elsewhere. 

Sure. Aside from the OL that you mentioned, I don't think they're very deep at all in their Front 7 on Defense, which is a year removed from being a dumpster fire.

[Johnny Nix]

45 minutes ago, Hunter2_1 said:

What's been the difference for the defense? Any individuals standing out? 

Really we have drafted a lot of smart athletic players that understand responsibilities, and Logan Wilson has made a huge jump this year, he is an Elite MLB this year. We’ve brought in some great FA pieces in Trey Hendrickson, DJ Reader, Larry Ogunjobi, Von Bell, and Chido Awuzie who are all playing at a high level. Jessie Bates continues to be an underrated Elite safety, and Sam Hubbard continues to play great unselfish ball.