Welcome, Guest!
Avatar of Craig

by Craig

Bengals vs. Cowboys Game Preview

December 9, 2012 in Bengals Game Previews, Bengals News

After a tragic day for the Cowboys and the rest of the NFL that resulted in Jerry Brown sadly passing away and Josh Brent arrested and charged with manslaughter, today’s game will be played with heavy hearts. It’s not easy to talk about a tragedy that ended a life and then transition into football, but the players are all forced to do it today, the Chiefs were forced to do it last week, and it just reminds me of the famous line by The Beatles, “O-bla-di, o-bla-da, life goes on”.

Today’s game will be an emotional game, but it also an extremely important game for both sides. The Cowboys are 6-6 and are one game behind the Giants for the division lead, and one game behind the Seahawks for the final NFC Wildcard spot. The Bengals are currently tied at 7-5 with the Steelers for the final AFC Wildcard spot, but if the season ended now, they would miss the playoffs as a result of losing the tie breaker to the Steelers. This game has huge playoff implications for both teams, the winner will be one game closer to making the post season, while the loser will need some help to make the playoffs.

The Cowboys have won three of their last four and are getting hot at the right time, but the Bengals have won their last four games. This game is primed to be a great game that can come down to the wire.

For the Bengals to win, they will need to do a good job of limiting Dez Bryant’s impact on the game, and not allow DeMarco Murray to get going. Additionally, the Bengals will need to keep lighting it up with Andy Dalton finding his receivers for big plays.

1 Comment »

Avatar of Craig

by Craig

Dalton Shows Up Palmer in 34-10 Rout Against Raiders

November 25, 2012 in Bengals Games, Bengals News

andy_dalton

Photo by: Patric Schneider/Icon SMI

Before the 2011 NFL season, Carson Palmer told the Cincinnati Bengals to trade him or he’ll retire, so the Bengals responded by drafting quarterback Andy Dalton. Palmer was eventually dealt to the Raiders for a load of draft picks, and today was the first time Palmer has returned to Cincinnati to play the Bengals since walking away from the team. The Bengals, and Andy Dalton, showed him up and let him know that he is not missed.

Following the rout against the Raiders, the Bengals are now 6-5, are currently riding a three game winning streak, and their playoff hopes are higher than they have been all season. They are now tied at 6-5 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the have a light schedule until week 16 when they will meet the Steelers again in Pittsburgh.

In the Bengals dominating victory over Carson Palmer and the Raiders, Andy Dalton only completed 16 of his 30 attempts, but three of those completions went for touchdowns, and he threw for 210 yards. A.J. Green only caught three of his nine targets, but those three receptions went for 111 yards. The most impressive player of the game for the Bengals was Benjarvus Green-Ellis, he ran for 129 yards on 19 carries, and made it into the end zone to start the Bengals early onslaught against the Raiders.

Next week the Bengals will travel to the west coast to play the San Diego Chargers.

1 Comment »

Avatar of Craig

by Craig

Game Preview: Bengals vs Raiders

November 25, 2012 in Bengals Game Previews, Bengals News

carson_palmer

Photo by: Daniel Gluskoter/Icon SMI

The Bengals have crawled their way out of the abyss and are now 5-5 and only one game behind the Pittsburgh Steelers for the wildcard spot in the AFC. They will look to continue their surge to get over .500 once again when they host the Oakland Raiders at 1:00pm EST today. The Oakland Raiders will be without their star running back, Darren McFadden, but so far this season he has been a major disappointment and Marcel Reece may be the better option for them anyways.

The Bengals have been firing on all cylinders on both offense and defense in their past two games when they annihilated both the Giants and Chiefs. They will look to continue their recent dominance today against the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders have been hot and cold all season, so although they are 3-7, they can’t be taken lightly.

The Bengals will be looking to make a late season surge to make the playoffs for the second season in row, and fortunately for them, they will get another chance against Pittsburgh, and have four games against teams with losing records before their December 23rd date with the Steelers.

The biggest challenge in today’s game will be stopping Reece and putting pressure on Carson Palmer. Palmer has had success with his speedy receivers when he has had time in the pocket, but when pressured he hasn’t looked too great. And he will likely be trying to get some revenge against the Bengals, his former team, so the Bengals will need to be in his face the entire game.

2 Comments »

Avatar of Craig

by Craig

Bengals vs. Broncos Game Preview

November 4, 2012 in Bengals Game Previews, Bengals News

demaryius_thomas

Photo by: Ric Tapia/Icon SMI

The Cincinnati Bengals will face a tough test on Sunday when they host Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. The Broncos have been on fire lately and lead their division with a 4-3 record, however, three of those wins came in their last four games. On the other hand, the Bengals have had a tough time improving on their 2011 season which earned them a wildcard spot in the playoffs. Don’t expect a quarterback duel, because that is not a fight the Bengals will win, what the Bengals must look to do is limit Manning’s big plays, and hope that they can establish a running game with the law firm.

The Bengals will have a very tough time match up today against the Broncos explosive receivers, but in order to mitigate the Broncos ability to make big plays, the Bengals will need to get after Peyton Manning and force him to rush his throws or not give him the time he needs to survey the field for his play makers. Fortunately for the Bengals, this is a home game, and Bengals fans will need to create a hostile environment, because a lot is riding on this game. A 3-5 record in the first half of the season will not have the Bengals in the position they want to be in if they expect to make the playoffs for a second consecutive season.

2 Comments »

Avatar of Ben Garrido

by Ben Garrido

Bengals Drop Second Straight in Cleveland

October 16, 2012 in Bengals Games

Two weeks ago I wrote that the Bengals had 3 straight winnable games and had a good shot at getting to 6-1. Well so much for that. If the Bengals do not make the playoffs this season they can look back at these 2 games against Miami at home and at Cleveland, two teams they should be better then.

The problem last week was offense, this week it was defense and turnovers. Dalton was intercepted 3 times and the offense also lost a fumble late in the fourth quarter. Despite these turnovers the Bengals offense nearly played well enough to get a win. The mistake that ended any hope for Cincinnati was when Dalton threw a pick 6 to Sheldon Brown in the 4th quarter which made the score 34-17. Green had another big game, but it was all for naught.

The Bengals defense was not good enough against a team that has had one of the worst offenses in the league to this point. There was a lack of pressure on Weeden through out the game and also, a lack of good coverage. The Browns have one guy that truly is a threat as a wide receiver and that is Josh Gordon. The Bengals knowing this still allowed him to get behind the defense in the first quarter for a 71 yard td. Trent Richardson left with an injury, but backup Montario Hardesty was able to come in and run the ball effectively.

For a team that looked like they were possibly emerging as one of the best teams in the AFC after 4 weeks this is a major setback. Now all of a sudden instead of being talked about as possible AFC North contenders, their season could be in disarray. Now the schedule takes a turn for the worse with games against Pittsburgh, Denver, and the Giants. The Bengals need a find a way to piece things back together quickly or they could be staring at a record under .500 shortly.

2 Comments »

Avatar of Ben Garrido

by Ben Garrido

Week 6: Bengals at Browns

October 14, 2012 in Bengals Game Previews

The Bengals travel to Cleveland on Sunday to battle the 0-5 Browns. The Bengals enter the game at 3-2 coming off a disappointing home performance against Miami. The Bengals will be without starting linebacker Rey Maualuga which may become a bigger problem then people think. Trent Richardson had his coming out party 1 week ago in New Jersey and is not going to be stopped easily.

On paper this appears to be a nice matchup for Cincinnati but this win will not come easy. The Browns are desperate for a win which makes them a dangerous team. They have nothing to play for at this point other then pride and could pull out some interesting tricks. The Bengals better be able to stop Richardson or it might be a long day.

Another problem for the Bengals today is going to be the return of Joe Haden just in time to take on AJ Green. Two of the best young players in the league at their respective positions is going to make this an interesting matchup to watch. The Browns defense is not as bad as it looked last week. The Giants offense is just that good. I put the Bengals on serious upset alert today. As a matter of fact of picking the Browns in this one, 24-21.

2 Comments »

Avatar of Ben Garrido

by Ben Garrido

Bengals Drop Game to Inferior team at Home

October 9, 2012 in Bengals Games

If the Bengals have any aspirations of winning their division and playing home games in January they cannot afford losses such as this. Great teams beat the teams they are supposed to beat. The Bengals failed to do this Sunday falling to the Dolphins 17-13.

Coming into the game Miami was playing some good football but that is still no excuse for Cincinnati. After their season opener against Baltimore the Bengals had won 3 straight games convincingly. Those 3 games turned this into a game that they should not lose. They lost, and it was a poor performance. Early on the offense squandered some opportunities to put up 7. They were able to muster up 2 field goals but a lot of times in this league that does not cut it. After those 2 drives in the first quarter, the offense did not see any success until late in the third quarter. It was by far the worst the Bengals looked offensively since week 1. Credit Miami’s defense for playing as well as they were able to. Bernard Scott was finding success until he was injured and is now lost for the remainder of the season. This is a crucial loss for the offense, Scott is a nice play making compliment to Green-Ellis.

The Bengals defense was able to stop Ryan Tannehill for most of the day but with the lack of offense it did not matter. In the redzone, the Bengals did not let Tannehill beat them but they did let the Dolphins running game beat them as they ran for 2 tds. Overall the defense played well enough to win and this one was mainly on Andy Dalton and company. As good as Dalton has been he is not to the point just yet that he can dominate without a balanced offense. For some reason the Bengals did not run the ball much at all with only 19 attempts. This does not add up to me considering they were never far back in this one.

A late missed field goal by Mike Nugent to make the score 17-16 really buried the Bengals as they then still needed a td for the win. Dalton’s late interception sealed their fate for the day. This was a disappointing performance from a team who was beginning to look very good. It is absolutely critical that they put this behind them have a good week of practice and come out firing this Sunday.

1 Comment »

Avatar of Ben Garrido

by Ben Garrido

Week 5 Preview: Bengals vs. Dolphins

October 7, 2012 in Bengals Game Previews

The Bengals enter their week 5 matchup at 3-1, and look to have an outstanding advantage over the 1-3 Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins have been much more competitive then expected with a rookie qb losing 2 in a row in overtime.

Miami is desperate for a victory after the way they have lost the last 2 against the Jets and Arizona. Emotionally these must have been draining on their rookie quarterback. It is up to the Bengals pass rush to disrupt Tannehill’s rhythm so that he cannot get into a groove. He has showed some potential especially with Brian Hartline. Reggie Bush appears to be back to 100 percent so he poses their biggest offensive threat. With the way the Bengals were able to handle Maurice Jones-Drew last week it makes you believe they will be able to handle Bush. Miami has shown they can be dangerous offensively, so the Bengals defense better not take them lightly.

Offensively the Bengals should be able to move the ball against the Miami defense. It all starts with the sophomore sensations Andy Dalton and AJ Green. There has been no sophomore slump for either of them, just vast improvements. Nothing seems like it is going to stop this growing dynamic duo. The run game needs to continue to be successful to keep defenses off balance. Miami has a pretty good front seven so this should be a tougher test then the last 2 weeks for Cincinnati.

Miami might be 1-3 with a rookie quarterback and a lack of big names on offense but they can move the football. They have competed recently and I expect them to do so again today. In the end the Bengals prevail but it might take some late 4th quarter heroics from Dalton and Green. Bengals 24-Dolphins 17.

2 Comments »

Avatar of Ben Garrido

by Ben Garrido

Bengals Add to Their Win Streak in Jacksonville

October 2, 2012 in Bengals Games

The Bengals walked into EverBank Field in Jacksonville worked Jacksonville over with relative ease. The Bengals are starting to hit their stride offensively and defensively making them a tough team to deal with.

Andy Dalton and AJ Green are heading into the conversation as the best quarterback and wide receiver connection in the NFL. I am not saying that Dalton is the best QB in the league but, there chemistry might be better then anyone’s. Green is second in the league in receiving yards, second in yards per game and 5th in receptions. The Bengals have gotten all they could ask for to this point out of the player that they drafted with the fourth pick in 2011.

Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis once again showed that the Bengals are capable of having an effective run to compliment their explosive passing game. The questions that surrounded the Bengals offensive line after preseason because of injuries have been forgotten. This offense is clicking on all cylinders and is proving that the Bengals are prepared to be an elite team in this league.

The worry for the defense entering this game was Jags star running back Maurice Jones-Drew. He was never able to get anything going against this Cincinnati defense. It was an impressive job shutting down one of the league’s top running backs. The pass rush was also on top of their game sacking Blaine Gabbert 6 times.

With the offense and defense both playing the way they are, the Bengals look like a force going forward. The way the  Browns are playing and with the Steelers struggling a bit it could be a two team race in the AFC North between the Bengals and Baltimore.

1 Comment »

Avatar of FT-Blogger

by FT-Blogger

Bengals Have Ace in Green

October 2, 2012 in Bengals Games, Bengals News

When the Cincinnati Bengals went into the 2011 NFL Draft, they knew that they had to rework an offense that badly needed a facelift. Gone were the days of WR TJ Houshmanzadeh and WR Chad Johnson catching passes from QB Carson Palmer. They drafted WR AJ Green and coupled him with QB Andy Dalton, and the two just continue to build a rapport that has made the Bengals a 3-1 team that is 2-1-1 ATS for your NFL picks thus far this year.

Green has been particularly special this year, and he figures to continue on a torrid pace for the rest of the campaign. His first quarter of his sophomore season wrapped up on Sunday with a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Green had six catches for 117 yards and a TD, and he now has three straight games with a trip to the end zone. Green has caught at least five passes in all of his games this year, and he now has 27 receptions, 428 yards, and three scores in total on the campaign.

Prorate that over the course of 16 games, and you’ve got 108 receptions, 1,712 yards, and 12 scores, and no one is counting Green out from creating that type of a season after accounting for 1,057 yards and seven TDs in 15 games last year.

Perhaps the best part this week for Green and his Bengals? They’re going against a Miami Dolphins defense that has allowed 297.8 passing yards per game this year in Week 5.The Fins gave up a 100-yard receiver in three of their first four games this year, and a whopping five men already have at least 65 yards out of the receiver position (not to mention the running back and tight end) this year.

Green should be in for another good one on Sunday, and the Bengals might be ready to move to 4-1 atop the AFC North.

2 Comments »

« Older