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3 Keys to the Game: Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens

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Here we are, Cincinnati Bengals fans – Christmas Eve!

Our old friends the Baltimore Ravens come to town for a high-noon kickoff tomorrow. We must say, it looks like a match-up that’s in Cincinnati’s favor. A win would be big because it gives us huge momentum, as well as the upper hand over a division rival right off the bat. Also, we don’t necessarily love the fact that Baltimore isn’t at full strength, but ……. well, actually, yes we do.

Let’s break down what we believe are the three keys to a Bengals’ win.

3 Keys to a Cincinnati Bengals Win

  1. Go after Joe. Joe Flacco will start, but he has been hurt and missed all of training camp and the preseason. Add to that the fact that he’s about as successful in Paul Brown Stadium (2-6 in the last 8 games, 5 TDs, 12 picks) as Dr. Evil is in taking over the world. It’s a situation that should make the Cincinnati pass rushers (remember, we’ve got Chris Smith and Jordan Willis now) giddy. Put some pressure on him, maybe a hit or two or 15, and their passing attack will crumble.
  2. Get our downfield passing game going. This one is almost a given when you have someone named AJ Green on your team. But we also drafted someone named John Ross. And there’s this guy we’ve been seeing named Tyler Eifert, who can go over the middle. And the Ravens D ranked 28th in the NFL last year in passing TDs. Score a few touchdowns and John Harbaugh’s squad will be forced to play catch-up with a rusty and gimpy quarterback. Getting to that point depends on how much time QB Andy Dalton gets from the offensive line. Speaking of which …
  3. Solid line play. Anyone who has read our blog more than once knows the O-line has been the team’s most concerning area. Baltimore is a good opponent to start with for us, since they only tallied 31 sacks last season. It’ll be a great confidence boost to our big uglies if they can keep Dalton upright. Plus, if we can establish a big-enough lead, they can practice some run blocking to use up clock late in the game.

So get ready, Cincinnati Bengals fans. We’ve waited a long time. And it’s about time we get back to the postseason. The first step is tomorrow.

Preseason Game 3 Recap: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Washington Redskins

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The Cincinnati Bengals looked good on Sunday, even if the scoreboard didn’t. A 23-17 loss to the Washington Redskins doesn’t seem so bad when you consider how well the Cincinnati starters played. Andy Dalton performed like his usual self and remained upright thanks to a solid effort by the offensive line. The team rushed for 137 yards. Yet again, ends Jordan Willis, Chris Smith and Carl Lawson got sacks. You get the feeling that the team is starting to get excited about the regular season. We know we are.

How Things Went

The first drive featured just about everything you could want. It was a 15-play, 87-yard effort that took almost 9 minutes off the clock and ended with a touchdown. Even more impressive was that the Cincinnati Bengals accounted for 99% of the offense in the first quarter. You read that right. There were 100 yards gained from scrimmage in the first 15 minutes. Washington had one of them. You walk 10 times farther than that to use the john at the commercial break.

Andy Dalton went 8/13 for 70 yards and looked comfy in the pocket. AJ Green caught 4 of the 6 passes that came his way. Giovanni Bernard averaged 6.3 yards per carry. Aw yeah.

Cincinnati Bengals Player of the Game

Dalton and Green looked in mid-season form, and the first-teamers balled out well enough. But our vote goes to Vontaze Burfict, who continues to play like his jockstrap is filled with piranha. He made four tackles and returned an interception 62 yards for a touchdown. He capped it off by jumping over the end zone wall and into the high-price seats. No word yet on whether Redskins owner Dan Snyder will bill him for the 11 seconds he impersonated a season-ticket holder.

What This Means Going Forward

After the poor showing against Kansas City last week, this game should be reassuring to Cincinnati Bengals players and fans alike. The team played sharp. If that kind of execution carries over into Week 1 vs Baltimore, then Bengal fans will be smiling very big very soon.

Preseason Game 2 Recap: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs

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Oooookay, Cincinnati Bengals fans – let’s just pump those brakes a little bit.

Yeah, we know, we’ve been hyping up the 2017 Cincinnati Bengals as much as anyone. Still, you can’t argue with the fact that Saturday night’s 30-12 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs showed that this team has some work to do if it’s going to get back to the playoffs for the seventh time in nine years.

How Things Went

The story of the night was the defense … or lack thereof. The Cincy D couldn’t stop the Kansas City QBs. They couldn’t stop the Chiefs from gaining 228 yards on the ground. Heck, they couldn’t stop in the name of love on Saturday. Kansas City signal-callers Patrick Mahomes II, Alex Smith, and Tyler Bray combined to go 20/28 for 182 yards, four touchdowns, and a 130.1 QB rating. Each quarterback threw at least one score. The Chiefs got all of their points in the first three quarters of play.

To add to the misery, Bengals starting safety Shawn Williams went down with a gnarly elbow injury early in the game. Slo-mo replay shows his right arm bending very awkwardly. Sort of like when Steven Seagal would snap an armlock on one of Screwface’s evil henchmen. We certainly pray for his recovery, but don’t expect him back any time soon.

On the other side of the ball, Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback Andy Dalton went 7/13 for 98 yards, but he never looked comfortable. AJ McCarron also appeared to be off-target. Even AJ Green dropped a pass, which happens about as often as a Cleveland Browns victory.

One bit of good news is the Bengal kickers once again showed their accuracy. Randy Bullock and Jake Elliott each went two for two and accounted for all of Cincy’s points. If the Bengals are in a close game this season, they’ll be in good hands (er, feet). Also, there were solid individual performances by linebackers Vontaze Burfict and Nick Vigil (who had eight tackles). Youngster defensive ends Jordan Willis and Chris Smith each nabbed a sack. Being able to attack the QB from the edge was an offseason concern for the defense that seems to be easing by the week.

 

Cincinnati Bengals Player of the Game

If you think it was unusual last week for the kickers to be selected as PotG, how about two weeks in a row? Bullock and Elliott accounted for Cincinnati’s entire score again. Bullock booted a 47-yarder and one from 26, and Elliott connected from 32 and 39 yards.

 

What This Means Going Forward

We’re not sure if the Bengals’ defense just had an off-night or if Kansas City exposed some glaring weaknesses. But defensive coordinator Paul Guenther has some serious tape-reviewing to do in the next few days.

Cincinnati will need to find a replacement for Shawn Williams quickly. They have depth in George Iloka, Clayton Fejedelem, Derron Smith and Josh Shaw, but the only thing that hurts more than losing Williams is Shawn’s arm after that play.

The Cincinnati Bengals will take the field next on Sunday, August 27th on the road against the Washington Redskins.

 

Preseason Game 1 Recap: Cincinnati Bengals vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Not a bad start for the Cincinnati Bengals. In fact, a good one. A very good one.

Cincy opened the 2017 preseason with a 23-12 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday night. It was a welcome sight to see the Bengals back on the field, and while the team never truly pulled away from the visiting Bucs, they didn’t disappoint either.

Quarterback Andy Dalton and the offense were Merlot-smooth on the first drive until the last play. Dalton completed four of five passes for 38 yards and AJ Green had two receptions for 21 yards. Granted, the drive ended when Dalton threw an interception to Vernon Hargreaves III at the 1-yard line, but it was Cincinnati’s only turnover of the game.

Vontaze Burfict is in his contract year, and he’s already playing like it. He notched two tackles and looked super quick. The defense as a whole allowed 330 yards and one first-half touchdown. But there was no glaring weakness and no big injuries. All in all, it’s reason to get excited about the things to come in 2017.

Cincinnati Bengals’ Player of the Game

This one may surprise you – the kickers. Randy Bullock (field goals of 54 and 49 yards) and fifth-round draft pick Jake Elliott (45) showed plenty of leg strength and accuracy. Even better, there were no misses. If last night’s refs were waving their arms side to side on those field goals – which happened waaaaay too much last year – then the game gets a lot tighter and the players play that way. Which is not what you want when you’re down by a score at the two-minute warning.

What This Means Going Forward

Don’t get us wrong … there were some causes for concern last night. Andy Dalton threw an interception at the 1-yard line on the opening drive. The offense didn’t score a TD until the third quarter, when the first stringers were already on the sidelines talking about which clubs they would hit after the game. The D gave up several third-down conversions.

But we’re happy. Like, cue-the-Pharrell-Williams-song-and-get-some-Minions-dancing happy.

The offense moved well on its first possession before Dalton’s pick. Rookie running back Joe Mixon ran six times for 31 yards and caught an 11-yard pass, showing that he’ll give the backfield a boost. The offensive line gave Dalton enough time to find his receivers. Backup quarterback Jeff Driskel went 8-9 for 97 yards with a touchdown pass and scrambled for an 18-yard score. Josh Malone, the third-round pick out of Tennessee, also nabbed a nifty catch in the back of the end zone in the fourth quarter.

The Cincinnati Bengals also did not look short for defensive ends. Carl Lawson and Jordan Willis each had two QB pressures. Willis also collected his first sack. Free agent signee Chris Smith (from the Jaguars) was disruptive in the second half. Adam Jones, who is suspended for the season opener because of his January 3rd arrest, broke up two red-zone passes that forced Tampa to settle for a field goal in the 1st quarter.

Next up – Saturday, August 19th vs the Kansas City Chiefs. We can hardly wait.

3 Things We’re Excited About for Bengals Training Camp

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We’re less than a week away from the start of the Cincinnati Bengals training camp. This is a golden time for any football fan. The hope for a new season. Arguing with your buddies about who should start, or which player will have the biggest season. A chance to get revenge on your fiercest rivals. The time is here, and it is GLORIOUS!

But that’s not the only reason to get excited.

The Bengals have plenty of reasons to think they’ll be back in the playoffs in 2017. From the offense that should blow up like a bottle of shaken-up soda to seeing what a bunch of motivated players will do to get last year’s sour taste out of their mouths, 2017 will be a year to remember. Here are the top three things that get us jazzed ahead of Bengals training camp.

Bengals Training Camp: 3 Reasons to be Revved Up

1. Offensive weapons. The Bengals are loaded this year. Armed to the teeth. Remember that scene in the movie Commando when Schwarzenegger paddles to the beach and then spends the next couple of minutes gearing up for the big gun battle? That’s how fans should feel when reading Cincinnati’s offensive depth chart.

Andy Dalton is ready to follow up on his 4,206-yard performance from last year. And for the first time in what seems like forever, he’ll have to make up his mind about who to chuck the pigskin to. All-Pro wide receiver AJ Green returns after being painfully close to a 1,000-yard receiving season despite only starting 10 games. Tyler Boyd, Brandon LaFell, Cody Core, rookies John Ross and Josh Malone … the WR list goes on. Don’t forget about tight end Tyler Eifert (more on him in a minute).

With defenses being so busy trying to stop Dalton and Co., it will open up the running game. If the O-line can gel – and that’s a big if – then Jeremy Hill should build upon his 839-yard campaign from last year. Giovani Bernard collected 673 yards from scrimmage. Draft pick Joe Mixon gained 1,812 total yards and scored 15 touchdowns last year at Oklahoma. The firepower’s there.

2. Jordan Willis. Cincy averaged 2.1 sacks per game last year. That tied them for 19th in the NFL. They need a boost, and third-round draft pick Jordan Willis could be the one that gives it to them. He racked up 11.5 sacks for the Wildcats in 2016 and was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the year. He has good burst and plays at a position of need. The Bengals had plenty of close games last season. If Willis’ rush can stop even one 3rd-and-long, it could flip the game in the Bengals’ favor. We say he’ll stop a lot more than one.

3. Contract years for Burfict and Eifert. It’s the perfect storm for these two players. Eifert and linebacker Vontaze Burfict spent big chunks of last season banged up and suspended, respectively. Now they are healthy, ready to prove something, and in the final year of their contracts. If that doesn’t motivate you to hit, catch, tackle and score, what will?