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5 Infamous Moments from the Cincinnati Bengals/PS Rivalry

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OK, Cincinnati Bengals fans – the week is here.

The Metal People are coming to town. Even better, they’ve looked as soft as melting gold so far this year. Those from the “pit” are ripe for the picking.

Notice how we haven’t named them yet? That’s because, with some teams, you just dislike them so much that you want to say their name less than Voldemort. And there’s a reason for that hatred. In fact, there are several.

Cincinnati and the pit town have had more than their fair share of run-ins over the last few years. That has mushroomed into a pretty fierce rivalry – one that would give Da Bears!-Packers historic rivalry a run for its money.

Here are five moments/games that have really brought this thing to a head. And made us want to rip someone’s head off.

5 Big Moments in the Cincinnati Bengals Rivalry with “Them”

5. Time to Shine
Some might say this was more shallow than an episode of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but it was still fun. Wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh had a great game in a 38-31 victory at Heinz field in 2005. To top it off, he used a Terrible Towel to shine his cleats in the tunnel. We can think of only one better use for the Terrible Towel. Hint: It wouldn’t be the shoes that you wipe …

4. Refereegate
The sting of this one is still fresh. It’s December 2017 and the Cincinnati Bengals are still hoping for a playoff bid. But the black and gold team stopped them cold, with some help from the black-and-white striped team. The Bengals were flagged 13 times for 173 yards (a team record). Many of those were the result of poor officiating. The worst was a BS holding call against Giovani Bernard in the second half that wiped out an Andy Dalton touchdown pass. It was such a phantom call that you half-expected to see an opera along with it. The TD – and the momentum – was officially lost. Along with a 17-point lead, the game, and the postseason.

3. Taking a Knee
The first playoff meeting between the two teams was in 2005. The stakes were high, the tension higher. Said tension reached a fever pitch when Bengals’ QB Carson Palmer was drilled on the second offensive play (in what many people thought was a late, dirty hit) and left the game with a knee injury. Cincy still managed to take a 17-7 lead, but the bottom fell out after that. The Other Team scored 24 straight and won 31-17, paving their way to a Super Bowl title.

2. You’re Late … Again and Again and Again. If you thought one late hit was a doozie, how about a second half full of them? That’s what we witnessed in the 2015 Wild Card Playoff game. Things seemed reasonably calm in the first half. Then the rain started falling … and the bodies. Assistant coach Mike Munchak pulled Reggie Nelson’s hair. Giovani Bernard was on the receiving end of a Ryan Shazier helmet-to-helmet tackle. Vontaze Burfict and Pacman Jones donated 30 yards in penalties to the Make-a-Field-Goal foundation. Even Ben Roth ….Roethles …. Roethlis … Big Ben was pelted with garbage as he was carted off the field after being sacked by Burfict. Where were the WWE superstars to make it a complete circus?

1. You Want Somma This? Well sorry, it’s ours! The 2009 Iron Workers football team allllmost qualified for the playoffs at 9-7. How sweet was it then, that two of those losses were to the eventual AFC North champion Cincinnati Bengals? Because, ya know, without those two losses, Pitt would have made the postseason. Claiming a playoff spot with one hand and shoving your heated rival away from it with the other hand? Ummmm, yes please!

Could 2018 Be Tyler Boyd’s Year?

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Never send just a man to do a Boyd’s job.

Sounds like a cool slogan for a t-shirt, right?

Well, it’s more than that. With Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd coming into his own as a viable target for Andy Dalton, that slogan could become the newest way to express how Bill Lazor’s offense will wreak havoc on opponents in 2018.

Getting to that point though hasn’t been a sure thing at times.

Tyler Boyd: Origins

The Bengals had reasonably high hopes for Tyler Boyd, drafting him in the second round out of Pitt in 2016. He brought a 6’2” frame and 4.58 speed to the team. Cincinnati penciled him in third on the depth chart behind Brandon LaFell and some guy named Green.

Boyd wasted no time jumping into the fray in 2016. He played in all 16 games and snagged 54 passes for 603 yards and 1 TD. Those are solid totals for a second rounder, especially when you consider that his role was mainly to complement Green and LaFell.

But last year, those numbers dipped more than the chorus of Freak Nasty‘s single Da Dip. (You know; I put my hand upon your hip …). Boyd suffered a knee sprain and only played in 10 games. He was targeted only 32 times, and caught 22 of them for 225 yards and a couple of TDs. To boot, he was in Marvin Lewis’ doghouse for reasons that even the cast of True Detective would have trouble figuring out.

Now, it’s year 3.

Through the first 3 games of 2018, Boyd has 15 catches for 249 yards and 2 touchdowns. That’s a healthy 16.6 yards per catch and a yardage total that already surpasses last year. Those numbers should keep growing nicely as Boyd gains experience and assumes a larger role in the offense with LaFell now in Oakland. Boyd is a good safety net/checkdown for Dalton and will team with Green to give the Cincinnati Bengals a powerful 1-2 punch. It’ll be enough to give secondaries that same dejected feeling you get when you’re jonesing for some Chick-fil-A … and then realize it’s Sunday.

Here’s to Tyler, whom we hope will continue to look like a man among boys.

5 Most Important Games On The Bengals Schedule

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ESPN is predicting an 8–8 record for the Cincinnati Bengals. That puts them within one win (based on ESPN’s predictions), either way, of five other AFC teams (Ravens, Jets, Dolphins, Bills, Colts). Meaning, those are the five teams the Bengals could possibly be competing with for a wildcard berth. If the Bengals want to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2015, who they beat is almost as important as winning in the first place. And we know juuuuust who they can beat.

Here are my five picks for the most crucial games of the Cincinnati Bengals season. Win the majority of these, and a postseason ticket looks very punchable.

It’d be Awesome if the Cincinnati Bengals Won These 5 Games

5. Sunday, December 30 at Pittsburgh Steelers
You may be surprised that this game is this low on the list. That’s mainly because it’s the last game of the season, and the Bengals’ role in the playoff picture could very well be decided by now. If the race is close, though, then the team’s postseason fate comes down to beating their most hated rival on their home turf. How’s THAT for motivation?

4. Thursday, September 13 versus Baltimore Ravens
Wins within your division are doubly important, for obvious reasons. Beat a divisional rival and you are a game ahead of them. The Bengals can make a statement early in the year by knocking off the Ravens. It’ll send a message to the rest of the AFC North. It also gives Cincinnati a little padding if they drop the second meeting in Baltimore 8 weeks later.

3. Sunday, September 9 at Indianapolis Colts
Indy QB Andrew Luck has said in interviews that he feels good. But it wouldn’t hurt him to spike his sideline Gatorade with white vinegar to help get some of that rust off.
He missed the entire 2017 season with a bad shoulder. That makes you wonder how slick the Colts’ offense will be. Hopefully, it’s as effective as that get-under-your-school-desk-to-be-safe-from-the-A-bomb drill your grandparents practiced. Winning here puts a wild card competitor in a hole with 3 of Indianapolis’ next 4 games against teams picked at the top of their divisions (Eagles, Texans, Patriots).

2. Sunday, October 14 versus Pittsburgh Steelers
It’s true that we don’t expect Cincinnati to win the division. We don’t even know if they’ll be favored to win this game. But if you can replace an expected L with a surprise W on your schedule, the season’s outlook changes drastically. Ending Pittsburgh’s 6-game win streak against the Bengals and getting over that mental hump is huge.

1. Sunday, October 7 versus Miami Dolphins
Both teams play tough opponents the week before this matchup. We’re guessing (well, hoping …… um, better make it praying) that the Miami Dolphins will be smarting more from their visit to New England than Cincinnati will be after its trip to Atlanta. If Andy Dalton and company can avoid looking ahead to game #2 on this list, that could pave the way to a pivotal win here.

Cincinnati Bengals Resign Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap

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Breathe easier Bengals fans – we landed the beef.

Let’s clear that up before one of you reports this site to your nearest censor or parenting group: The Cincinnati Bengals signed defensive tackle Geno Atkins to a $65.3 million extension that keeps the 6-time Pro Bowler in the Nasty Nati through 2022.

This news makes us happier than when a Cleveland fan starts trash talking before the Battle of Ohio. Atkins is perhaps the most vital defensive cog on the team. He logged 9 sacks in 2017 (third in the league among defensive tackles) and 10 TFLs (sixth among DTs).

Combined with the developing Andrew Billings (1.5 sacks against the Buffalo Bills in week 3 of the preseason), the Cincinnati Bengals now have the most important pieces in place to take away their opponents’ inside running game.


That was the cake. Now here’s the icing.

Defensive end Carlos Dunlap has also inked a new extension – 3 years, $45 million. Dunlap has 2 Pro Bowls to his credit and has started 79 of 80 regular-season games in the past 5 years. He has tremendous versatility, which he’s proven by logging 13.5 sacks one year (2015) and defending 15 passes the next (2016) in addition to being a solid run defender.

Last month we wrote about why we felt it was so important for the Bengals to keep both Atkins and Dunlap after 2018. We’ll be glad to see these two guys in tiger stripes for the next few years. Opponents, though, probably won’t feel the same way …

Which Cincinnati Bengals Position Groups are the Deepest?

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Think about how little depth the 53-man roster provides. In a sense, it means 59% of the guys on an NFL football team only have one other man for their specific spot on the field. Try getting through a 16-game season with a depth chart that’s about as shallow as the pool that the Cleveland Browns are allowed to play in.

So, when we talk about deep position groups, you won’t hear us say a lot of names – because there isn’t room for them. But we still smile when we think of these positions on the Cincinnati Bengals’ roster because these few names can produce a lot of numbers.  Touchdowns, interceptions, yards per carry, and on and on.

WIDE RECEIVER

Names: A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, John Ross, Josh Malone, Alex Erickson, Auden Tate

This group has more grabby hands than a high school crowd on prom night. Start with A.J. Green, in his worst statistical year (2016, when he only played 10 games), he caught 66 passes for 954 yards at 14.6 yards per catch – oh darn. He’s one of the NFL’s best, and this should be the year he gets some serious help.

Josh Malone, the second year-man out of Tennessee, and speedster John Ross have been causing some camp buzz. With Brandon LaFell being released, the Cincinnati Bengals will look to Malone to assume a larger role in the offense. Ross is ready to atone for a disappointing, injury-riddled freshman campaign.

And if you like the speedster Ross, you’ll love the tallster Auden Tate. The seventh-round pick from Florida State has flown under the radar in the last few months – which should be impossible, given his 6‘5” frame. Having him in the red zone will put opposing DBs on red alert.

In case you’re wondering, no, we didn’t forget about Tyler Boyd. If last year was an Oreo cookie, Boyd missed the creme filling with a knee injury – and his stats (22 catches, 225 yards) showed it. But he more than doubled those numbers in 2016, so the ability is there. Quarterback Andy Dalton’s biggest problem is going to be choosing among them. Oh darn again.

RUNNING BACK

Names: Giovanni Bernard, Joe Mixon, Mark Walton, Brian Hill, Tra Carson

The one-two punch of Bernard and Mixon should get Cincinnati Bengals fans primed. Bernard has been versatile, averaging 580 yards rushing and 412 receiving per season over the last five years. That’s balance.

Mixon has a different kind of balance. The kind that involves you losing yours as he flattens you. At 6’1”, the 228-lb Mixon can get the tough yards between the tackles. His first-year numbers (913 yards from scrimmage) were pretty similar to Bernard’s career averages, so there shouldn’t be a dropoff when one subs for the other. And Mixon’s totals will only go up as he spends more time in the league and gets better line play in front of him.

Rookie Walton, like Mixon, is young with tons of upside. If the Cincy brass are smart enough to keep both of them, then in the coming years, the team will have the best R&B duo since Lionel Ritchie and Diana Ross soothed audiences everywhere with “Endless Love.”

CORNERBACK

Names: Darqueze Dennard, William Jackson, Dre Kirkpatrick, KeiVarae Russell, Davontae Harris, Darius Phillips, Tony McRae

The top 3 corners are all first round draft picks (Dennard, Jackson, Kirkpatrick). That tells you something about the talent. Plus, Kirkpatrick is the oldest at only 28 years old. That tells you something about the future.

Kirk defended 14 passes last year (the second most of his career), made 47 tackles and returned his sole interception 101 yards. Note how we didn’t say returned for a TD (just watch the video). Only in Cincinnati could a guy run further than 100 yards and not score a touchdown.

Dennard played in all 16 games last year and started 6 of them. He made the most of the time, picking off two passes and logging 59 tackles and 2 sacks. As a rookie, Jackson started 5 games, defended 13 passes and returned his lone interception 75 yards for a score.

None of these numbers are necessarily All-Pro, but Cincinnati Bengals fans can rest easy that a broken ankle doesn’t break the season.