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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 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.