Bengals-Talk

All the latest news and talk about the Cincinnati Bengals

  • Latest News
  • 2016 Schedule
    • 2015 Schedule
    • 2014 Schedule
    • 2013 Schedule
    • 2012 Schedule
  • Depth Chart
  • 2016 Standings
    • 2015 Standings
    • 2014 Standings
    • 2013 Standings
    • 2012 Standings
  • 2016 Stats
    • 2015 Stats
    • 2014 Stats
    • 2013 Stats
    • 2012 Stats
  • 2016 Transactions
    • 2015 Transactions
    • 2014 Transactions
    • 2013 Transactions
    • 2012 Transactions
  • Contact
  • SHOP
You are here: Home / Archives for Week 4

Mindset Is Key For Bengals To Knock Out The Steelers On Monday Night

September 28, 2019 Nate Mallon Leave a Comment

The Bengals (0-3) play against their first AFC North opponent of the 2019 season this coming Monday night in prime time when they take on the 0-3 Steelers in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers have been the Bengals most hated nemesis over the past 15-20 years as most matchups during that span have been bloodbaths with the Steelers coming out on the winning end in most cases. This year both teams face each other still looking for their first win after three games but everyone in the media still seem to be picking the Steelers to win despite not having quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. It all makes sense given that the Steelers are the more successful and more talked about franchise with 6 Super Bowl championships. They also boast an all-time record of 64-35 against the Bengals and a 24-7 win-loss advantage since 2004. ESPN’s panel of 10 NFL experts are leaning towards the Steelers in this next matchup as 8 out of 10 are predicting the Steelers to win on Monday night.

Over the years Bengals fans have seen Cincinnati go toe-to-toe with Pittsburgh but they have also witnessed the Bengals flounder in most of those games due to a lack of mental toughness or lack of composure in response to dirty play from the team in yellow and black. In 2018 the Bengals were within a score of beating the Steelers in both matchups but couldn’t finish them.

This season the Bengals have a new head coach and coaching staff and we’ve all seen the “New Dey” marketing slogan around the team. While there have been many refreshing aspects of this new regime of coaches leading the team it has not translated to wins on the field yet. One way to show that it is truly a “New Dey” would be for the Bengals to go into Pittsburgh in a prime time game and win on the road, even against a bad Steelers team without their starting quarterback.

In my mind the key to coming out with a win is for the Bengals to have the right mindset heading into the game. Yes, emotions will run high, there will be nerves, there may even be some dirty play or cheap shots during the game. But with the majority of expectations from the media, and those outside of this Bengals team, being that the Steelers will come out with a win, the Bengals should come into it thinking: “we’ve got nothing to lose”. When one has this kind of mindset they often perform looser and with more confidence. I believe head coach Zac Taylor has the team believing in each other and holding themselves accountable for the areas where they have struggled so far this season. If the Bengals can keep believing in each other, holding each other accountable, learning from past mistakes and combine all of that with a “we’ve got nothing to lose” mindset, then I think they will play well enough to win on Monday night in Pittsburgh. If the Bengals come into the game feeling that the weight of the world is on them, letting their emotions get the best of them and putting too much pressure on themselves, then simply put, they will not win this game.

The Bengals have the talent to beat the Steelers. The coaches seem to have the players buying in. But the talent and belief in each other has yet to fully translate the way they want during games. It is also yet to be seen if we will see the same issues that have plagued past Bengals teams when they play the Pittsburgh Steelers under this new coaching staff. In watching this game on Monday night my focus will be on these 3 things that are all by-products of having the right mindset:

  • 1) how loose and confident players appear (do they appear to be playing tight or afraid of making a mistake)
  • 2) how they respond to adversity when they give up a big play or make a mistake (do they appear to be fighting back in a good way)
  • 3) how they respond to dirty plays or cheap shots by the Steelers (are they taking cheap shots back or getting called for stupid penalties, are the Steelers in their head)

Preview AFC North, Bengals, Cincinnati Bengals, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Steelers, Week 4

Bengals vs Steelers – Week 4 Preview

September 27, 2019 Kaleb Riesenberg Leave a Comment

The Cincinnati Bengals are going on the road to face their AFC North rival the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football on September 30th.

The Bengals are coming into this game 0-3 after losing a nail biter to the Buffalo Bills 21-17. The Bengals looked a lot better in the second half of last Sunday’s game and it looked like Zac Taylor actually made second half adjustments as it appeared the Bengals were making a 2nd half comeback. Andy Dalton had 20 completions on 36 attempts for 294 yards with 1 passing touchdown, 1 rushing touchdown and 2 interceptions. The Bengals were marching down the field with a shot to score with 15 seconds left but Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White picked off a Dalton pass that was intended for Auden Tate to seal the win for Buffalo.

The Steelers are also coming into this game with an 0-3 record after losing to the San Fransico 49ers 24-20 this past Sunday. Mason Rudolf got his first start out of the way and finished with 14 completions on 27 attempts for 174 yards and 2 touchdowns and he also threw an interception. The biggest play he made was a 76-yard touchdown pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster. The 49ers had 5 turnovers but the Steelers could not take advantage, with 5:49 to go in the game Steelers running back James Connor got stripped which ended up leading to the game-winning touchdown, a Garoppolo TD pass to receiver Dante Pettis.

If the Bengals want to get that 1 in the win column, their defense has to keep playing well and the offense has to keep giving Joe Mixon the ball. They simply can’t become one-dimensional on offense like they were in Seattle and against San Francisco.

If the Steelers want to get a 1 in the win column, they have to give Mason Rudolph time to let plays develop and they have to deliver the ball to JuJu Smith-Schuster a lot. The Steelers have to cut down on turnovers and take advantage of the opportunities they are given.

If the Bengals come out and play flat as they did against the 49ers and in the first half against the Bills, then I predict the Steelers will win 28-10. If the Bengals come out and play as they did in the second half against the Bills, the Bengals will win 28-17.




Preview Bengals, Cincinnati Bengals, Monday Night Football, Pittsburgh Steelers, Steelers, Week 4

Bengals Week 4 Preview – Cincinnati at Atlanta

September 29, 2018 Caleb Pierson 2 Comments

Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) at Atlanta Falcons (1-2)

Man, what a tough week 3 for Bengals fans. In a game that looked so ugly on paper, the Bengals managed to stay within one score for essentially the whole game. This was a very winnable game for Cincinnati but they could not seem to get it going in the second half. Yes we know there was drama with John Ross, and the A.J. Green injury, and a non existent run defense. But despite all of this, the Bengals hung in there with the Panthers and kept it close. But that is behind now in the past, the Bengals still sit atop the AFC North and seem to have avoided a serious injury to Green.

Now onto week 4, and I want to start by saying, weddings during football season should be illegal. I will be in attendance at my cousins wedding this weekend. Congrats to her and I feel honored to be in the wedding, however it is three and a half hours away and I will have to be up at the crack of dawn to drive home to watch the game on top of making sure all my fantasy football lineups are set. Tired of my complaining yet, let’s talk Bengals now. The Bengals will travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons, who are somehow more banged up than the Bengals are at this point in the year. Having lost their best starting linebacker and both starting safeties, the Bengals may be able to take advantage on offense.

Matchups to watch for…

Dre Kirkpatrick vs. Julio Jones – Dre and Julio go way back, as they were teammates in college at Alabama. Dre will definitely have his work cut out for him on Sunday. He has faced a lot of criticism for his play this year and has been targeted a ton this season so far. He has actually done a fairly good job at corner and on Sunday he faces his toughest task of the year with Julio Jones. Playing for pride and facing off against his old teammate, Dre should have plenty of motivation this week. In order for the Bengals to win, Kirkpatrick must find a way to slow down Julio.

Giovani Bernard vs. a banged up Falcons Defense – Over the past two weeks, the Falcons have given up over 329 yards from scrimmage to running backs, 226 in which have been receiving yards. With the loss of Deion Jones and Keanu Neal the Falcons have been destroyed by running backs in the passing game. This is very good news for Gio, who has had plenty of success catching the ball. After a good performance versus Carolina he will be key in this matchup. The Bengals have to establish a run game to keep the Falcons offense off the field. Gio should have a huge day in week 4.

John Ross vs. Himself – John Ross has been all the talk this week for the Bengals. After questionable play in week 3, Bengals fans are calling for him to be benched which is silly. Although that is another subject which you can read about in one of my previous articles. Ross will face his biggest test of the year in showing whether or not he can bounce back and prove everyone wrong. Ross must show improved hands and work ethic. He appears to still have the trust of his coaches and teammates, but can he prove it to fans this week? It’s a big week for #15.

This game will be decided by the Bengals defense. Dalton and company shouldn’t have any huge issues moving the ball and scoring, especially with A.J. Green looking like a lock to play Sunday. The Bengals defense will be the ones who have to slow down this Falcons offense and get off the field on third down, which they haven’t been able to do this year. If the defense can hold the Falcons to around 21-24 points, I think the offense should be able to put up more than this to leave Atlanta with a win.

My Prediction: All year I have been predicting the Bengals to split the Carolina and Atlanta game going 1-1 between the two. I bet on Cincy last week and was burned and am skeptical to pick them this week. While I think they have the ability to win this week, it is always tough to win on the road. Especially somewhere loud like Atlanta. I will not be surprised if they win this week but I am picking them to lose a close game. I hope they prove me wrong but the high powered Falcons passing game is looking red hot right now and I think Atlanta kicks a last second field goal to win this one.

My Prediction: Bengals 27 Falcons 30

My Bengals Predictions on the year: 2-1

Be sure to follow me on twitter @Pierson242FF, Who Dey!

Game: Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) at Atlanta Falcons (1-2)

Date/Time: September 30, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. EST

Location: Mercedes Benz Stadium

Uniforms: White Jersey with Black Pants

Last Matchup: 9/14/14 – Bengals 24, Falcons 10

Odds: Bengals, +5

Preview Atlanta Falcons, Bengals, Cincinnati Bengals, Falcons, Preview, Week 4

premier online fitness training

Latest Instagram

Unable to communicate with Instagram.

Follow Us!

Latest Tweets

My Tweets

Categories

  • Chicago Bears
  • Draft
  • Free Agency
  • Injuries
  • News
  • Opinion
  • podcast
  • Poll
  • Predictions
  • Preview
  • Recap
  • Shop
  • Statistics
  • Story
  • Takeaways
  • Training Camp
  • Transactions
  • Uncategorized
  • Update
  • Video

Bengals Sites

  • Bengals.com
  • Cincy Jungle
  • Stripe Hype
  • Bengals Gab
  • Cincinnati.com

Bengals Gear

Bengals gear

Recent Posts

  • You’re Not Mad at Zac Taylor’s Playcalling
  • Preseason Week 2: The Good, Bad, and Nothing Too Ugly
  • Preseason Week 1: The Good, Bad, and Ugly
  • Is Tyler Linderbaum the Pick to Make at 31?
  • The Bengals Need Pass Rushers in the 2022 NFL Draft
  • Should the Bengals Select a Cornerback in Round 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft?
  • Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert face off for the first time in the NFL

Recent Comments

  • Is Tyler Linderbaum the Pick to Make at 31? - Bengals-Talk on The Bengals Need Pass Rushers in the 2022 NFL Draft
  • Is Tyler Linderbaum the Pick to Make at 31? - Bengals-Talk on Should the Bengals Select a Cornerback in Round 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft?
  • 3 ways the Bengals can have success vs. Chicago on 3 ways the Bengals can have success vs. Chicago
  • Whodeynation603 on Who should the starting guards be for the Cincinnati Bengals?
  • Jackson on Why the Bengals Could Exceed Expectations This Season

© 2023 · BENGALS-TALK.COM · Hosted by A2 Hosting