Will the Bengals have any incentive to win next week on Sunday night against the Jets? Probably not. Not much difference in being a 3 versus 4 seed. I think we’re sol this year. That loss to Cleveland was the killer.
As were those two losses to the Bengals. But those are more easily explainable than that loss to Cleveland, seeing as how great they are.
The second loss to the Bengals was what allowed the Browns to manhandle them the way they did. They were the most dispirited bunch I’ve seen in years. For every Hines Ward clawing his way through there’s an Ike Taylor or two, going through the motions. That’s when you’ve dominated a team, when you affect their psyche and there’s no doubt the second loss to the Bengals had that effect. Some of the players were questioning the coaches. We don’t see that much from the Steelers.
You’re right…I’m just willfully sniping now. Not sure why. There aren’t too many playoff-bound teams right now with a less impressive offensive resume than the Bengals right now.
If they can keep their running game on track they could be OK. It’s a credit to them that they broke the Steelers back really. It was a very confident unit. We haven’t seen the usual swagger this season very much. Too many rings I think. This is why you need to balance veterans with new blood. They’re not out yet of course but I just don’t see Cinci laying it all on the line next week when they need to conserve their depth for a playoff run.
I think what’s happening is that you are marking the Steelers low point with their second loss to the Bengals (due to the fact that the team lost what, five or so more games in a row?) as I am marking the Bengals high point just a game or two after that.
Ever since the Bengals lost to Oakland, they have played pretty damn poorly, IMO.
Yes, mainly because of the kind of quotes and activity we saw from the team after that. It really seemed to take the wind out of their sails. I think they went in thinking they could push the Bengals around and it didn’t happen. The Steelers get by on heart as much as skill and they lost it for a bit following that game.
My opinon (as someone who has no dog in this fight), watching the game without the sound on at the bar, Mason never had complete control of the ball. It appeared he was still trying to control it, the ball seemed to be squirming out of his hands when he was hit. Just my opinion.
But anybody who thinks that pass interference call that negated the interception was a bad call is nuts. Wallace (I think it was Wallace) was being manhandled. As more clear case of Illegal contact or pass interference or whatever you will struggle to find.
I think the argument is whether Ben was still in the pocket. Once the quarterback leaves the ‘pocket’ (between the tackles at snap), it is no longer illegal to contact the receivers down field.
Next weekend is going to be one of the weirdest football weekends of my entire life. Here’s the scenario, courtesy of ESPN:
Pittsburgh clinches a playoff spot with:
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PIT win + HOU loss or tie + NYJ loss or tie OR
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PIT win + HOU loss or tie + BAL loss or tie OR
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PIT win + NYJ loss or tie + BAL loss or tie + DEN loss or tie
So what this means is that the Steelers have to win and then I have to hope that the Bengals and the Patriots win, unless the Raiders can pull off a miracle and beat the Ravens, which isn’t any better than rooting for the Bengals. God hates me. There’s no other explanation.
The good news is that the Patriots and the Bengals are still duking it out for the 3rd seed, so they might actually show some integrity and play, unlike the gutless Colts who chose to intentionally sabotage their perfect season and incidentally stick a knife in the Steelers’ back.
Jury’s out on whether God hates you but I think the Raiders can beat the Ravens and they can do it by running the ball. The Ravens players were laughing off a lot of those penalties last game and really didn’t look disciplined in run defense. If the Raiders can keep turnovers down and let Baltimore self-destruct like they did against us it’s a very winnable game for them.
I am sorry, but with the shoe finally being on the other foot for a change (after all these years!!!), I find this hilarious.
So, are you going to root for your Bengals to win or are you going to hope they lose so the Steelers don’t get another bite at the apple? I mean, what’s the total margin of victory in both games, a whopping 9 points?
You’re in a hell of a pickle yourself. Laugh it up, while you can.
I will always root for the team to win. Losing to hopefully make things better down the road is too much like giving up the bird in the hand for the two in the bush.
You’re on the outside looking in in terms of making the playoffs and the Bengals are in a pickle? Yeah, I’ll keep laughing, thanks.
And furthermore, there would be nothing better I’d like than to play the Squeelers at PBS in the first playoff game so we can threeper your squad and have a nice little 2005 reunion…with a different outcome, of course.
And as to your initial question, yes…I always want the Bengals to win, so I will root for that. I don’t really care whether we’re the 3 or 4 seed. It isn’t going to change the fact that we will have to hit the road after the first playoff game, should we win.
And another caveat…I think that we can beat the Jets without Carson Palmer, unlike the Colts without Peyton Manning and the gang of rested superstars. Not that I want the Bengals to do that. I don’t want my team following in those footsteps.
If your team has even an iota of integrity the Steelers are going to make it. Given that it’s the Bengals (and the Hoodie), though, the outcome is very much in doubt. Neither team is noted for honor or integrity.
Oh, and the Steelers are. Give me a break man. You just threw up the biggest “BS” flag ever.
The Ravens have been self-destructing via defensive penalties all year, but it’s not the run game that kills them. The only really good player in the secondary is Ed Reed, and he’s been out for a few weeks. Throw long against Baltimore and you’ll get a completion or a PI flag. Illegal contact and interference calls (and the occasional unnecessary roughness) have extend opponents drives all season long. They could have been a 12 win team if they had more discipline on defense.
Substitute lack of turnovers for penalties and the Steelers are in the exact same boat. If I were a Ravens fan I’d be really pissed off about the lack of discipline. Lack of turnovers by our secondary might come down to coaching but more than likely boils down to the fact that they don’t go after premium guys in the secondary and they’re getting what they pay for. Having sacks and interceptions negated by penalties, that’s just sad.
BTW, how the hell does Haloti Ngata not have more freakin’ sacks? Does he take a lot of plays off? Is he stupid? I can’t figure it out. I know he’s primarily a run-stuffer but he should be able to bully his way to five or six sacks a season. He’s a monster.
Check out the stellar blocking by Lawrence Timmons (#94) on Farrior’s interception return. “Never mind the two guys closing in on the ball carrier. I’ll sprint to the goal line!” 
In fairness to him, they haven’t had much practice at blocking on int returns this year.