Bearcats Fall, Who Dey Nation Ready for the Steelers

Lets talk...logic:

Forgive me that it's been so long since I have posted anything! But I have a lot to talk about this afternoon, starting with last night's game. The Bearcats were the last team to go on the road at SMU and bring home a victory. They have faltered against Top 25 teams so far this year, but I actually had a good feeling about this game going in. After stumbling in a loss to Temple, the Bearcats bounced back with a beat down over Tulsa on their home court. I got to take in the game from my seat in the Bearcat lair :) Mind you, Tulsa is nowhere near the #15 team in the country, but the defense was staggering in that game. I think Tulsa may have only had two points at the 10 minute mark of the first half. That's beside the point. The cats needed a signature win over a worthy opponent and they should've had it.


I blame Mick on this one. I hate to do so, but it all comes down to his use of timeouts. We were up seven with three and some change to go. All of a sudden, the lead dissipates. Ok, they've blown the lead, but they still had a good chance to win, (although, the Bearcats find themselves on the losing end of most games like this). If we hadn't been shooting threes like it was going out of style all game, and feeding it to Gary Clark, we may have had an even bigger lead on the road. Farrad Cobb may be the leading scorer on this team, but I'd have the most points too if I chucked up 15 threes a game. Yes, many of them do go in, but his shot selection is POOR. He's either off balance, got a hand right in his face, or there is 25 seconds left on the shot clock! It's frustrating to say the least.

When it came down to the winning shot, Farrad Cobb is shooting an ill-advised jumper from beyond the arc with four whole seconds left on the game clock, and the cats only down one. But can you really blame the 20 something for the shot? Or do you blame Mick, with one timeout left and 20 seconds remaining for not calling a timeout and drawing up a play to feed your next leading scorer, Gary Clark? Clark looked excellent in this game. He even drove the ball to score at times, which is more than I can say for the rest of the team. When he backs his defender down, and throws that hook over his right shoulder, it's almost guaranteed that it's going in. So why not call the timeout and draw something up? If not to Clark, than at least something that ends in a higher percentage shot! Coulda, woulda, shoulda I guess. That loss puts the Bearcats at 11-5 and near the bottom of the American Conference. They will need to secure a signature win by the end of the season if they hope to get in the tourney, and rack up some conference wins because as of now they sit at 1-2.

Lets talk...playoffs:

The playoff picture unfolded last Sunday, and of course our worst fears were recognized. It will be a matchup against the division rival, Pittsburgh Steelers, at Paul Brown Stadium Saturday night. After the last game between these two, the NFL decided to take action before they even take the field. Both teams have been warned that if any extra-curricular activities go on after the play, players will be ejected from the game.

Of course the big hype around this game is not just the intense hate for the Steelers, but the burning question, "Can the Bengals win a playoff game?". That question will be answered without the play of Andy Dalton. The cast is off his thumb, but AJ McCarron will be our QB in primetime. The good thing is that while he's only played in a couple games this season, the first one just so happened to be the massacre against Pittsburgh. He's seen their defense, knows what to expect, and he's got a little more experience under his belt this time around. Regardless of our QB situation, our defense is going to have to have a huge game. Whoever wins the turnover battle, will have the playoff W. Big Ben is tough to take down so the pass rush will need to be relentless. I think one benefit to the last game we played against the Steelers is that we did lose. The Bengals will be out for revenge on their home turf. It's primetime in the Jungle baby, LETS ROAR!

 

Ohio Rumble in the Jungle

Lets talk...Sunday's game:

What should've been an offensive shootout, turned into a defensive grudge match between the Bengals and the Steelers this past Sunday. An offense that has been seemingly unstoppable through the first six games, couldn't produce a touchdown until it was nearly over. On the other side, Pittsburgh just got Big Ben back off of the knee injury. Oh yeah, not to mention Le'veon Bell (pre-injury), Martavis Bryant, and Antonio Brown in the mix. But, much to my surprise, it ended with a whopping final score of 16-10. Big Ben looked anything but comfortable in that knee brace, and the Bengals looked SLOPPY for coming off a bye week. I had a bad feeling about that game from the start. Bye week, playing a division rival who just got their star QB back, and it's in Pittsburgh! I could have seen a close one coming from a mile away. I feel like I'm still on my couch with my fingers crossed, watching the final play. But here we are, 7-0. Gosh, does that feel good to say! For the first time in franchise history no less! We're also part of an elite, undefeated crowd that includes: the Broncos, Patriots, and Panthers.

Lets talk... the Brownies:

Don't sleep on Cleveland. Most of the Browns' losses this year have been against quality opponents, and even more of them have come in heartbreaking fashion. Their defense is a force to be reckoned with. One of the top cornerbacks in the league, Joe Haden, will prove to be a fun matchup for A.J Green. Mr. Jonathon Football was just announced as the starter too. I know what you're going to say next, "We smoked Manziel last year, made him look like a fool". Well folks, that was Johnny Rehab. In the games that he has played in this year, he's accurate, makes good decisions with the football, and he's still the mobile QB that he was in college. And lets not forget, Cleveland has taken three of the last five meetings with the Bengals.

One more thing we all have in the back of our minds is...PRIMETIME, dun dun dun. Yes, we are aware that the Bengals have come up short in almost all of their primetime games within the last three years; However, this is a new team. They're undefeated! After that win in Pittsburgh, and the crazy comeback against Seattle, I feel like something is meant to happen for this team this year. Not to mention I'll be in attendance so they better bring home the W!