Congrats Baltimore Ravens!!!!

[Whatever]

Originally Posted by Ray Rice Rutgers Running

Yeah Pitts secondary is ravaged. Mendenhall is a bum, and they've run the ball just fine without him.

Call it a hunch, or just history, but I don't see the steelers dropping another game and missing the playoffs. It's not their style. And honestly, I thought cincy played a ***** game against the eagles. Completely undisciplined. Should be a good game though.
Pitt 24
Cincy 20

The Bengals offense played like crap against Philly, but the D was stout and ST's were good, as well. I sort of excuse the poor offensive performance away by the fact that it was a massive trap game with only 4 days preperation. Foles had a 62.9 QBR and they only averaged 2.2 yards/rush. While our offense was pretty terrible, it was still good enough to punch those turnovers in for TD's more often than not.

Under Tomlin, Pittsburgh has been a team that peaks in the final 1/2 of the year. That hasn't been the case this year. The last three times they've made the playoffs['08, '10, and '11] they've won 6 of their last 7 games. When you look at them this year, they started out a very poor 2-3, with losses to the Broncos, Raiders, and Titans and their two wins came against the Jets and Eagles. Week 7, they beat us and went on a hot streak, beating the Redskins, Giants, and Chiefs along the way, but they were petering out towards the end of it and needed OT to beat the Chiefs. Since that run, they're 1-4, splitting with the Ravens, losing to the Browns, getting beated like red headed stepchildren by the Chargers, and losing a close one to the Cowboys.

[Beaker]

Originally Posted by gmdino

They are just trying the lull everyone into a false sense of superiority. Then they'll turn it on in the playoffs.

(Cite: Bengals vs Jets 2009.)

Or the steelers last season:

[gmdino]

Originally Posted by Beaker

Or the steelers last season:

Not even close.

Bengals fans INSISTED that the team laiddown the last game just to allow the Jets in so they could be them at home.

How'd that work out?

[Ray Rice Rutgers Running]

Originally Posted by Whatever

The Bengals offense played like crap against Philly, but the D was stout and ST's were good, as well. I sort of excuse the poor offensive performance away by the fact that it was a massive trap game with only 4 days preperation. Foles had a 62.9 QBR and they only averaged 2.2 yards/rush. While our offense was pretty terrible, it was still good enough to punch those turnovers in for TD's more often than not.

Under Tomlin, Pittsburgh has been a team that peaks in the final 1/2 of the year. That hasn't been the case this year. The last three times they've made the playoffs['08, '10, and '11] they've won 6 of their last 7 games. When you look at them this year, they started out a very poor 2-3, with losses to the Broncos, Raiders, and Titans and their two wins came against the Jets and Eagles. Week 7, they beat us and went on a hot streak, beating the Redskins, Giants, and Chiefs along the way, but they were petering out towards the end of it and needed OT to beat the Chiefs. Since that run, they're 1-4, splitting with the Ravens, losing to the Browns, getting beated like red headed stepchildren by the Chargers, and losing a close one to the Cowboys.

The steelers are a mystery this year. Their defense is stout all year, and completely disappears in these crucial games. Then all of a sudden, all three star receivers are turnover machines (see sig). You can't blame injuries on everything either...

All these troubles seem to vanish for them during divison play. Not so much for the bengals (see week 1)

[Whatever]

Originally Posted by gmdino

Not even close.

Bengals fans INSISTED that the team laiddown the last game just to allow the Jets in so they could be them at home.

How'd that work out?

The Bengals laid down to let the Jets into the playoffs, and got beat by Sanchez. Still, Tebow is Jets backup despite the fact that Sanchez is the worst starting QB in the league, and Tebow lit the Steelers up like a Christmas tree despite Steeler fans droning over and over again that he's garbage.

[Whatever]

Originally Posted by Ray Rice Rutgers Running

The steelers are a mystery this year. Their defense is stout all year, and completely disappears in these crucial games. Then all of a sudden, all three star receivers are turnover machines (see sig). You can't blame injuries on everything either...

All these troubles seem to vanish for them during divison play. Not so much for the bengals (see week 1)

I wouldn't say vanish. They lost to the Browns and they barely beat the Ravens who haven't looked good since beating Oakland. Heck, they turned it over 8 times against the Browns, with 5 of those being lost fumbles.

[SunsetBengal]

Jets going down in flames, right about now..

[gmdino]

Originally Posted by Whatever

The Bengals laid down to let the Jets into the playoffs, and got beat by Sanchez. Still, Tebow is Jets backup despite the fact that Sanchez is the worst starting QB in the league, and Tebow lit the Steelers up like a Christmas tree despite Steeler fans droning over and over again that he's garbage.

Tebow completed two passes of any significance.

The last one for the TD? They ran that exact same play at the end of regulation and he threw it in to the ground three feet in front of the wide open receiver.

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes! LOL!

But the Bengals were a healthy, dare I say "good" team that year and BLEW it to Mark Sanchez and the Jets and the fans were POSITIVE it was all a ruse to not let them see what they were going to unleash in the playoffs.

[gmdino]

Originally Posted by Whatever

I wouldn't say vanish. They lost to the Browns and they barely beat the Ravens who haven't looked good since beating Oakland. Heck, they turned it over 8 times against the Browns, with 5 of those being lost fumbles.

The loss to the Browns is on Tomlin for starting Leftwich the week before against the Ravens. If he starts Batch they have a chance against Baltimore and Charlie has an extra week to get ready for Cleveland. Look what he did with two weeks tot he Raven's at home.

But they have played down and badly in too many games this year.

Can they turn it on and go on a run? Never say never.

But I'm not betting the house on it.

[ballsofsteel]

Yellow all.
As of today Andy Dalton is the best QB in the division. Why? Because he is the most consistent. Big Ben and Flacco regressed this year as far as I'm concerned. Out of Balt. Pitt and Cincy who has the best chance in the playoff's? Answer Cincinnati. Why?
Answer: Because they have the least injury problem, Can put pressure on the opposing QB
and are hungry. The "are hungry" part being the most important.

[Whatever]

Originally Posted by gmdino

Tebow completed two passes of any significance.

The last one for the TD? They ran that exact same play at the end of regulation and he threw it in to the ground three feet in front of the wide open receiver.

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes! LOL!

But the Bengals were a healthy, dare I say "good" team that year and BLEW it to Mark Sanchez and the Jets and the fans were POSITIVE it was all a ruse to not let them see what they were going to unleash in the playoffs.

He hit a lot more than that. On Denver's 3rd drive, he hit a 51 yarder to Demaryius Thomas and then a 30 yard TD pass to Eddie Royal 2 plays later. On their 4th drive, he hit Thomas again for 58 yards which set up an 8 yard TD run by Tebow. On their 6th drive, he hit Daniel Fells for 40 yards to set up a FG. Then, of course, there was the 80 yard game winner to Thomas in OT. That's not even counting some of the 3rd downs he picked up.

Personally, the Bengals did lay down with nothing to play for against the Jets and let them in. It just blew up in their face. The Bengals got completely outcoached in that game and Brian Schottenheimer called several plays at the perfect time to take advantage of Zimmer being overaggressive. We couldn't cover Dustin Keller at all that entire game. He just tore us a new one. Palmer was atrocioulsy bad, completing 18 of 36 passes for 146 yards, 1 TD, 1 pick, and a 58.3 QBR.

At the end of the day, both losses are extremely embarassing. The Bengals lost to a team that they basically laid down to to let in the playoffs. The Steelers, who take pride in their D, got lit up like a Christmas tree by one of the worst QB's on an NFL roster.

[gmdino]

Originally Posted by Whatever

He hit a lot more than that. On Denver's 3rd drive, he hit a 51 yarder to Demaryius Thomas and then a 30 yard TD pass to Eddie Royal 2 plays later. On their 4th drive, he hit Thomas again for 58 yards which set up an 8 yard TD run by Tebow. On their 6th drive, he hit Daniel Fells for 40 yards to set up a FG. Then, of course, there was the 80 yard game winner to Thomas in OT. That's not even counting some of the 3rd downs he picked up.

Personally, the Bengals did lay down with nothing to play for against the Jets and let them in. It just blew up in their face. The Bengals got completely outcoached in that game and Brian Schottenheimer called several plays at the perfect time to take advantage of Zimmer being overaggressive. We couldn't cover Dustin Keller at all that entire game. He just tore us a new one. Palmer was atrocioulsy bad, completing 18 of 36 passes for 146 yards, 1 TD, 1 pick, and a 58.3 QBR.

At the end of the day, both losses are extremely embarassing. The Bengals lost to a team that they basically laid down to to let in the playoffs. The Steelers, who take pride in their D, got lit up like a Christmas tree by one of the worst QB's on an NFL roster.

He was still awful in that game. For every completion there was a horrible, horrible throw or three. So it may have been a worse loss.

Especially because the Steelers DO have pride and the Bengals were on one their infrequent "runs: that ended the same as they have for the last 20 years...in a one and done in the playoffs.

[rfaulk34]

Originally Posted by gmdino

Tebow completed two passes of any significance.

The last one for the TD? They ran that exact same play at the end of regulation and he threw it in to the ground three feet in front of the wide open receiver.

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes! LOL!

But the Bengals were a healthy, dare I say "good" team that year and BLEW it to Mark Sanchez and the Jets and the fans were POSITIVE it was all a ruse to not let them see what they were going to unleash in the playoffs.

No, they weren't healthy.

[rfaulk34]

Originally Posted by gmdino

He was still awful in that game. For every completion there was a horrible, horrible throw or three. So it may have been a worse loss.

Especially because the Steelers DO have pride and the Bengals were on one their infrequent "runs: that ended the same as they have for the last 20 years...in a one and done in the playoffs.

Your butthurt is shining brighter than your false bravado.