38 and 45 = No Super Bowl for Bengals

[Utts]

The teams that won today scored 38 and 45 points respectively. That's what it takes to be a contender in the NFL today. Our Bengals are nowhere near capable of throwing up 30+ on good defenses. What's going to change next year? How are they going to get this pathetic offense up to snuff? I just don't see it happening. I think we have more problems on offense than people realize. Our line got manhandled down the stretch, we need a running back, and our TE has hands of stone, cannot out muscle corners or outrun safetys.

Sorry to be Debbie Downer, but when I see the elite teams it reminds me how far we are from contending.

[EatonFan]

Originally Posted by Utts

The teams that won today scored 38 and 45 points respectively. That's what it takes to be a contender in the NFL today. Our Bengals are nowhere near capable of throwing up 30+ on good defenses. What's going to change next year? How are they going to get this pathetic offense up to snuff? I just don't see it happening. I think we have more problems on offense than people realize. Our line got manhandled down the stretch, we need a running back, and our TE has hands of stone, cannot out muscle corners or outrun safetys.

Sorry to be Debbie Downer, but when I see the elite teams it reminds me how far we are from contending.

We can play with Baltimore. We aren't that far away. A RB, MLB, OL and a S and we'll be contenders for a little while. Plus we have a ton to spend in FA to add depth or even get a solid starter. We are a team on the rise.

[Bull Durham]

We need a whole lot of help on offense.

[CINwillWIN]

Originally Posted by Bull Durham

We need a whole lot of help on offense.

You are offense-ive.

We need everyone to be/stay healthy.

[Nately120]

Originally Posted by CINwillWIN

You are offense-ive.

We need everyone to be/stay healthy.

Meh, our offense looked so bad in the playoffs and the games leading in that I would have sworn our starting QB was on the sideline in an iron lung just by looking at the stats.

[Shady]

Get off Andy's back. It's what happens when your coaches know how to game plan for an opponent. Our problems aren't only with personnel. Andy had issues, no doubt, but you can't tell me that our coaches came into Houston with an effective game plan. I swear I've never seen a game where it looked like we planned anything. We just sort of haphazardly run through the playbook. If the run is working, we stop running. And our routes and patterns are not helping people get open.

[CINwillWIN]

Originally Posted by Nately120

Meh, our offense looked so bad in the playoffs and the games leading in that I would have sworn our starting QB was on the sideline in an iron lung just by looking at the stats.

He can just throw it at them, he can't make them catch...

It was sick watching all the drops, but in big games, those need to be caught.

[THE PISTONS]

Sadly...we are a product of weak scheduled the past 2 Years to a large extent. The big boys crush us like the Ravens did in the opener. The 2nd time we played was against their backups.

On offense a Mike Wallace or Jennings fixes it. Gresham slides to 3rd option which is a better role and sanU can go in the slot. The add a back who can catch the ball. That's 2 players.

The offensive line will improve with experience and health.

[Utts]

Originally Posted by EatonFan

We can play with Baltimore. We aren't that far away. A RB, MLB, OL and a S and we'll be contenders for a little while. Plus we have a ton to spend in FA to add depth or even get a solid starter. We are a team on the rise.

How do you conclude we can play with Baltimore? They blew us out the first game, and our staters beat their second team the second.

[THE PISTONS]

Originally Posted by Utts

How do you conclude we can play with Baltimore? They blew us out the first game, and our staters beat their second team the second.

Precisely. The Giants win is really the only evidence over the past 2 years and clearly they weren't a great team this year.

[savagehenry54]

Originally Posted by Utts

The teams that won today scored 38 and 45 points respectively. That's what it takes to be a contender in the NFL today. Our Bengals are nowhere near capable of throwing up 30+ on good defenses. What's going to change next year? How are they going to get this pathetic offense up to snuff? I just don't see it happening. I think we have more problems on offense than people realize. Our line got manhandled down the stretch, we need a running back, and our TE has hands of stone, cannot out muscle corners or outrun safetys.

Sorry to be Debbie Downer, but when I see the elite teams it reminds me how far we are from contending.

John Fox choked. Dom Capers should be fired.

Coaching.

Give the Bengals a good RB and better coaching and we're in business.

[CINwillWIN]

Originally Posted by Utts

How do you conclude we can play with Baltimore? They blew us out the first game, and our staters beat their second team the second.

Baltimore is going to be in the hot seat this next season with free-agency:
Flacco is set to make $14+ million
Ed Reed not happy with his deal
Ray Lewis retired
Ellerbe and Kruger both need contracts.
Baltimore Ravens have a pretty effective group of defensive ends—Pernell McPhee, Arthur Jones and DeAngelo Tyson among them—that doesn't mean they can afford to let one of them walk, especially when it's Jones, who has performed the best of the three this season.

[THE PISTONS]

Originally Posted by CINwillWIN

Baltimore is going to be in the hot seat this next season with free-agency:
Flacco is set to make $14+ million
Ed Reed not happy with his deal
Ray Lewis retired
Ellerbe and Kruger both need contracts.
Baltimore Ravens have a pretty effective group of defensive ends—Pernell McPhee, Arthur Jones and DeAngelo Tyson among them—that doesn't mean they can afford to let one of them walk, especially when it's Jones, who has performed the best of the three this season.

People say this every year about the Steelers and Ravens and they are generally good and recover from bad Years quickly.

Everyone was talking about how all the Ravens injuries and losing Grubbs would hurt them...

[mbburch]

You do not HAVE to score 35+ points to win the big games. Look at last week. No team scored more than 24. Our defense held Houston to 19 and scored 7 on its own. If the offense could have scored 13 that would have been enough.

We have one of the top defenses in the league; if our offense could consistently put up respectable numbers, we'd be serious playoff contender. This season we got a mix of respectable games and miserable games. 35+ points would of course be nice, but it's not necessary.

[CINwillWIN]

Originally Posted by THE PISTONS

People say this every year about the Steelers and Ravens and they are generally good and recover from bad Yeats quickly.

Everyone was talking about how all the Ravens injuries and losing Grubbs would hurt them...

true. you never really know about those teams.

[THE PISTONS]

Originally Posted by CINwillWIN

true. you never really know about those teams.

It shows that some organizations know how to win despite drafting low. Hopefully we can get there.

[Shady]

Originally Posted by THE PISTONS

It shows that some organizations know how to win despite drafting low. Hopefully we can get there.

I think it has alot to do with coaching. Just an idea.

[THE PISTONS]

Originally Posted by Shady

I think it has alot to do with coaching. Just an idea.

But who hires the coaches? Its the same people who pick the players. Its all interrelated.

[Omega IV]

No way Bengals defence gives up two TD kickoff returns for 90 and 105 yards. The Denver defence was weak.

Look, I've been saying this to Denver fans... AFCN teams are tough to beat. If Cinci, Pittsburgh or Baltimore were in the AFCW instead of Denver, they'd go 6-0 against the division easily. I mean, c'mon Oakland, San Diego, KC... Denver's numbers and success was inflated.

Now add a collapse by Houston at the end... Denver's #1 instead of #3.

Peyton's had a fantastic year... but Denver needs to upgrade their defence big time.

[Nately120]

Originally Posted by Omega IV

Look, I've been saying this to Denver fans... AFCN teams are tough to beat. If Cinci, Pittsburgh or Baltimore were in the AFCW instead of Denver, they'd go 6-0 against the division easily. I mean, c'mon Oakland, San Diego, KC... Denver's numbers and success was inflated.

Er, did you say that to Broncos fans before or after they went 4-0 against the AFC North this season?

[natiboysince88]

Originally Posted by Omega IV

No way Bengals defence gives up two TD kickoff returns for 90 and 105 yards. The Denver defence was weak.

Look, I've been saying this to Denver fans... AFCN teams are tough to beat. If Cinci, Pittsburgh or Baltimore were in the AFCW instead of Denver, they'd go 6-0 against the division easily. I mean, c'mon Oakland, San Diego, KC... Denver's numbers and success was inflated.

Now add a collapse by Houston at the end... Denver's #1 instead of #3.

Peyton's had a fantastic year... but Denver needs to upgrade their defence big time.

seriously? i mean every team could always be better off with an upgrade but denver's d has been quite solid this year...they've got talent, plus jack del rio at dc and john fox is a really good move.... i actually hoped we would get del rio b/c i was sure zimmer was gonna be be a hc last off season...

[OSUfan]

Originally Posted by Utts

The teams that won today scored 38 and 45 points respectively. That's what it takes to be a contender in the NFL today. Our Bengals are nowhere near capable of throwing up 30+ on good defenses. What's going to change next year? How are they going to get this pathetic offense up to snuff? I just don't see it happening. I think we have more problems on offense than people realize. Our line got manhandled down the stretch, we need a running back, and our TE has hands of stone, cannot out muscle corners or outrun safetys.

Sorry to be Debbie Downer, but when I see the elite teams it reminds me how far we are from contending.

Those defenses did not look elite yesterday sorry to burst your downer bubble.

[Helldog]

This is utterly asinine. So if the two winners of the games today don't score that many points, should they just keep playing until they do?

Why stop there? They must do this next week and then for the Super Bowl also

[BoomerFan]

We did play Denver this year and held them to fewer points -- though we still lost. Really, I feel like a better offensive line with some serious depth will really help this team. Also, the WRs coach needs to get on those guys about dropping the ball. Poorly thrown or not, if you get a hand on it and don't catch it, that's the receivers fault.

[Millz]

I do agree with the basic premise of what the OP is saying. At this moment we simply dont have an offense capable of winning it all. That goes for defense as well to a point, but offense more so. Defense is good enough to win it all just not with the offense though. If we go into next season with basically the same guys with maybe a 2nd round rb or a 3rd round rb perhaps, then we just better pray for no injuries to happen.