The chiefs have chosen "Don't get your ass kicked by Trey Hendrickson repeatedly" as their response to Cincy's defense.

If it works out, it's a bigger impact than any single add/loss that the Bengals are gonna come up with this season, IMO.

OBJ was a MASSIVE problem against Cincy.

Nobody is banking on luck.

We're saying that it's possible the Bengals took a step back on defense. If they did, their entire strategy is going to change - it might HAVE to.

Their offense right now is built for balance, at least more balance than say the Chiefs or Bills. Burrow has never had to just flat out carry the team and when he's been called upon to do it, he's often done exactly what he did against us - make an unfathomable mistake at the worst possible time.

I'm not saying they cannot transition to a more imbalanced, passing-based offense. I'm saying they haven't proven they CAN and until they do, it's fair to question it.

The tip to Williams was ridiculous. Should've gone down as an INC, maybe 8 times out of 10.

And then how about the extremely timely huge return by none other than Skyy Moore that probably was as instrumental to the W as the penalty Ossai gave to us that gave us the game?

Though, I read somewhere that Burrow realized as he threw it he should've thrown it underneath to whoever it was wide open for the first.

100% concur. They probably will have t change how they play defense, just a question of how much.

And Joe has not had to just carry his team on his shoulders, yet. I'm not concerned that he won't be able to, but he hasn't had to so far.

In law an analysis of foreseeability isn't based on exactly HOW an outcome came about, but whether or not that outcome itself would be reasonably foreseeable.

Is it foreseeable that a rookie is gonna tip a pass to another rookie for an int? No, not really. But is it foreseeable that when you take a deep shot to a covered player who's running into safety help that the ball might get picked? Yeah, of course it is.

Then if you want to get into punt returns and penalties - fine, you do you. But I'm disinclined to relitigate that game. I mean Patrick Mahomes essentially gifted them at least a 10 point swing when he simply forgot how to football for a play and just kinda threw the ball on the ground. I mean c'mon - there's no sense in getting that granular in your analysis.

It was a tight game that ultimately swung on Burrow making a throw into coverage that he shouldn't have made.

And that's really my only point.

The Bengals will probably need to change how they play offense and defense. We just can't assume that it will work because, to date, they haven't been able to do it with any consistency. Sure, it looks on paper like they have the horses to do it but I'm not going to take it all seriously until they actually demonstrate some capability.

Really wish Arizona hired their DC bc he’s an excellent DC. His defenses remind me a lot of Belichicks. It isn’t full of stars, but everyone knows their job and does it really well. They don’t make mistakes.

That’s what makes the Ossai penalty so shocking to me

Yep.

We didn't get lucky, they puckered.

All true. Especially the last point. Just saying, we didn't beat them so much as Burrow made the costliest mistake at the worst time. Regardless, they are the only team in the NFL that has a 3-1 record against us. And it wasn't luck. They're a really good team.

yeah, and when it mattered, they puckered. They wilted. They choked.

No shame. KC did it the year before in the AFCCG. It happens.

But I really think you have a tendency to 1)overestimate our rivals 2)underestimate their personnel losses/ changes , and 3)overestimate the losses in KC, while assuming that the younger players drafted/procured for this moment will fall short.

Buffalo is pretty ****ed, I think. Don't you?

Cincinnati is going to be tough again, but likely to take a step back defensively.

If I were a betting man, I'd bet Jacksonville comes on strong this year. Buffalo appears to me to be in a bit of disarray.

But it's the NFL. It's going to be that way. And we won't win every year, but we're a good bet to win it ANY year.

3-2.

Mahomes hate ****ed them to death them without Burrow in 2018

They "puckered. They wilted. They choked." Once. One time out of four. If we were going to use probability, that means that we have about a 25% chance of beating them in our next meeting.

I'm not actually suggesting that's accurate, but any podcaster could, and some probably already are.

My point is that of any NFL team the Chiefs have faced in the Mahomes era, CIN is the one to worry about. Not BUF, because their coaching isn't nearly on the same level. Not LAC, because again the coaching. Not PHI, though I guess a case could be made.

It's CIN. They have made it apparent that they have the best coaching in the AFC, outside of KC. And they have a really good QB and receivers. And they have one of the best DLs in the AFC.

And they've beaten the Chiefs three times out of four.


So, maybe you're (and others) the one not taking them seriously enough? Because they lost two safeties? Do they have a great DL? a good set of LBs? Good CBs?

Lol, okay.

How would that game have gone if Henne had been under center?

unless we're expecting the next ten matchups between these two teams to not include Burrow, I don't think we have to count that one time.:D

And Kelce fumbled, or we win that game in the regular season.

And Mahomes literally forgot how to play NFL QB for a half, with a what, 21-3 lead?

I mean it's not like they've just lined up and smoked us. They've been really tight games, decided by a bone head play on one side or the other. I do not expect that to change.

They're a damned good team, and if you **** around, you're going to lose.

We've got the baddest mother****er in the valley, we need fear no evil.