For the third time since the 2005 season, the Cincinnati Bengals are in the playoffs. In 2005 and 2009, the Bengals won their division and hosted a playoff game. This time, they made it in as a wildcard team and will have to go on the road. Home-field advantage is such a big deal in the NFL and it's huge in the playoffs. The Houston Texans, who will host the Bengals on Saturday afternoon, are playing the first playoff game in franchise history and Reliant Stadium is sure to be insanely loud.
Despite the fans and despite having to travel to Houston, I think the Bengals actually have a better chance to win their playoff game than they did in '05 against the Steelers and in '09 against the Jets.
2005 was a magical season for Bengals fans. Carson Palmer was, without question, an elite quarterback at that point, Chad Ochocinco was still Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh was awesome, the defense led the league in turnovers and Rudi Johnson couldn't be stopped. For the first time in 15 years, the Bengals went to the playoffs and gave Bengals fans a reason to be happy again.
They won the division and were set to host the Pittsburgh Steelers at home in the wildcard round. Of course we know what happened. Carson Palmer went down with a catastrophic knee injury early and the Bengals ended up losing while the Steelers went on to win the super bowl.
We have to ask ourselves what would have happened if Palmer stayed in. Would they have won? It's possible that they would have, yes. However, consider that the Bengals, at that point, had trouble beating the Steelers are home. They had lost that very year to the Steelers by a score of 27-13 in Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals went into the playoffs losing two games in a row that could have gotten them a first-round bye, the Steelers went into the playoffs on a four-game winning streak. And you can't really overlook the fact that the Steelers went on to beat the Colts and the Broncos on their way to beating the Seahawks in the super bowl -- they won those games for a reason.
Then you have the 2009 season. The Bengals were transformed. They had one of the league's best defenses and Cedric Benson couldn't be stopped. Carson Palmer and the passing game struggled but he made big plays when big plays were needed. Most importantly, the Bengals stepped up against tough opponents. They beat the Steelers at home for the first time since 2001 and they went on to sweep the entire division. They finished with a 10-6 season, but again they went into another home playoff game with little to no momentum. They lost three of their last four games, including a 37-0 slaughter at the hands of the Jets, the team they were to play in the first round. The Jets came to Cincinnati and won by a score of 24-14. This time Palmer wasn't injured. Instead the Jets made the Bengals look bad, both on offense and defense.
Then you have 2011. The Bengals once again were fairly sloppy down the stretch. They lost three of their last five games, including a one-point loss to the Texans at home, but the Texans did the same thing, they have lost their last three games. The Bengals no longer have Carson Palmer. Instead they have rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and rookie wide receiver A.J. Green. They also have a rookie offensive coordinator.
Anyone on the outside would think that they had a better chance to win their two home playoff games, but I don't think that's the case. The Texans are banged up at the worst position. Rookie quarterback T.J. Yates will make a start against the Bengals at home and even though he led them to a victory over the Bengals in Week 14, he's not Matt Schaub. You also have to take into account that this is a different Bengals team. This team is filled with young and old leaders and there aren't any locker room problems. This team has what it takes to go on the road and win a game in a tough environment.
I don't want to take anything away from the Texans. I congratulate them on their first playoff berth in franchise history and I'm excited to watch the game on Saturday. However, I really do believe that the Bengals can beat them and have a better chance to beat them on Saturday than they had to win in '05 or '09.
Of course there are those who won't (and don't) agree with me. Our own Josh Kirkendall and I had a debate about this last night. Here's what he had to say.
Josh: I might disagree. I thought they had a great chance against the Steelers. Even when Palmer went down, the Bengals remained in it. If Palmer stays in, it's over before it even starts. That year was pretty magical
Jason: I don't know man.
Josh: That team was awesome. Led the league in turnovers, tremendous passing game with a quarterback largely considered one of the league's elites. Running game even set franchise records. All of that was in play and the second play of the game, Palmer connects with Henry on a 66-yard reception. It was Cincinnati's to win before Palmer's injury.
Jason: I'm not so sure they would have beaten the Steelers in that game though. The Steelers won the Super Bowl for a reason. There's really no way of knowing and the Bengals went into the playoffs with no momentum, losing the last 2 games of the season
Josh: Right. But the Bengals would have beaten the Steelers and what would that say about the Bengals that year?
Jason: I don't know what you mean
Josh: The Bengals would have beaten the Steelers if Palmer isn't injured and if the Steelers "won" the Super Bowl (with a little help from officials), the Bengals would have been that much better. Yes. I'm implying that that team was good enough to be a Super Bowl team. Bengals were leading 17-14 at half time. The Bengals turned it over three times in the second half, along with half-time meltdown in the locker room, which the Steelers took advantage of.
Jason: And how can you be 100 percent certain that they win that game if Palmer didn't get hurt. You can't know that for sure.
Josh: Because the one play that he took part in, completing a 66-yard reception, down the right sidelines to Chris Henry. Because Jon Kitna completed 14 of 20 passes for a quarterback rating of 99.8 in the first half, including a touchdown. And Palmer > Kitna.
Jason: Maybe they would have. All I was saying is that I like their chances in this game better than I did in the other two.
Josh: And I think you're only saying that because you know what happened in those games. You're not applying the actual emotion before those games, rather already pointing out how the game resulted and how the opponents fared afterwards. And to add to the argument, the Bengals beat the Steelers in their most recent meeting before the WC game at Pittsburgh. So suck it, Steelers fan :)
Jason: No. What I remember about that game is that the Bengals couldn't beat the Steelers at home and they got beat there earlier that season and that the Steelers finished the season w/ 4 straight wins and don't ever call me a Steelers fan again.
It's time for you to settle this argument. What do you think?
0 recs | 60 comments
Definately a better chance now.
The 2005 Steelers were brutal, and the 09 Jets were one of the best teams at that time. The Texans are talented, but banged up and under performing. And besides the HC, very few have faith in Yates. Our 2011 squad are superab on the road, and will show it come Saturday.
redrifle14 - January 4, 2012
Gotta contain Foster and Johnson......
the rest we can handle. Tate is no slouch either, but we limited both last time.
The Van Buren Boys - January 4, 2012
Daniels! We can not Daniels and Dresser run free either...
Unbeliever - January 4, 2012
Sorry
that should be we can not let Daniels and Dreessen run free either….
Unbeliever - January 4, 2012
Hmmmm...
Good arguement. I believe if Carson would have not went down they would have won that game and more. That whole group was special especially on the O… Rookies were part of that season too! Odell, Henry, Tab Perry and Pollack (towards the end of the season) Came in ready to go! Prally the best rookie class in the in whole. This is about Andy and Greene not to much else. Anyway back to subject. Only because of the results that they did lose and Carson did go down. I have to side with Jason. As a fan lol, they dang on better be able to beat the Texans. Just throw Jump balls all day. Noone on their team can compete with a jump against Greene, Gresham, or Simpson… Joseph is good but he is vulnerable to jump balls and just happens to be his biggest weakness! I hope the Bengals come out guns blazing! They are better on O, just need to put it all together. Hopefully this is there best game of the season that they say we haven’t seen yet.
Dwight Carter - January 4, 2012
agreed to a point
but we had NO Defense then and as we all know…Defense wins championships
joeb69 - January 4, 2012
i think our 05 defense is comparable to the Pats/ Packers defense this year
they give up a lot of yards, but create a lot of turnovers and don’t allow many points.
AMAS85 - January 4, 2012
Final Score in 2005
Pitt 31 Bengals 17
Bengals gave up 31 points
Ben Roth 14 of 19 for 208 yards with 10.9 yards per pass
pitt had 144 yards on the ground for a 4.2 ave
Pit put up 31 points in 31 plays
Pitt was on fire that day
Chili Dog - January 4, 2012
yea when you turn over the ball 3 times, thats at least 9 plays the steelers should of had
so they score should have been closer to 22 to 17
AMAS85 - January 4, 2012
Defense didn't matter that year. Carson and company won by out scoring everyone else
njbengalstat - January 4, 2012
but
my point is, we lost then because we didn’t have a D, we will win now, because that problem has been fixed.
joeb69 - January 4, 2012
Who knows what would of happened if Palmer didn't go down. I lot of people had us goin to the big show
njbengalstat - January 4, 2012
Just four more wins to go baby!!!! WHO DEY!
bnglsfan - January 4, 2012 via mobile
WHO DEY!!
Bigcatdaddy - January 4, 2012 via mobile
The bengals last game of the season
will be against the Patriots…
the-dude - January 4, 2012
Well in 2009 that team
lost out in December same as the 2011 team did but the crucial difference is the 2011 team has more key players who actually want to be on the team! I got to believe Carson had thoughts of swinging over to Chad’s side in wanting out of Cincinnati during the 2009 season.
To win it would help if AJ Green is close to where he was prior to hurting his shoulder. He’s not been very effective ever since. Second thing would be nice if the defense played the run like they did in September and October.
BENGALS69 - January 4, 2012
in response about AJ
even when he doesn’t get many catches, he always seems to get a P.I. that changes field position. But yea, I really wanna see his break out game… kinda like what calvin johnson did in their last game of the this season…
AMAS85 - January 4, 2012
Palmer And Henry were Bread and Butter
Both together made all the difference, Both went down on the same play. That SECOND DOWN PLAY is my worst memory as a Bengal Fan. Its like. ‘How it gave me life. How it made it end’.
Chili Dog - January 4, 2012
+1. I have a lot bad memories but that was THE WORST
njbengalstat - January 4, 2012
Losing to the Jets
was my worst memory as a Bengals fan. I don’t think even the 05 injury and loss were as bad, because I wasn’t as invested in that team. ’09 was an emotional year.
miniglik - January 4, 2012
I assume you are young - that was an easy loss to take
Try two Superbowls…
brisd - January 5, 2012
In regards to the article with Josh and Jason
Im going to have to take Josh’s side because I think we win hands down with palmer. Kitna is leader in the locker room, not so much on the field. I always felt Kitna was a liability when it comes to throws over 25 yrds, so it probably limited our play calling as well. Not to mention Slim got hurt on the same play…
that should have been our year, but there really is something special going on with the bengals this year and what players we picked in the last couple of years. I don’t ever remember having a DL this good or a WR with talent comparable to Moss. With most of our play makers within 3 years of expierence, the sky is the limit. Plus all these draft picks we get the next two years…. If some how, some way, this team can pull off a few playoff wins this season, I really can see a dynasty brewing!!!!
AMAS85 - January 4, 2012
+1
ItsAlwaysSunnyInDayton - January 4, 2012
By the way. I love that show. "Frank, why is there a buffet at the orgy!". Lol
njbengalstat - January 4, 2012
Yeah. The refs.
And no, I’m not talking about the Seahawks. The reffing was atrocious, but it also made no real difference. I’m talking about the Colts and Broncos, both of whom the Stoolers had no business beating.
FriarBob - January 4, 2012
Exactly!
The Stealers – Seahawks Superbowl is still my number 1 worst officiated Superbowl that I have ever seen. Of course, my first Superbowl that I saw was between the Eagles and Raiders…Jaworski, Carmichael, Newland vs. King for the Raiders was HUGE in that game….but I digress….
Unbeliever - January 4, 2012
boiling down the arguments
I have to agree with Jason that the Bengals have a better chance to win this Saturday, because they have already lost the other 2 :)
Here’s how I see it:
I rank our playoff opponents as: 2005 Steelers, 2009 Jets, 2011 Texans
I rank the Bengals squads as: 2005 Bengals, 2011 Bengals, 2009 Bengals
There is no doubt in my mind that Palmer’s knee injury flipped that game. They had the momentum in that game at the time and I believe they would have won, but that is all irrelevant now.
I see 2 very similar squads. Both started out hot but limped across the finish line, both have a game changer at WR are are built on defense. Both are led by rookie QBs. And neither team has any experience winning in the playoffs.
I think this one could go either way. Their running game scares the crap out of me, especially after Rice took us behind the woodshed last week. However, I think our D can rattle Yates and cause some turnovers. In the end, I think this comes down to Nugent. I don’t know how he became Grahamified all of the sudden, but he better get it fixed this week, because one muffed FG will be the difference between our first playoff win in 20 years, and going home.
EarthwormJim - January 4, 2012
About Ray Rice
What if the Bengals were able to contain Rice on his Two
BIG runs? Were the Bengals two plays away from winning?
Chili Dog - January 4, 2012
at least that happend in the regular season and not in the playoffs
AMAS85 - January 4, 2012
Bengals backed into the playoffs
Its like you say. At least it happened in the regular season
Chili Dog - January 4, 2012
I bet there are 20 other teams
that WISH they could have “backed into” the playoffs…Were in, who cares how we got there. In the end, only 12 teams make it, and we are one of those dirty dozen… :)
Unbeliever - January 4, 2012
Besides....
All we need is a shot…that is all the Giants needed when they beat the undefeated Pats…that was all the Stealers needed back in 2005….that was all the Packers needed last year…all those teams were 6 seeds and won the SB…we might, we might not, but we got a shot and that is AWESOME!
Unbeliever - January 4, 2012
so true, it only takes one win in the playoffs to start something really special
AMAS85 - January 4, 2012
Yea. I felt pretty pissed after the last game. Come today. Who give a sh?! Hoe we got in
Who dey
njbengalstat - January 4, 2012
if the bengals "backed" into the playoffs:
then i guess the jets and raiders “backed off” from the playoffs lol
AMAS85 - January 4, 2012
No.
The Ravens dominated the line of scrimmage so they should have won.
BENGALS69 - January 4, 2012
That's a pretty big 'if"
The point is, we can’t have those types of breakdowns and expect to win.
EarthwormJim - January 4, 2012
even with the atrocious officiating
yes
featherman - January 4, 2012
to clarify
I see 2 very similar squads between this year’s Bengals and Texans
EarthwormJim - January 4, 2012
keep up the pressure zim
we had the texans beat down last game until we backed off in the second half, especially that last horrible drive at the end, see what kc did to tebow at the end of the game, they kept the pressure coming, now I’m not saying that tebow is as good as a passer as yates, but pressure on a young quarterback is a killer
whodeydoc - January 4, 2012
NO PREVENT DEFENSE!!!
I am so sick and tired of the “prevent” defense. All the “prevent” defense has done, is prevent US from winning the game…case in point…Super Bowl XXIII (Yeah, I am STILL not over that one…F YOU Montana and John Taylor!)
Unbeliever - January 4, 2012
Yes there should never be a time where a CB gets beat in prevent, which had happen on a couple of plays
but it only makes sense to play prevent if your up by two scores with around 5 min of the game… your essentially trying to get them to score with less than 2 min on the clock… its a numbers game… JUST DON"T GET BEAT DEEP… and prevent will be worth it!!!
AMAS85 - January 4, 2012
Yeah I agree I hate prevent defense...
We get into it with way too much time left in the game… and it just kills us…
Luke - January 4, 2012
+1
njbengalstat - January 4, 2012
That +1 was 4 unbeliever
njbengalstat - January 4, 2012
Prevent Defense?!
Pervent Defense changes the game plan. Why differ from what got you there? Stop the attack and give a QB a breather is not power football. Its a gamble that will blow up in your face unless the prevent defense has personal to carry it out.
Chili Dog - January 4, 2012
Yea ur letting the qb get comfortable. Which turns into plays
njbengalstat - January 4, 2012
i agre that this game is more favorable
not because the prior games were any more or less of a toss up. but because the storyline is more favorable this year. the pressure of expectations is low. the opponent is severely weakened by injury.
2005 there were high expectations. kind of like the titanic’s maiden voyage.
2009 there was the whupping of the prior week. it did not portend well. the mood was ominous.
andyfrombrooklyn - January 4, 2012
yea I can't wait to see what happens the rest of this season and see how they handle their success in the off season
hopefully Carlos hangs out with Geno this offseason and is more conditioned by the start of next season
AMAS85 - January 4, 2012
Carlos, Geno and Michael Johnson....
Although, MJ is having his best year by far….glad they are letting him play DE instead of OLB…
Unbeliever - January 4, 2012
i think Geno is have the better season
8 sacsk for a DT and i know he has a lot of tackles for losses
AMAS85 - January 4, 2012
Agreed!
I love his ability to disrupt the offense and get after the QB…..plus, don’t forget, he also has a defensive TD as well.. ;)
Unbeliever - January 4, 2012
This game is more winnable simply because they are on their third string QB.
It’s another story if Schaub is playing. In the last 6 games, Houston has only scored above 20 points once.
MrBungle - January 4, 2012
We've got our shot Saturday.
I think we win in ‘05 until “the incident”, plus Chad’s probably in the locker room crying about his touches, then we fall for the worst trick play ever, then Kitna tanks, then….. So the steelers won the Super Bowl. Denver never showed up at home and the Seahawks were a pretty weak NFC rep plus they got every call from the officials.(OTS, then they draw the Cards while our luck has us drawing strong 49’er teams in the SB) In ’09, the Jets just had our number. Period.
laibach - January 4, 2012
Really?
I was just reading Joe Reedy’s article that said the Bengals have allowed 100+ rushing yards in 6 of their last 8 games (that only happened 1 time in their first 8 games). I really, really want us to win, but that stat line does not inspire any confidence (especially when going up against the Texans rushing offense).
OhWell - January 4, 2012
I tried to point that out yesterday.
Since Pat Sims went out on IR the run defense has gotten seriously deficient. Whats crazy is only TJ Yates has had a big passing day against the Bengals during December but they’ve allowed 136, 144 and 222 yards on the ground since 12/4, they lost 3 of those games. In the games they’ve won in December, they allowed 95 and 59 yards.
What this shows to me is the dline has been losing the line of scrimmage battle and I think Pat Sims is a big reason why. Definitely a big challenge on Saturday to get their dline playing much better, as well as linebackers.
BENGALS69 - January 4, 2012
I agree with you
Big Pat was probably the best run stuffer we had and with one less D-Tackle in the rotation Atkins and Peko have to play more snaps and are more tired.
featherman - January 4, 2012
It's a tough call with '09 for me
If the team hadn’t let the Jets win the last game of the regular season, I think we would have had a much better shot in that game. The team shut off, though, and it was hard to turn back on.
miniglik - January 4, 2012
I believe the 2005 and 2009 teams actually beat Pitt and Balt
and a few other playoff bound teams, so I rank this team below them. Next year they could be a force in the division/AFC, until they can beat those two teams, nope. And I think the chances this year are less than those years to advance in the playoffs, but I still think they have a chance. 25%? Until they beat someone I will not be convinced. Hope they convince me.
brisd - January 5, 2012
In Defense of the 05 team
The 05 team is this year’s Saints,Packers, and Patriots
The Defense were on the field for a long time but they created a lot of turnovers which CP9 at the time with Chris “Slim” Henry, Chad Johnson and TJ tore up the opposing defense which led to the opposing Offense to play catch up most of the games which fell into our favor because Carson had a big arm and Chad was still Chad Johnson and DB’s couldnt jam Slim at the line and TJ just made the 1st down easy
also the O-line was in its PRIME
Willie Anderson
Levi Jones
Rich Braham
Eric Steinbach
thats 4 pro bowl right there
Also the running game was a killer we had Rudi who averaged 1200 per season and Perry came out of the backfield took screens and swing passes for 8+ yds
But the only thing that the 05 team lack was the locker room leadership, they didnt have much leaders on the team, by far the 05 team was the most talented team, but they didnt have the finishing touch on them…….but honesty 05 was our Super Bowl Year for sure, CP9 was on fire, Chad Johnson was in the top threat, and the best #2WR at the time TJ and emerging #3 WR in Chris “slim” Henry and a Defense which caused a lot of turnovers
which leds to my point, the 2011 will go far, if they just keep doing what they have then i see us getting another shot at either Baltimore and Pittsburgh
Touhue Cha - January 5, 2012
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