Maybe those folks who weren’t buying tickets knew what was coming.
The Bengals have looked great against good teams. But they won’t truly be a good team until they quit playing down to the level of their not-so-good opponents.
On Sunday, they played beneath the level of the Texans, a better-than-advertised sub-.500 team coached by a man whose job is on the line if the team doesn’t get to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
For the Texans, the back-and-forth season continues. Rebounding well after nearly pulling out a late comeback against the Cardinals that was killed by a Matt Schaub pick six, the Robert Barone look-a-like threw for eight yards shy of 400 and four touchdowns against a defense that had shut down the Ravens’ potent offense only one week earlier.
And as long as Schaub is healthy, the Texans will be competitive. (If/when Schaub gets hurt, they’ll be competitive at least in bursts with Rex Grossman.)
The defense did enough for the Texans to keep the game from becoming a shoot out, keeping Texas native Cedric Benson (who took a free-agency visit to Houston in the offseason) under 50 yards and preventing Carson Palmer from leading the Bengals back with his arm.
The challenge now for the Bengals will be to bounce back from a disappointing loss. They’re tied with Pittsburgh at the top of the AFC North, and the next three games (Bears, Ravens, Steelers) will be tough tests, especially with defensive end Antwan Odom (Achilles’ tendon) out for the year and defensive tackle Domata Peko (knee) possibly gone for a while, too.
Based on how Cincinnati has performed against teams with more losses than wins, the bigger challenge might be the next three on the docket — the Raiders, Browns, and Lions.
To Bengals fans:
Don’t necessarily believe a word Florio says. He’s been wrong before. Way wrong!
Florio, the Bungles are what we thought they were: sorry.
So they got lucky a few weeks in a row. When reality sets in and it’s time to $**t or get off the pot, they’ll fold like the sissies that they are. Now comes the injury excuses, blah blah blah. The Bungles will be lucky to go 8-8.
Scary, no good, flat as Kansas in the second half and the first twenty minutes of the first as well. I love how Brat establishes something on O and then decides to abandon it for twenty minutes or more of game time. The previous weeks, he appeared to have the need to establish the passing game as a threat and then run all day till the last five minutes. Yesterday, we established the run game and promptly abandoned it, causing the D to be on the field foar more than they needed to be against a talented Offense. We had NO answer for the screen to Slaton, and played softly in all defensive aspects. Bears game Sunday is all the sudden more anxiety producing for me, but it’s at home and we should be ready to play, we weren’t yesterday.
Texans are not a bad team. They lost 2 games because Kubiak put in running back Chris Brown to try to score from the 1 yard line and in both games the man with a 2 yard per carry average failed. Texans have excellent running backs but not that one and Kubiak is only reason Texans don’t sit with a winning record.
Bengals with Brad St. Louis 3-1
Bengals without Brad St. Louis 0-1 and lose best defensive player for the season.
The curse of Brad St. Louis?
Just sayin’
Funny, maybe I’ll change my name after this year. Katmandu, suck it, you don’t know shit. Stick to building the Steelers up to be something they’re not, and minding your mamaw.
“Florio, the Bungles are what we thought they were: sorry.
So they got lucky a few weeks in a row. When reality sets in and it’s time to $**t or get off the pot, they’ll fold like the sissies that they are. Now comes the injury excuses, blah blah blah. The Bungles will be lucky to go 8-8.”
So we will win no more then 4 the rest of the way????? Another hatig Steeler fan mad cause they lost to us….
After a very emotional week where the ENTIRE team attended a funeral I think they werent totally prepared or ready….They will play much better against Chicago…..The Ravens have to come to our house and put up numbers…The Steelers we may very well lose at Heinz but if we can go 2-1 over our next 3 thats 6-3 I will take that with 7 to play…..and games against KC, LIons, Clevland and Oakland…Lets win those 4 we are at 10 wins…..IT AINT OVER! even with the loss of Odom and Peko….
Tank Johnson takes over for Peko full time and while we may lose some pass rush experience Fanene and Johnson(Michael Johnson-Rookie) will have to step up…Johnson has missed 2 INTS right at the line of scrimmage….He’s 6-7….Like I said it aint over yet….
Bob S couldn’t be more right. Kubiak and Shanahan (Kyle, the OC) are the prime reasons to explain the Texans woeful showing in 3 losses. The talent is better in Houston, but Kubiak can’t harness it. Kubiak’s utilization of running backs this year has been careless and stupid. Chris Brown is not an viable option, simply a guy that gives Slaton a breather.
Try listening to a Gary Kubiak radio show – you can’t tell him anything. That’s why he won’t let Schaub audible out of a play call.
the game against chicago is where the bengals deciede if they are for real or not. A win, and it shows that they can come together and they have a decent shot at 10-6 on the year. remember that pitt plays the vikes, so even with a loss they should still be tied for 1st. Bengals should be able to wipe the floor with the bears.