In early September, we picked the Steelers and the Redskins to make it to the Super Bowl.
(Yes, we are owning it. These damn permalinks give us no option.)
We also omitted the Ravens from the AFC playoff field, picking the Bengals to make it instead.
Through two months of the season, we don’t look quite so stupid.
On Sunday, the Bengals faced the Ravens with Baltimore’s backs pressed against the wall. After losing to Cincinnati at home last month, the Ravens needed the win badly.
And the Bengals were able to hold them off.
The ten-point margin wasn’t that close. Cincy scored 14 in the first quarter, and the Bengals never were threatened, thanks to a strong effort on defense.
It could have gotten interesting in the fourth quarter, but kicker Steven Hauschka missed a 38-yard field goal try that could have cut the margin to seven points.
So the Ravens are now 4-4, looking up at the 6-2 Ravens Bengals and 5-2 Steelers. The remaining schedule features two games against Pittsburgh, a visit from the Colts, and a trip to Lambeau.
In other words, we might have been very wrong about the Redskins, but we look to be right on track as to the Ravens.
For the Bengals, the real test is coming. Can they avoid playing down to the level of their competition? After a trip to Pittsburgh, they face the Raiders, Browns, and Lions.
Based on their performance to date this season, we wouldn’t be surprised to see them beat the Steelers again — and then have to scratch and claw to take two of the next three.
Still, it looks like we’ll end up being right about the Bengals. Though it won’t come close to removing the yolk from our noses regarding the Redskins, it’ll help.
A little.
Proofreading is your friend, Mike.
I think I just heard a window shut….
Good call on the Bengals, Florio. They are for real. Definitely one of the three best teams in the AFC along with the Colts and Steelers.
The best of the NFC is the Vikings, Saints and Cardinals…
Wait, I’m confused. The Ravens are 4-4, they’re 6-2, they’re looking up at themselves. What’s going on now?
So the Ravens are now 4-4, looking up at the 6-2 Ravens and 5-2 Steelers.
Don’t you mean the 6-2 BENGALS?!
Huge win yesterday. Just shows what the Bengals are capable of doing to any team in the NFL. We are not afraid of the Steelers. We have some scores to settle with them and next weeks game will be one to remember! I cant wait! As for the Ravens, good try, good luck, and have fun at the bottom with the Browns.
WHO DEY!!!!
The only person i heard, who isn’t a bengals fan, say anything about the bengals in the playoffs was bill cower.
PFT picked the ravens to win that game, despite Cincy’s win in baltimore.
PFt said Flacco was a better quarterback than Palmer, despite palmer’s 2 pro bowls, 2 4,000+ yard passing seasons, and his 7-3 now 8-3 record against the ravens.
good to see this game’s aftermath came as an afterthought in the afternoon. we’ll get the one-liners from this game tomorrow morning.
So the Ravens are now 4-4, looking up at the 6-2 Ravens and 5-2 Steelers. The remaining schedule features two games against Pittsburgh, a visit from the Colts, and a trip to Lambeau.
Can the ravens really be 4-4 and 6-2
So the Ravens are now 4-4, looking up at the 6-2 Ravens. FAIL
Hall and JJ are the best CB tandem in the league, hands down.
Carson looked great save for his fiftieth delay of game penalty
Ced’s a certified beast
O line is damn good, let Smith take as much time as he needs, as in don’t let him play next week, he can get his feet wet against the Raiders, Lions and Browns. We ened to resign Kooistra with Henry’s spot if he goes IR. BTW, Henry is a tough loss, but if there’s a silver lining, I hope it’s that we can resign him at less cost than if he played all year and possibly busted out, good luck w/ rehab Slim.
Don’t miss Odom as much as many thought we would, Fanene and Michael Johnson have filled in admirably.
Chad’s a beast, thank god Vern is showing he can make catches and get RAC, we’ll need him more now. LOVE Bubba Caldwell, kid is a mini Cris Carter, all he does is catch touchdowns!
Yeah don’t you proofread before you hit “submit”. The Ravens are looking up at the Ravens? Wow, you’re killing me Florio.
So the Ravens are now 4-4, looking up at the 6-2 Ravens(Bengals) and 5-2 Steelers. The remaining schedule features two games against Pittsburgh, a visit from the Colts, and a trip to Lambeau.
You were right on the Bengals except when you said that Baltimore would beat them last week or that Flacco would play a better game than Palmer. It’s why trying to be a football prophet is such a farce. It’s like Obama trying to tell you how many states there are in the US, even with all the facts in front of you, even with everything you’ve seen, he’s still going to get it wrong. You could still end up being very wrong about the Bengals making the playoffs, or you could be wrong about the Steelers winning the division or wrong about the Steelers making it back to the Super Bowl, etc… This site is built on the rumors, analysis and opinions of past events or ongoing events. That’s why it’s not such a joke like ESPN or SportsIllustrated. The second you rely heavily on predicting things completely out of your control as the cause de celebre of this site, you fall right back with the crowd of fools that preceded you.
But hey, that’s what passes for NFL analysis anymore, so good luck with that.
Is this the first Florio article most of you have ever read??? have you not seen him put those ‘mistakes’ in on purpose, with the line across them.. simply to make a point that usually its the ravens who are 6-2 and Bengals looking up at them??? most of his articles have that to imply other meanings.. IT WAS DONE ON PURPOSE YOU BLUBBERING IDIOTS!!!!
Joey, was the strikeout style of the text their when the article was first posted? I don’t remember, but I don’t think so. I’m taking it as commenters pointed out the typo and rather than expunge it from history, Florio is choosing to show that he messed up and just showed that it was edited. It would be kind of ironic to delete the incorrect text in an article where he was recounting how he was wrong or right. I’m not definite on any of that, just my guess.
joey, you got it all wrong. we are profootballtalk die-hards. commentors find florio’s errors and point them out, then florio goes back, strikes through the wrong and inputs the right.
Onto better things now…WHO DEY. Gotta love these bengals and their comraderee! Been a big fan for years, and hate to say, I still have my doubts. Love the season, but still have doubts. I can’t wait to have the swagger of a Steeler’s fan.
Nice try joey but that was a correction. He didn’t do it on purpose.
Lame comments, where are all the steelers trolls? At least they make this interesting. We’re waiting you yellow towel waving fairies.
Hey just wondering how the big bad Ravens defense let poor little Cedric Benson run for over 100 yards again…. Did Ray Lewis not call it lucky the first time?? I dont know if anybody else watched atleast a dozen studio analyst say that there was no way this proud defense would allow the Bengals to punch them right in the mouth again ( Yeah I’m asking you Michal Irvin, Keyshon Johnson, Warren Sapp, Marshall Faulk and many others)…. Anyway I hope this game can atleast put to rest the question “Are the Bengals for real?” At some point the headline should just read “The Bengals WIN Again!!!”
Bengals look pretty good. If I were a Steeler fan (and I’m not, my parents were married)…I’d be worried.
If I were the Ravens (coaching staff), I’d be worried not just about Ray Lewis’ inability to cover WRs anymore, Ed Reed’s inability to tackle, or your kicker’s inability to kick from the left hash mark….but the overall lack of discipline on defense. Too many penalties and blaming refs, not enough of what made them famous.
GO BRONCOS!
Pathetic game by the Ravens and it really appeared the Bengals were the better prepared team. Each critical battle was won by the bengals early on and the ravens offense never got on track. However if I was cincy I wouldn’t be starting the trip to dade county just yet. After dominating the first half of the game they were more than willing to let a STRUGGLing ravens team get back in the game until the ravens missed a 38yrd field goal with 6 minutes left in game.
As for the Ravens it doesn’t look good right now, but let’s see how november plays out before we right them off. A steelers loss tonite would be nice
That’s the biggest worry I have as a Bengals fan. Their offense seems to find long periods of vacation in the middle of games. Even if you make it by an Oakland or a Cleveland, that will not work for you in a playoff game and making a trip to the Super Bowl has to be the ultimate goal. If I was any team playing the Bengals, I would blitz…a lot. At least until the Bengals beat you a few times on it. Palmer talks about the great play of the offensive line, but if you send two guys, it doesn’t look like he completely trusts his protection.
Yea but your not going to blank out the Ravens offense OR defense for long periods of time either! We played a keep away game once we had a three possession lead. Why risk it? We dominated TOP 2:1. So to say we looked weak at the end misses the point entirely. We DOMINATED them like little girls in the back of a van. So good luck,
next year chumps