Skip to main content

These aren't the same Bungles

The Cincinnati Bengals have been a joke the past decade or two.

We're talking Pittsburgh Pirates of the NFL kind of joke.

So it's not that surprising that many people want to overlook them this Sunday.

After all, the Steelers own the Bengals, especially in Cincinnati where the Black 'n Gold have won eight straight.

But this team is different than last year's 4-11-1 squad.

For one, Carson Palmer is healthy. I'm sure you remember Palmer, he's the one that led the Bengals to a division title the year the Steelers won the Super Bowl.

The Bengals also have a running game with Cedric Benson, who's coming off a 141-yard game against the Packers. It was Benson's third 100-yard game out of his last four.

The Bengals have a pass rush, too, which should give the Steelers' offensive line fits.

Cincinnati should be 2-0, if it weren't for the miracle finish by the Broncos two weeks ago.

And I'm sure the Bengals will be fired up to give the defending champs their best shot.

Still, this is a game the Steelers should win. Although it will be a lot closer than people expect. And if the Steelers lose ... well, then it might be time to start to worry.

The pick: Steelers, 21-20.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Didn't Antonio Brown just get paid?

Didn't Antonio Brown just get paid? That was the first question that popped into my mind when I heard he wanted a new deal from the Steelers. I remember the details: Mike Wallace wanted more money than the Steelers wanted to offer, so the Steelers turned around and signed Brown to a $43 million deal over six years. That was 2012. Today, we learned that Brown will skip offseason workouts in the hope of getting a new deal. Honor your contract. It's that simple. Brown signed a deal that caused some people to scratch their heads at the time. It looked like a great deal for Brown. And after two seasons, it looked like the Steelers made a terrific call with the long-term deal. Brown had almost 1,700 yards receiving last year to go with 13 TD catches. That's a heck of a season. However, in exchange for long-term security, Brown looks like a bargain today. That's how it works. Or, at least that's how it's supposed to work. Now Brown wanted paid e...
2 comments
Read more

Wild-card round in NFL playoffs should be wild

The NFL playoffs finally are here, and, if you're like me, you can't get enough of the stuff. It looks like we should be headed for some high-scoring games, defensive struggles and some close calls this weekend. Here's how I see the weekend unfolding: Bengals at Texans: The Bengals are lucky to be in the postseason, while the Texans are lucky to have a quarterback after going through about 16 during the regular season. Arian Foster should get plenty of carries for the Texans, along with Ben Tate. The big question is whether quarterback T.J. Yates will be able to find Andre Johnson. If he can, it would go a long way for the Texans to win. However, something tells me rookie QB Andy Dalton finds some way to win against a tough Texans defense. Maybe he hooks up with A.J. Green on a big play. Maybe the Bengals defense pressures Yates into a big mistake. Bengals 20, Texans 17. Lions at Saints: This game should be fun to watch. The Saints, powered by record-set...
2 comments
Read more