My calendar tells me Tuesday, December 25th was
Christmas Day 2012. For Bengals fans, Sunday, December 23rd felt
like Christmas Day. Steelers fans laugh at the thought of this. For most
organizations (the Steelers especially), making the playoffs is not the goal,
winning the Super Bowl is. For an organization run by Mike Brown, making the
playoffs, let alone in back to back years, is a Christmas miracle of the
magnitude we have not seen since the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus himself.
So, while this was not a pretty game, and there were plenty of things that
cause great concern, the most important part of the story is the Bengals
won…oh, and the Steelers lost.
What I Did Like:
Winning/Making the Playoffs
We have said it time and time again. This was the type of
game the Bengals don’t win. More specifically, the Marvin Lewis Bengals don’t
win. When everything is on the line, when the offense is not working, when
things are going wrong and the game is just plain ugly. The Bengals don’t win
that game. Marvin Lewis can’t win that game. That is the game Mike Tomlin wins.
That is the game the Steelers win. Except this time Marvin and the Bengals won
and Tomlin and the Steelers lost. This time the Steelers were the ones that
folded. This time it was Roethlisberger who made the mistake. For the first
time I can remember, in a Bengals Steelers game, it was the Steelers that
snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. So, while the Bengals looked terrible
in many facets of the game, let us not forget, the most important part of this
game, or any game for that matter, is to win. As Bengals fans, we have long
admired teams like the Steelers (while loathing them at the same time) who can
win ugly and win games they have no business winning. So, despite the ugliness
in this game (and there was plenty), the bad coaching decisions, etc, lest we
not forget, the Bengals won. And as Herm Edwards so eloquently told us, “you play
to win the game! Hello!”
Knocking the Steelers Out of the Playoffs
As a Bengals fan born in the early 80’s, I have very few
memories of playoff games. Two memories I do have involve the Steelers ending
the Bengals playoff hopes: 1) 2005 Wild Card game (aka the Carson Palmer broken
knee game) where the Steelers knocked the Bengals (and Palmer) out and went on
to win the Super Bowl; 2) 2006 the last game of the year - the last time the
Bengals had a chance for back to back playoff years – if the Bengals won, they
were in – the Bengals let the Steelers tie it late, Graham missed a GW FG and
then the Bengals lost on the first possession in OT. I don’t ever recall the
Bengals ending the Steelers season…until Sunday. That revenge may not mean much
to the Bengals players (I believe Geathers may be the only player remaining
from the 2005 or 2006 game), but that revenge means a lot to the fans. And we
are a website for the people!
The Defense
If you didn’t buy into the hype about this defense, maybe
you believe now. This is a good defense. This is a very good defense. This is a
championship caliber defense. The Bengals beat Pittsburgh, in Pittsburgh, for
one reason and one reason only. And that reason is defense. The defense had 4
sacks, 7 QB hits, 2 INTs, and 1 forced fumble. The Bengals scored a total of
just 13 points. The defense had the only TD and the 2 FGs were a result of a 19
yard drive and a 1 play 21 yard drive (set up by the game ending INT). The
defense also pushed Pittsburgh out of FG range to start the 2nd half
after Dalton threw a terrible INT on the first play of the 3rd
quarter. That means the defense was responsible for 10 of the Bengals 13 points
and took 3 points away from Pittsburgh. On Sunday the defense proved that they
alone can win a game. That means they stand a chance in any game against any
team.
Leon Hall
One of my favorite whipping boys has now (in my eyes) won
the last two games. It was Hall’s INT against Philly that turned that game, and
it was Hall’s INT against Pittsburgh that provided the Bengals with a 7-0 lead
and their only TD. Hall looks healthy and his health makes this defense much
tougher.
The Defensive Line
This line is dominant. More importantly, they are dominant
against both the pass and the rush. Led by Geno Atkins and his 12.5 sacks, the
defense has 47.0 sacks (38.0 from the DL), 2nd in the NFL. What
makes them so difficult is that multiple players can pressure the QB, so teams
can’t focus on just one player. 4 players on the line have 5 or more sacks
(Atkins 12.5, MJ 9.5, Gilberry 5.5, Dunlap 5.0). When the line is putting the
pressure on the QB like they have all season, the Bengals can stay in any game.
Dalton to Green with 0:04
There wasn’t much good about the offense on Sunday, but they
did execute perfectly at the end of the game to win it. With :14 seconds left,
Dalton lofted a perfect 21 yard pass over the LB and under the S to Green in a
spot where only Green could catch it. That completion set up the GW FG with
just :04 seconds left, and ultimately sealed the playoffs for the Bengals.
Josh Brown
How good has this guy been? 8 of 9 since being brought in,
and his only miss was a 56 yarder at Heinz Field, a place where the longest
kick made is 52 yards and kickers are 5-20 from 50+.
Adam Jones the Punt Returner
His 62 yard punt return got wiped out, but he makes a play
every game he is back there. I still do not understand why Brandon Tate ever
fields a punt when Jones is healthy, let alone splits punt return duty.
If not for Jason Allen, we may have been talking about how
Jones won the game with his 62 yard punt return, not the fact that he nearly
lost it when he allowed Antonio Brown to beat him for a 60 yard bomb with just
over 1 minute remaining in the half.
What I Did Not Like:
The Run Game
So much for the Bengals recent improvements in the run game.
After going for 543 yards in the last 5 games, BJGE went for an embarrassing 14
yards on 15 attempts, with no run longer than 4 yards. While he didn’t have
much room to work with, he seemed timid when approaching the line. On multiple
occasions it was as if he would get to the line and just dive down. Sunday was
more like the BJGE we saw weeks 1-9, not the guy we saw the last 5 weeks who
was attacking the hole with purpose. If the Bengals want to make noise in January,
they need the BJGE of weeks 10-15, not the BJGE we saw Sunday.
Offensive Line (Specifically Kyle Cook)
In the running game, Boling, Cook, and Zeitler were abused
by the Steelers front 7. Thanks to our friends at Pro
Football Focus we can see (statistically) just how bad they actually were. Unfortunately
for the Bengals OL, the run game was not their only problem. The line had
another poor day in pass protection giving up 6 more sacks. Full disclosure, I
have never coached in the NFL (Surprised? I know!). However, from my couch, I
managed to put together a collection of stats that Paul Alexander and Marvin
Lewis may want to take a look at. In the 12 games without Kyle Cook, the
Bengals OL seemed to be in sync and was giving up 2.25 sacks per game (27
sacks). In the 3 games since Kyle Cook has returned (and played 50%-100% of the
snaps), the OL has averaged giving up 5.67 sacks per game (17 sacks). The only
difference is Kyle Cook. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Again, I have little
credentials when it comes to coaching, in the NFL but I believe 5.67 sacks per
game is much worse than 2.25 per game. Just saying. Usually OL stats like that equal
a loss.
Marvin Lewis’s Decision Making
I have never been a fan of Marvin’s decision making.
Usually, it is because he coaches so conservatively – not to lose. I will give
him credit, he has coached much more aggressively this year. But, there is a
big difference between ‘smart aggressive’ and ‘stupid aggressive.’ Going for a
56 yard FG at Heinz Field with 3:18 left, in a tied game which will determine
the playoffs, when your defense is playing lights outs, was stupid aggressive.
Very stupid aggressive and damn near cost the Bengals the playoffs. Lucky for
Marvin, the defense was able to hold Pittsburgh to 18 yards and force an
unsuccessful 53 yard FG attempt. Longest FG in Heinz Field history? 52 yards.
Kickers were 5-20 at Heinz Field kicking from 50+ yards.
Offensive Play Calling
I had a problem with a bunch of the play calling on Sunday, but
one in particular left me screaming. Tied 10-10 with just over a minute
remaining, the Bengals had 3rd and 1 at the Pittsburgh 48. They were
approximately 20 yards from FG range, had 1 TO remaining and 1 minute from
killing the clock. Picking up a 1st down was all they needed….so
they throw a deep ball to Green? Of
course it wasn’t close, it stopped the clock, and allowed the Steelers to get
the ball back with :44 seconds remaining and 2 TOs. Again, ‘stupid aggressive.’
Green Fumble
Dear AJ Green,
Stop holding the ball away from your body.
Signed,
Bengals fans
Andy Dalton
Dalton has thrown some crucial picks this year. Just when
the Bengals seem to be getting control of a game is exactly when Dalton likes
to get careless with the football. Not a trait you want to have in your QB.
With 1:53 remaining in the 1st half, the Bengals had a 10-0 lead,
the Steelers pinned at their own 27 yard line, and the ball coming out of half.
Things looked in control. Less than 2 game minutes later, the Steelers were
looking like they were going to tie it up. First, Adam Jones gets beat for a 60
yard TD pass before the half. Then, on the first play out of the half, Dalton
forces a ball over the middle to Hawkins that gets picked off and returned to the
Cincinnati 32. Lucky for Dalton, he defense held and pushed the Steelers out of
FG range. For Dalton to take the next step, and for this Bengals team to take
the next step, he has to do a better job of taking care of the football.
Jason Allen
Adam Jones had a 62 yard punt return which he took down to
the Pittsburgh 13 nullified by Jason Allen’s penalty. Rather than 1st
and 10 at the Pittsburgh 13 in a 0-0 game, the Bengals had 1st and
10 from their own 15, compliments of Mr. Allen’s holding call. By my
calculation, that is a 72 yard penalty. Mr. Allen, please come to my office and
bring your playbook.
Getting Beat Deep Right Before Half
Up 10-0 with 1:53 remaining in the 1st half, the
Bengals had a 10-0 lead, the Steelers pinned at their own 27 yard line, and the
ball coming out of half. Until Adam Jones decided to bite on double move
without safety help. Note to Jones, when you have a 2 score lead, 2 minutes
before half, with the opponent pinned deep and the ball coming out of half, keep
everything in front of you.
Seeing Brandon Tate Catch Punts
Again, my NFL coaching credentials are limited, but let me
lay this out for those of you who are NFL coaches, so we can see your thoughts.
You have 2 punt returners, PR A whom we will call Adam, and PR B, whom we will
call Brandon. Both PRs are fast and have experience, but here is where they differ:
PR A is highly regarded as one of the best PRs in the game,
has a history (including recent history) of breaking big returns, rarely
fumbles and rarely makes poor decisions on when to catch the punt and when to
let it go.
PR B averages about half the yards of PR A, has no history
of big returns, but does have a history (including recent history) for fumbling
and making poor decisions on when to catch the punt and when not to.
Without knowing names, I reckon I would go with PR A and I
would not desire having these 2 split time. Call me crazy, but that may just be
my non-NFL coaching background talking.
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