Success

These guys are drought-era heroes, and will always be for fans of this team. That might sound like tepid praise, but it isn't. They brought such excitement at a time when most of the time watching this team was pretty rough, and boring. I remember when Stevie took off & started making big plays, and all of the "Why so serious?" stuff w/ him. And of course Fitz will always be a legend for that upset of the Pats, and getting the team off to such a big start that season and giving us all more hope than we had in years. Love seeing them together.

I just don't get the mentality of listening to a GM speak, and immediately think "he's trying to trick us!"

The bolded is really somethin'. Nothing like pure speculation.

I don't really see us as the same team. Obviously, the injuries to Milano, Jones & White hurt right now. But, we're still a more physical team on both sides of the ball. On offense, the additions of McGovern & Torrence have made a real difference in that unit. I think the pass protection last week was about the best I've seen during the JA era. We're a better running team w/ Cook shining in year 2. And Kincaid is really coming on. He's a match-up problem for Cincy. On defense, you have Epenesa & Oliver taking huge steps this year. Groot was already very good & is coming into his own. Floyd was a great addition. Bernard is playing at a high level. A healthy Poyer & Hyde (which we didn't have in January) really rounds it out. Cincy has had a pretty down year so far. The Niners was by far their best game. I'd compare it to our game against Miami. Because you are on top of your game one week doesn't mean it will carry over. Like I said in the OP - of course Cincy can win. But it's an even match-up, imo. Oh, it was a big injury, for sure. And it's obvious it hurt that team. But bigger than Allen's UCL last year? I don't see too much consideration being given to that in the discussion here. There is a lot of "they crushed us in the playoffs & will probably do it again." I don't see any 'they crushed us because of JA's UCL.'

I'd agree that this is a concern. Hopefully, the line will get to Burrow more often than not & keep that in check.

Great team, and they could absolutely beat us on Sunday. But what's the deal? Reading this board, we seem to have little to no chance. If I just went by the posts here, I'd think Cincy was the top team in the league, and unstoppable. The Bills have lost as many games as the Bengals. Our losses were all close. Basically down to a play or 2. The Bengals have been absolutely blown out - twice. Against the Browns and Titans; not exactly world beaters. "Burrow's calf was hurt" seems to be the main excuse. Kind of like JA's UCL the entire 2nd half of the 2022 season, or his shoulder much of this season. Excuses are just that. That team has gotten blown out - twice. This is as even a match of good teams as there is in the NFL. Let's take a break on the doom talk. Their struggles have been very similar to ours this year. This should be a great game.

At the time, the Miami game was huge. That D shut down the Phins after a couple of early drives. Sure, they are banged up since then. But the replacements have had time & are getting acclimated. You can't make up for a loss like Milano - but Von Miller getting back to form would go a long way toward that.

Fun fact: Kaiir Elam is 22 years old.

They haven't rule either out, which is a positive. From the few short comments they've made, there is hope.. It likely depend on how they both heal. It's pretty different w/ every individual.

I'm gonna guess no - our scheme can be a bit complicated. But who knows; he'll have a few days.

Had you heard of him before 30 minutes ago?

I'm genuinely thrilled about this one. I think we can make do at LB and on the D-line (and, of course, hope that one or both of Milano & Jones gets back this year). The offense showed what they can be last week, so I didn't see WR as a big need. But we needed a good CB. And we got one. This will elevate the defense - we won't get back to where we were the 1st month, but we'll be stingy again.

We need a corner this year, though. I'd prefer that they try to develop Elam - but there is obviously something going on there. Doesn't seem like it's an option from their POV.

Really good fit, and exactly where we needed help.

I'd still be surprised if they made it to the SB in the NFC. I want to like Purdy because of the whole late round/underdog story going on there. But he's really starting to look like a late rounder.

That's a really good solution for them w/ Cousins out. I really like how Dobbs plays.

The Bengals fans I've seen online seem remarkably unconcerned about Sunday's game. I mean, we might go out & look like we did in both games last year - overmatched. But the NFL can be pretty nutty. You can blow a team out one year, and then lose to them the next - it's actually happened.

I know it's likely not possible - but man, Adams lining up across from Diggs? We'd probably break a record for passing TD's. The offense would be unstoppable.

Quite a bit of pessimism on this thread. Not entirely unwarranted, but I don't see a huge difference between Cincy & Buffalo. They have some areas where they are stronger, and so do we. Their defense can be exploited, just like ours can. It will be tough to cover their receivers - but our line is a strength. The game will likely hinge on how much they can disrupt Burrow.

Burrow was great yesterday - but it's also true that SF handed them the game. They turned it over too much to have a chance. This is a good, even match-up for the Bills. Cincy is not measurably better than we are overall, or really, in any position unit. I think we win, but it will likely be a close game and could be one of those "whoever has the ball last" kinds of games.

I'm kind of glad we didn't get Cincy when they were struggling. We are pretty evenly matched w/ that team. A big win next week could set the tone for a run in the home stretch. The Bengals at the top of their game are better than the Chiefs or Ravens, imo. If we can beat them on the road, in prime time, it would be pretty exciting. Optimism would reign here once again.

The turnovers went both ways in that game today. Cincy got their share of breaks.

I'm excited. It's a great measure for this team at this point in the season. We can win that game.

3-1 would be great - and it's what I'd expect right now.

Let's do some hot takes now.