MasterStrategist

Rams about to turn this into a blowout.

Agree, Cincy has similar overall talent. But their dline is certainly a tier above ours. We were relcutant/hesitant to change our scheme, perhaps bc it worked earlier in the season when Mahomes was being more careless and not taking the check downs. Def coaches need to take a long look in the mirror this offseason and decide what type of defense they want to have to compete for a super bowl.

Disagree. Cincy did run our strategy in the 1st half, then adjusted in the 2nd half. Granted they got some breaks, dropped passes etc. But they mixed it up with blitzing LBs, and running 3 man pass rushes w/spy or delayed Blitzer. They realized at halftime that their defensive strategy just wasn't going to cut it, and followed up by only giving up 3 points in the 2nd half and stopping Mahomes in OT. Way different coaching strategy, not just execution. Will add that they completely shut down Tyreek in the 2nd half...by changing their coverages. At no point, did we adjust like Cincy. instead we played scared to give up the big pass play.

Good grief man, each season is different and a million things happen that can turn the tides. I've been saying Cincy is legit too, but I'd put them, KC, and Buffalo in the top tier. Each has different strengths and could beat the other team 50% of the time on any given Sunday. Way too much being made of Cincy winning today, if you think it has any ramifications on next season. These 3 teams will be battling out for many years, until another talented Qb team (ie Chargers) jump into the mix.

Good job Cincy, 👏 That's why everyone here shouldn't have been acting like this was an auto win, like I said earlier. Bengals have a great mix of playmakers and dline that gives pass heavy teams trouble.

F u Mahomes, great defense by Cincy!

Absolutely, we need a Josh Allen on this defense. Someone who is going to make the big play and bring the leadership needed to take this team to another level. Until then, we will continue relying on the offense and Josh to be A+ to win against top offenses in the playoffs.

3 points in 2nd half...lol

And that's the difference with real defensive coaching.... Jeez, 3 man rush with a spy who would think that could work?!

Really?! Cincy has given up 0 points this half, let me repeat that...0 points. Even if they give up a TD here, that's a remarkable thing to do against Chiefs.

Big difference in our def coaching vs Cincy. They are doing great job mixing it up, unlike our consistent 4 man rush only.

And Chiefs kick thr field goal against us anyhow, because we decided to rush 4 and give Hill/Kelce free releases. Meaningless if we squibbed.

Screw you Chiefs, and Andy Reid....LOL

Have you watched the Chiefs line, specifically their tackles?? If the refs call offensive holding, it will be because someone hogtied and took their wallet

I'm as big a fan of the team as all here, but anyone taking the loss this hard this far out needs to reevaluate things a bit. That's not judgment on anyone, just advice. 1. Our coaching blew the coverage schemes the last 13 seconds, S/T or kickoff meant jack. No team should allow 44 yards in less than 10 seconds. 2. Our dline was a heavily invested part our salary cap, so darn right fans should be upset they didn't produce better. This unit is Not super bowl caliber and until we can get after the Qb better, this will continue to haunt us against top caliber offenses. 3. Our #1 defense rating was a mirage all season, anyone who watches closely understood our deficiencies at generating front 4 sacks and not being a physical team. 4. Nobody should act like we just blew our one and only super bowl chance, of the Josh Allen Era. Bengals, Rams, and 49ers would have all presented tough challenges. 5. As for next year, we will be right back in the same fold as we were this season. Front office needs to evaluate personnel closely, and tough decisions on the defensive side of ball/def style and coaching. Can't be 1 dimensional on offense, and need more physical play from our defesnse.

Obviously better than the Bengals, will be disproven this weekend. I think Cincy is at our caliber, they have a much better defense than they are given credit for and a QB/playmakers that are hitting their stride. Has anyone actually watched them play this year? Look I'm a HUGE Bills Fan too, but let's not act like this would have been some lopsided game. Both Raiders and Titans had great teams, Cincy handled each of them. I'm sorry, just tired of hearing people act like we had some cakewalk to a superbowl if we would have beaten KC. Tell that to the 90s Bills, who were WAY better than their opponent. Rams still have the most balanced/talented team, been they would've been the top seed in the NFC if not for Stafford faltering through the season and their competition being tougher than most others had to face. Our defense is still not ready for the big dance, hopefully next year will be the year and some of our young guys grow into their potential.

Agree about individual players. Elite: Allen, Diggs, Tre Very Very good: Hyde, Poyer, Milano Good to very good: Ed, Tremaine, Dawkins, Morse, Knox Then a plethora of good players. However, I'd grade less by individual and more by player groupings or what teams need to scheme against. Elite: Passing game, Def Backs Very very good: Off Weapons, S/T Good to very good: OL (down the stretch) We lack a consistent pass rush, and are not a physical defense. Those are 2 traits that typically lead to success, but we've relied on our elite secondary. Our defensive numbers are inflated by a few factors: playing poor offenses/backup QBs, weather impacts, and our offenses ability to maintain drives and keep our defense off the field. Going into next year, it's clear we have to improve our pass rush. Not easy to find Elite talent. But it is easier to become a more physical defense, more of those players available and scheme will dictate too. Big reason I think we need to move on from Frazier, and try a different approach. Hopefully front office is honestly assessing this and can make the tough decisions needed.

Excellent points, and as you said elsewhere, it might benefit our entire defense if Frazier leaves and we can adapt a more attacking/aggressive defense. You said it well in the other thread about specific players who may benefit the most (ie: Edmunds). I can be persuaded about Hughes and Addison, but as much pressure as they supposedly generated, neither "finished" (nor did many others) for that point. I liked both players too, just don't think we've got much of an ROI from our dline investments. Will certainly give the benefit of the doubt to our young guys and see your point about giving them opportunities to prove themselves, as you said we have invested alot of draft capital there. Will depend what this team sees as a bigger need to put us over the top? DE, faster CB2 (although I'm a big Levi fan, he could also be improved upon), speed at WR (could be "retooling" this offseason there), IOL, TE2, 1 tech DT (will Star be kept/Harry reupped)? I will say, Hughes brought the most juice off the edge. If he isn't brought back, I'm not sure we have another speed rusher type...if that's something this staff covets.

Agree with some and don't agree with some of this. Agree: overreacting about firing McD, Beane, and Farwell. Disagree: Frazier isnt mentioned, but if he was calling the defense at the end, then he should be shown the door. This wasnt about not squibbimg the kickoff, KC could have taken that back for 6 as well. It came down to letting KC drive 44 yards in less than 10 seconds. How do we not align with press coverage, rush just 2 or 3, and bring extra DBs onto the field? This was just as poor coaching as the Jets playjng covwr 0 on a hailmary against the Raiders last season. Frazier wont be let go, I know that, but man he just lost a TON of trust IMO. Also disagree about our pass rusher situation. Maybe it's a different debate, but I'm tired of the 2-3 B grade players we continue to dump money into (ie: Butler, Addison, Trent before. list goes on). Would rather we put that money into a single difference maker. Not many teams advance to the superbowl without a stud on their dline to wreak havoc. Hopefully we see one of young DEs flourish next season, but we played a lot of backup QBs and weather impacting why our defense ended with a top ranking...eye test looked like a 10th-15th ranked defense without consistent pass rush.

No season is easy. Everyone also acting like winning 2 more in a row is a "given", are also delusional. Bengals are a very good team, they will give the Chiefs a battle and already beat them (like we did). Both SF and the Rams have well rounded teams, great coaching. Both of them have super bowl caliber bluechip talent, and been to recent super bowls. I think we still lack premier front 4 players. If you look back at recent super bowls, then you'll see each team has had at least someone to wreak havoc. I hope Beane realizes that 6 or 7 B-grade players at DL, is not the same as 1-2 A listers and hoping to avoid injury. If I had to do one thing, it's to stop investing in the combination of 2-3 Vernon Butlers, Trent Murphys, Mario Addisons, etc each season and instead spend that on a single player. More risky, but we have the cheaper contracted players in Groot, Boogie, and AJ for the next couple years.

In all fairness, it's his 1st game back with a metal plate in his foot. But agree he isn't as explosive yet. Foreman is the better option for them right now

Cincy get a score now, and let Tanny buckle under the pressure.

Absolutely need to force feed him in the 4th qtr. Cincy is moving ball just fine, need to finish this drive with a score.

Must have started in 2022, because I sold several times on Ticketmaster in 2021 with none of this occurring.

DPOY...he's a beast. Put him on offense too, just have him switch jerseys with his bro on possession changes.