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Post by Bengals GM (Darryl) on Nov 6, 2012 20:11:00 GMT
In Week 9 action, the San Diego Chargers (4-5) fell to the Cincinatti Bengals (8-1) by the score of 198.36-133.83. Minus RB's Jones-Drew and Murray, what little playoff hope the Chargers may have had was quickly diminished by the end of the 1st half of play. With a record of 8-1, Cincy is exactly where that had hoped to be at this time of the season.
"We're exactly where we had hoped to be. Not quite what we expected in terms of how we got to where we are, but none-the-less we're here. We knew we needed a strong 1st half of the season and we did that. now we just need a strong finish and I think we've done a great job at doing that thus far."
The Bengals also made a couple of trades ahead of the trade deadline in hopes of strengthening their playoff performance. Acquiring Brad and James Jones from the Bucs and Vikings respectively, dampened the outlook on next weeks game against the Indianapolis Colts (4-5), but with their current victory feel they can now sacrifice a game for the greater goal.
"Of course we have hopes of winning next weeks game, but as I've said, our guys have found a way to accomplish our goals heading into the season, and a loss now shouldn't affect the outcome. We expect to win the division and enter the playoffs playing at a much higher level than we are currently playing."
Other games of interest this coming week;
Raiders/Patriots - Bills/Chargers (with the Chargers playoff hope now crushed, little chance of spoiling exist)
NFC - Bears/Saints and Bucs/Vikings
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Post by Bengals GM (Darryl) on Nov 14, 2012 14:27:35 GMT
Falling by the unofficial score of 182.65 - 169.33 to the Indianapolis Colts (5-5), the Cincinatti Bengals (8-2) will now look towards locking up their first division title. Losing for just the second time this season, they are now only one victory away from their first playoff appearance. Considering the league is only in its second season of play, this is a monumental accomplishment for a team that once didn't have a prayer of even breaking a .500 season stat-line.
Upon entering the league in 2011, Coach Darryl promised the fans of Cincinatti that he would build a competitive team that the city could be proud of. Not even the team new how fast that would actually take place "Although I don't quite think that the league is ready to accept what a force we now are in only our second season, I think we have done our job in sending them a message that they indeed cannot overlook or dismiss us as a threat for years to come".
Next up for the Bengals are the Cleveland Browns (4-6), who has demonstrated a strong commitment to compete this year. Cincy defeated the Browns in the first game of the season, are looking to extend their win streak against them to 3 consecutive games, and our now 2-1 lifetime against their divisional rivals.
Once again Cincinatti made a trade ahead of the last weeks deadline in hopes of securing more stability at the LB position for next year. "It wasn't necessarily a move we wanted to make this year, as I feel it actually took away from our immediate strengths on defense, but more so a trade we had to make if we are to continue improving our long-term outlook."
Because of the most recent trade, the Bengals will be experimenting with a new, considerably weaker DB'field over the next couple of games, as they prepare for post season action.
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Post by Bengals GM (Darryl) on Nov 21, 2012 3:53:09 GMT
By defeating the Cleveland Browns (4-7) in Week 11 by the unofficial score of 225.75 - 179.55, the Cincinatti Bengals (9-2) have clinched their first division title.
Once again, for the 6th time in 11 games, it was their defense and not their offense that put forth the best effort in securing the win. The offense has out scored the defense four times, and only one game have they both worked together this year.
Coach Darryl had this to say, "First I'd like to congratulate this team for the great strides we have made in only our 2nd year. Though we haven't been on the same page, as far as our offense and defense is concerned, we've found a way to win. Before we can look forward to the playoffs, we have one more major road block in our way. Not only are we looking forward to sweeping our division, but to also finish this regular season in a way that shows what we are capable of as a unit playing in sync.."
Next up for the Bengals are the Baltimore Ravens (7-4), who Cincy defeated earlier in the season by 4.65 pts.
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Post by Bengals GM (Darryl) on Nov 27, 2012 23:11:55 GMT
After finishing last season at 7-5 and second in the division, the Cincinatti Bengals have won their first divisional championship with an overall regular season record of 10-2. Sweeping their division rivals, they are only one of two teams (Green Bay Packers is the other) that have accomplished that feat this year.
2011 - Flashback
Looking forward towards the 2012 Season, the Cincinatti Bengals will work on re-signing key players and improving the efficiency of the team’s starting players. After a slow and painful 1-4 start at 80.12%, they finished out the year with a total average of only 84.5%, averaging 88.585% over their final 7 games.
Increasing their PPG average (187.8), in which they finished the season 8th in the league, will also be a major focus towards improvement.
With a full season of play behind them, Cincinatti is eying the AFC North Championship for 2012.
2012 Improvements
90.7% Efficiency
212.7 PPG
AFC North Division Champions
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Post by Bengals GM (Darryl) on Dec 5, 2012 16:16:37 GMT
The Houston Texans (11-2), who defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars (8-5) by the unofficial score of 302.1 - 221.6 in the 1st round of playoff action, will visit the #2 Seed Cincinatti Bengals (10-2) for their Divisional Round match-up.
In his Week 14 Preview, Darryl Ray says, "Texans have been one of the most consistent teams this year. But they do have weaknesses we intend to expose. We have to believe in ourselves".
Texans have been on a tear this year, hosting the #1 Power Rank position by using a combination of a strong defensive presence, mixed with consistent offensive production, which allowed them to total an avg. of 249 ppg during the regular season. Bengals meanwhile, who ranked #5 overall by comparison, averaged a mere 212.7 ppg during the regular season.
"There's no doubt that the Texans have quite a few play makers on their team, and it's no secret they have been consistently playing on a high level. But this team has consistently found a way a win when it counts and I have every confidence in them. Player for player, position for position, and play for play, we have to out-perform them. We're going in to play our game, and not theirs".
The winner of this weeks game will go on to face the winner of the Bills/Patriots game in the Conference Round.
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Post by Bengals GM (Darryl) on Dec 11, 2012 14:58:39 GMT
In the Conference playoff round, the Houston Texans (12-2) defeated the Cincinatti Bengals (10-3) in an overwhelmingly convincing fashion by the unofficial score of 258.60 - 173.78. Texans will advance to host the New England Patriots (12-2), who also won their game over the Buffalo Bills (11-2), in the AFC Championship game.
"We're a much better team than this, but the facts are that the better team won, and they surely deserve it after our total lack of performance", says Darryl Ray. "They've been consistent in their play all year while we've been highly inconsistent. You can't win championships by being up, down, and all over the board on any given week".
As the Bengals turn their focus to next year, it is apparent that getting consistent play out of their players on a weekly basis will be the center of their attention and efforts. "We'll be looking to add a few key players either through FA or trade or both, but for the most part we'll be practicing on getting consistent play".
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