LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

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Since 2004

Tag: bengals defense

  • What Are the Odds For A Bengals Playoff Miracle?

    What Are the Odds For A Bengals Playoff Miracle?

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – The Bengals took care of business this past Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. It certainly wasn’t easy, but Joe Burrow once again led Cincinnati to victory in a must win game. Burrow paced the Bengals with 252 yards and three more passing touchdowns.

    His superhuman efforts are almost the sole reason that Cincinnati has any chance to make the playoffs this year, and his touchdown pass against the Browns was just more proof of how tough he’s been this year.

    The game against Cleveland marked the seventh consecutive game in which Joe Cool has had more than 250 pass yards and three or more touchdown passes.

    That being said Cincinnati still has plenty of work to do to make the playoffs. WLWT summarized the Bengals’ odds to make the playoffs at about eight percent. The Bengals have to win out, and get some help from the Broncos, Dolphins and Colts.

    The Bengals must take care of business this week against Bo Nix and the Broncos or else it is all over. Denver is coming off a tough loss against the Chargers. But they boast one of the league’s premiere corners in Pat Surtain II who will look to lock down Ja’Marr Chase. And Nix is a solid quarterback who could punish Cincinnati’s secondary. Although Geno Stone and company have played better of late, Nix will be a true test of how just how much that secondary can step up.

    As for the other teams the Bengals need to lose at least one game, it’s a situation outside of their control. Indianapolis plays two awful teams in the Giants and Jaguars. Miami has the Browns and Jets. And even if Cincinnati beats the Broncos this week they need Denver to lose to the Chiefs the following week.

    Even though the Bengals playoff hopes are slim, and a lot depends on several other teams, there is still plenty of hope. And with Joe Burrow anything is possible.

    ———————-

    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

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    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • Bengals vs. Cowboys: The Underachiever Bowl

    Bengals vs. Cowboys: The Underachiever Bowl

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – When you think about it, it’s very fitting that Cincinnati Bengals are playing in a nationally televised game with a Simpsons-themed broadcast. I’m forced to be reminded of that epic scene from the show’s season 5 where Sideshow Bob, an intellectual genius, tracks Bart and his family with an eye of getting revenge for the young Simpson’s actions in foiling his latest criminal master stroke. Though he’s got everything planned down to the smallest detail, he’s nearly derailed by inexplicably continuing to step on a series of rakes, one after the next, wincing in pain each time.

    It’s the perfect microcosm of the 2024 Cincinnati Bengals.

    This team has had ample chances to salvage their season. And so far, their defense has let each and every one of those opportunities slip away in excruciating fashion. Despite having the league’s leaders in passing yards, receiving yards, and sacks, the team sits at 4-8 and looks extremely likely to miss the playoffs for the second straight year.

    Talk about stepping on rakes.

    It’s certainly a deflating position to be in as the Bengals head into Dallas for next week’s matchup on Monday Night Football. They won’t be the only disappointing team facing a national audience in primetime. The Cowboys are without Dak Prescott and are 5-7. They are a team that, like Cincinnati, has to face plenty of questions about their head coach. While Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones pledged not to fire Mike McCarthy during the regular season, the coach is in the final year of his contract and fans are clamoring for a change.

    It’s a matchup of extremely flawed teams, but one that does favor the Bengals in certain aspects. As bad as Cincinnati’s defense has been this year, they have shown the ability to play well against lesser NFL quarterbacks. Dallas’ Cooper Rush has had a mercurial run since taking over after Prescott’s injury. He threw for 354 yards agains the Texans and 247 in the matchup against the Commanders. During that two game span he connected for three touchdowns to just one interception.

    Last week in a slim win over a struggling Giants team, Rush had only 195 yards. The entire Cowboys roster imploded in their blowout loss to the Eagles and Rush was no exception as he managed just 45 yards through the air. While Rush isn’t blowing the doors off any opposition, any offense with CeeDee Lamb on the roster can be dangerous. Even with a backup quarterback, Lamb is fifth in the NFL in receiving yards, though in his last five games he’s surpassed the 70 yard mark only once.

    As Dallas’ passing game looks to find consistency, Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle is showing just how good he can be. He had a season high 123 yards last week and has run for more than 90 yards in three of his last five starts. Overall, though, Dallas has have the second-least rushing yards in the NFL (1,030) and the least rushing touchdowns (four) as a team.

    The Bengals defense is fresh off its latest embarrassing meltdown and looking to find any way to get off of the field without allowing points. The numbers continue to be extremely bleak. They rank 31st in points allowed per game, 27th against the pass, and 22nd in stopping the rush. They saw veteran Russell Wilson torch them for 414 yards and three touchdowns last week and had no answer for the Steelers’ receivers, which is extremely concerning given the talent Lamb brings to the field.

    The bad news for the Bengals as well is that Micah Parsons is waking up. He has 5.5 sacks and 9 quarterback hits in his last four games. Overall the Cowboys defense isn’t overwhelming but they are the 13th best against the pass despite giving up 8.0 yards per attempt through the air, tied for the second most in the NFL. Dallas’ secondary has also allowed nine passes of at least 40 yards downfield, which is also tied for the second most in the league. Though these numbers make it appear as though Joe Burrow could do some major damage, there is a bit more to the story.

    Dallas has shown a heightened ability to rush the passer, especially Parsons. They are ninth best in sacking the quarterback, and after allowing four of those last week against the Steelers, this has to be an area of extreme concern for Cincinnati coming into this one.

    Special teams also plays a role here. The Bengals will be without embattled kicker Evan MacPherson, out with a groin injury. He’s been far from “Money Mac” but kicked decently last week against the Steelers. While the hope was that he would use the last few matchups of 2024 to try to stabilize his game, for now the team will be rolling with former Commanders’ kicker Cade York.

    But there’s a chance many of his detractors will be longing for MacPherson’s return very soon. In 17 games with Cleveland (his team before the Commanders), ESPN notes that York struggled. He was 24-of-32 on field goal attempts and 35-of-37 on extra point attempts. In August, the Browns traded him to the Commanders for a conditional seventh-round pick. He missed both of his field goal attempts in the team’s season opener and was released.

    When it premiered, the Simpsons redefined both animation and the sitcom and irrevocably changed pop culture forever. Let’s hope by some miracle they can just help the Bengals win a primetime game.

    ———————-

    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to lovelandmagazinesports@gmail.com!

    We would love to hear from our readers, and we thank you for your support and engagement.

    Also, don’t forget to follow us at The Loveland Sports Desk at the below links:

    For Facebook, click here.

    For X, click here.

    For Instagram, click here. 

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • Bengals vs. Chargers: Can Cincinnati Bounce Back With Everything at Stake?

    Bengals vs. Chargers: Can Cincinnati Bounce Back With Everything at Stake?

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – Watching the Bengals’ second half lead evaporate last week against the Baltimore Ravens felt very familiar. The first 30 minutes of that contest showed so much of what makes Cincinnati football special. Joe Burrow was locked in, the defense was keeping Lamar Jackson from having an explosive game, and they were up by 14 in the third quarter on the road.

    Then, it all came crashing down. Up two touchdowns the Bengals forced a Ravens punt. They looked to add to their lead, but Chase Brown had the ball ripped out of his hands. Baltimore recovered and then went on to score, and we all know how the game played out from there.

    That being said there were some positives to take away from that game. The defense played much better in spurts and showed that they are capable of containing a good team, even if it was for just one half. Cincinnati again proved that it refuses to give up even when things look bleak. Ja’Marr Chase’s two fourth-quarter touchdowns (including one for 70 yards) are plenty of evidence of that.

    It was a heartbreaking loss, but one that by still does not yet represent the final nail in the Bengals’ playoff hopes just yet. As outlined by the folks over at Stripe Hype Cincinnati’s chances of making the postseason still stand at around 36 percent. The game against the Chargers on Sunday Night Football this week, though, represents a major fork in the road for this team. According to the projections, “with a win over the Chargers, Cincinnati’s playoff odds will jump up to 53 percent, which means that it would be more likely than not that they would qualify for postseason play at that point. However, with a loss the Bengals’ playoff odds would drop down to 22 percent.” That is a major swing in odds that underscores the importance of this week’s game.

    With that in mind it’s important to take a look at the Chargers and what matchups the Bengals could potentially exploit in order to keep the playoff odds in their favor.

    The Chargers offense is towards the bottom third in the league in several categories. They are 21st in yards per game and 19th in points. They are about even in terms of how effective they are through the ground and in the air, coming in 22nd in passing yards per game and 19th in rushing.

    Justin Herbert throws for just 209 yards per game (22nd in the league) but his QBR is 11th. This is largely because he has completed 66 percent of his passes and has only one interception to his credit against 11 touchdowns. It’s clear how the Chargers plan on winning games. It’s the Jim Harbaugh way that I am personally very familiar with after watching so many of his games in Ann Arbor as head coach of the Wolverines. His teams are stingy with turnovers and play monster defense. This both controls the clock and allows the Chargers to dictate the pace of the game.

    And that defense is every bit as good as advertised. The numbers are daunting. Los Angeles allows the fewest yards per game in the league (302) and the fewest points per game (13). While other defenses may have better numbers in terms of stopping the rush or the pass, the Chargers are a more complete defense in that they are in the top 10 in the league in shutting down both. Only 23.2 percent of the Chargers’ opponent’s drives end in a score of some kind, again, tops in the league.

    The Bengals offensive line has increasingly struggled these past few weeks and the task does not get any easier on Sunday night. The Chargers are tied for fourth in total sacks. When you combine that with one of the best pass defenses in terms of expected points contributed (2nd in the league at 26.1) it could be very difficult for this line to hold up long enough for Burrow to connect with his wide receivers, talented though they may be.

    The Chargers offense doesn’t put points up in bunches. They don’t necessarily have major weapons at the receiver position. Ladd McConkey is their leading pass catcher and averages just 54 yards per game (compare that to Ja’Marr Chase’s 98 yards per game). Running back J.K. Dobbins is solid, putting up 74 yards per game with a 4.8 yards per carry figure.

    You can be sure that Jim Harbaugh knows the Bengals’ weaknesses on defense, which include in the secondary and against the run. Those flaws play well into the Chargers’ gameplan and don’t really matchup well with what Los Angeles’ main goal will be: to keep Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow off the field for as much of the game as possible. Then, when they are on the field, suffocate them and bottle them up in any way they can.

    Another loss might realistically end this season for the Bengals, and the Chargers will be looking to put Cincinnati to bed Sunday night in front of a national audience. If Burrow and the offense can stay patient, exploit the opportunities that present themselves (there may not be many), and count on their defense to buckle down in the red zone and perhaps force some field goal attempts rather than touchdowns, this team can walk away with a win on the west coast.

    And if they do, the numbers could certainly swing their way.

    ———————-

    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to lovelandmagazinesports@gmail.com!

    We would love to hear from our readers, and we thank you for your support and engagement.

    Also, don’t forget to follow us at The Loveland Sports Desk at the below links:

    For Facebook, click here.

    For X, click here.

    For Instagram, click here. 

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • Can the Cincinnati Bengals Salvage Their Season?

    Can the Cincinnati Bengals Salvage Their Season?

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio –

    After the Bengals dug themselves into a 1-4 hole to start the season, everyone knew that it would take grit, determination, and focus to lift the team out. Back-to-back games against two struggling opponents helped propel Cincinnati to within one game of .500. But even in those wins, something looked off about the offense.

    Joe Burrow and company scored 30 more points in three straight games in weeks three through five. In each of those contests they had more than 350 yards and put up over 400 against both Washington and Baltimore. The only thing missing was complimentary performances by the Bengals’ defenders.

    The return of defensive tackles BJ Hill and Sheldon Rankins certainly addressed that lack of production. Lou Anarumo’s players needed confidence, and they played like they had plenty of it against the Giants and Browns. The hope was that playing better against admittedly inferior offenses might lead to a positive change of some kind moving forward.

    But Sunday’s matchup against the Eagles made it crystal clear that the Bengals defense is not ready to contend against any of the even remotely competent competition. And what was worse, Zac Taylor and the Bengals’ offense continued their lack of mediocre play and also failed to meet the moment in a game that this team could ill-afford to lose. But then again, when you played as poorly as Cincinnati did to start this year, they are all must-win games going forward.

    The Bengals Defense Takes a Step Backwards

    After their first bit of success at stopping the run last week against the Browns, Saquon Barkley carved them up like a Thanksgiving turkey. He and the Eagles ploughed their way to 161 rush yards, the fourth time this year Cincinnati has allowed over 150 yards on the ground.

    Jalen Hurts had so much time to throw the football that he could have taken some additional time to check out his stock portfolio. Against a line that was porous in giving up pressure and quarterback hits, Trey Hendrickson and company not only managed zero sacks, but they didn’t even register a quarterback hit. It was a stunning indictment against a line that was finally healthy and looking to prove it had the chops to be a factor.

    All in all, Philadelphia pummeled the Bengals to the tune of 397 total yards and 37 points. Though it would have been nice to give the defense the benefit of the doubt, their performance on Sunday makes it nearly impossible to do as the season continues. It’s hard not to paint them as an extreme liability that will force Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense to carry this team in their remaining games.

    Has Zac Taylor Broken the Bengals Offense?

    There comes a time in every coach’s tenure when he has to be honest with himself if times get tough. To his credit this past week, Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski acknowledged how poorly his offense was performing under his leadership. He did what a leader does, and stepped aside from his play calling duties for Ken Dorsey because that was what gave the team a better chance to succeed. And lo and behold the following week his Browns pulled off a win from the cellar, taking down the Baltimore Ravens.

    Joe Burrow is healthy, as is Ja’Marr Chase. The offensive line, a malady for years, is playing better and protecting their franchise quarterback. And yet here we are, watching this team, with all its weapons, go backwards on fourth and a yard, and put up less than 300 yards of offense in back-to-back games. For as bad as the fourth down call may have been, the play that preceded it might have been worse.

    Watching Nick Siriani and the Eagles instantly line up and take advantage of fourth and short situations with such success is all the more galling because it comes from a simple “tush push” concept that isn’t hard to scheme or understand. And yet Zac Taylor, with all of the weapons, speed, and power available to him, can’t scheme up a play that has the prayer of a clean napkin at a barbeque festival.

    How many weeks will the front office allow a Ferrari of an offense to perform like a Ford Fiesta? It is apparent that the Bengals defense is not going to magically unlock any hidden talent and begin to be counted on to limit their opponents to less than 25 points. This makes a functioning offense not only preferable, but a requirement to have any chance at all. It puts a great deal of pressure on Joe and company but it is the reality that we are now living in given the disaster we now are facing under Lou Anarumo’s watch.

    In terms of yards per game, the Bengals still have to face the likes of Tennessee (#1 overall), Los Angeles (#9 overall), Pittsburgh twice (#6 overall) and Denver (#3 overall). These are teams whose offenses are still good enough to run circles around Cincinnati and so there are real questions as to whether Taylor has the ability to help this offense find the form it had earlier this year. Unfortunately, the offense is trending away from the explosiveness and effectiveness that it showed previously.

    We’ve all seen the magic that Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase have managed to show on the field week in and week out. Their talent and ability are not the problem. And yet this offense is nowhere near where it needs to be. It’s fair to ask where the deficiencies rest, and as the head coach and the one who draws up the plays that are supposed to unlock the potential of this offense, Zac Taylor must either improve drastically or step aside from those responsibilities.

    What is the Future Like for the 2024 Bengals?

    There was a lot of buzz about the Bengals making a deep playoff run in 2024 or maybe even making it back to the Super Bowl. But those who are honest with themselves after what they’ve seen so far this year can only shake their heads when hearing such talk now. We are eight games into this year and have seen what this team has and what its players can do. There are likely no surprise turnarounds in store for the defense who have no more players to count on to return, and no indication that they have any signs of life to rush the passer or contain any team with an offensive pulse.

    The hope, then, is the same hope that Bengals fans are all too familiar with: putting faith in Joe Burrow to carry this team as far as he can. It’s unfair in this day and age given the athletic pass rushers that stand ready to demolish quarterbacks who drop back too frequently, or the opportunistic defensive backs who can pick off any pass that is remotely close. But unfortunately, there is no other real path to success apart from what Burrow can manage.

    For as much as the future may look bright for Chase Brown, there is no actual track record that he can have sustained success to put a game on his back like Barkley did on Sunday. The offensive line and the run scheme in general just seem uncapable of gashing big plays on a consistent basis. And the defense is going to leak like a sieve from this point forward.

    Put simply, we can only go as far as Joe Burrow’s arm can take us. And if he cannot manage such a herculean effort essentially on his own, it’s absolutely understandable. That is because he’s been failed by so many around him. From the front office who refuse to sign players, to the personnel department who simply cannot draft key players on defense, to his coaches who cannot put together a game plan to put him in a position to succeed.

     

    ———————-

    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to lovelandmagazinesports@gmail.com!

    We would love to hear from our readers, and we thank you for your support and engagement.

    Also, don’t forget to follow us at The Loveland Sports Desk at the below links:

    For Facebook, click here.

    For X, click here.

    For Instagram, click here. 

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • Joe Burrow Is Having a MVP Season – The Bengals Cannot Let It Go to Waste

    Joe Burrow Is Having a MVP Season – The Bengals Cannot Let It Go to Waste

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – Bengals fans have had to watch in agony as two of Joe Burrow’s seasons came to terrible ends due to injuries. In 2020 it was several torn knee ligaments against Washington in week 11. Last year it was yet another week 11 injury, this time a season-ending ligament tear in his wrist. But if there is one thing that the Bengals quarterback knows how to do, it is battle back to be even better.

    Burrow returned in 2021 to throw for over 4600 yards and guide the team to their first Super Bowl in decades, which they were one play away from winning. He led the NFL in completion percentage (70.4%) and yards per attempt (8.9). Cincinnati was 10-6 that year and Burrow won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

    But his comeback tour in 2024 is even more awe-inspiring. He leads the league in touchdown passes (12) and quarterback rating (113.6) and he’s second in completion percentage (72.3). Burrow is also excelling at throwing the ball downfield as he also is front of the pack when it comes to passes of over 40 yards.

    It’s a testament to how well both Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase are playing in that Burrow is also the highest graded quarterback on passes over 10 yards. He boasts a 94.9 rating on such throws:

    There’s little doubt that Burrow is seeing the field better than at any point in his career. But there are other components to it. He has the best-performing offensive line that Cincinnati has seen in recent memory. He has fully healthy weapons on the outside in Chase and Higgins. The Bengals’ running game is more consistent and explosive than in prior years.

    Take all of that and you get a Bengals team that is 7th in total offense and 6th in yards per play. The one thing that Joe Burrow does not have, to all of our sorrow, is a serviceable defense. As you can see from the chart below, the Bengals are near the top of the league in offensive expected points added. On the other hand, their defense is near the bottom in that same metric.

    Cincinnati is 26th in yards per game allowed (365.4), 18th in passing allowed (214.0) and 30th in rushing allowed (151.4). They are fourth worst in the NFL in scoring percentage, in that their opponents score points on almost 50 percent of their drives. By contrast, in 2022 the Bengals had the 7th best defense in yards per game, on route to 12 regular season wins.

    What it all seems to add up to is a giant missed opportunity. The 2024 Cincinnati Bengals have a bevy of offensive weapons. They are young, they are healthy, they are talented, and they are absolutely motivated. The effort, focus, and execution is present at every level: blocking, running, tackling, and receiving.

    But without a defense to back them up, Cincinnati’s offense can only do so much to win shootout after shootout. When a game comes down to who has the ball last, sometimes you just don’t have enough firepower to get the job done. It was what we all saw on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. Joe Burrow was amazing, Ja’Marr Chase was electric, and Tee Higgins hauled in first down catch after first down catch.

    Burrow has talked previously about how he has to be “perfect” in order to win games. While that’s a near impossible task for any NFL player, especially at the quarterback position, it’s unfortunate to say that he’s not far off in his messaging. With a defense as porous as Cincinnati has at the moment, nearly flawless games (like the one we saw against the Ravens) aren’t even good enough to come away with a victory, as patently unfair as that is.

    In the NFL, where windows of success can slam shut so quickly, it is absolutely criminal to waste a MVP year from Joe Burrow simply because a defense fails to show up game in and game out.

    That being said, there is a chance for the defense to play better and gain confidence. Before the Bengals head to Baltimore in week 10 for a rematch against the Ravens, they face the Giants (20th in yards per game), Browns (dead last at 32nd), and Raiders (24th). They also square off against the Eagles who have the 8th rated offense, but who are reeling at the moment. Those are legitimate chances to turn the defense around and find success, which Lou Anarumo can hopefully build upon before facing Baltimore again. The season is not over yet, and Trey Hendrickson, Cam Taylor-Britt, and the rest of the Bengals’ defense can make that very clear by making a statement, starting with Sunday Night Football against Daniel Jones and the New York Giants.

    If Joe Burrow can come back from prior struggles to set the league on fire, why can’t the Bengals’ defense?

    ———————-

    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to lovelandmagazinesports@gmail.com!

    We would love to hear from our readers, and we thank you for your support and engagement.

    Also, don’t forget to follow us at The Loveland Sports Desk at the below links:

    For Facebook, click here.

    For X, click here.

    For Instagram, click here. 

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.