NFL Week 6

[Johnny Footstool]

It's Friday, and we haven't seen our weekly NFL thread yet, so I figured I'd start one.

I'm going to the Chiefs/Bengals game this year. Apparently, it's going to be more dangerous than I thought. From what I heard, after Jumpy Jr.'s brutal, late hit on Trent Green in last season's game, there were several Bengals fans who were treated roughly at the stadium. Beer poured on them, food and trash thrown at them. In light of that, I probably won't wear my Houshmandzadeh jersey (complete with clip-on braid). I'll go with my 1989 AFC Champs shirt instead.

Anyway, I think the Chiefs will put up their highest point total of the season -- 35 (gasp) -- and still lose by 10. Yes, the Chiefs' pass defense is ranked 5th, but that's more a function of their opposition up to this point (Chicago, Minnesota, a still-adjusting San Diego, Houston, Jacksonville). They haven't faced an aerial attack like the Bengals' yet. I don't think they're up to the challenge. I do, however, think Larry Johnson is a threat to break 200 yards with three TDs.

[GoReds33]

Atleast we didn't knock out Donovan McNabb.

[texasdave]

Is it too early to call this a 'must-win' game?

[CrackerJack]

Is it too early to call this a 'must-win' game?

Nope. 1-4 is historically brutal, almost impossible to make the playoffs.

[GoReds33]

Is it too early to call this a 'must-win' game?

This is most definitly a must win game. We have a chance to get back close to .500 with quite a few easy wins down the road. Maybe we can still do this thing.

[traderumor]

Well, on a day when the Reds make a media splash, the Bengals are doing their best to vanish again into irrelevance. C'mon Marvin, draft and sign some defense.

[Joseph]

The Bengals are a sad franchise, just as sad as the Reds, only with marginally more talent.

[joshnky]

I was thinking about it during the game today and part of the source of the Bengals struggles can be traced to two years ago when they decided to re-sign their two tackles to big money deals. Anderson and Jones have been marginal players since that time and have continually fought injuries. I hate to say it but I think Anderson's days as a top tackle are done. They don't resign those two (or maybe only one) and they have the money to make a splash in free agency (Adalius Thomas maybe??). This team has made a lot of mistakes but I think that is one that is often overlooked.

[guttle11]

Marvin just out stupided himself on that 4th down. He's panicking in the third quarter.

He's just not a good coach.

[MrCinatit]

What is remarkable about this is how incredibly bad the offense has become.
Absolutely no running game. A quickly ebbing passing game. Already, the defense and special teams has been laughably bad. A coaching staff that seemingly has absolutely no control over the team.
Add that to the off-field problems, and this organization has very quickly spiraling out of control into the class of the perennial also-ran category.

What does this city have to do to get a consistently respectable sports franchise in here again? The slaps in the faces and kicks in the groins are getting awful tiring.

[TeamBoone]

Well, for one thing, these guys need to stay healthy.

[dsmith421]

What does this city have to do to get a consistently respectable sports franchise in here again?

The only thing that will save the Bengals is the Brown Family completely divesting themselves of any control over on-field matters. They are simply unwilling to or incapable of running a competent franchise. No scouting budget, no accountability for coaches or coordinators, no institutional control over players.

I'm not going to hold my breath.