Game Thread: Ravens

[DanBengalfan]

0-10 so far

 

[DanBengalfan]

Better start dominating soon.

 

[DanBengalfan]

Seems like the kinda game where we just keep getting beat until the end where we start scoring feel good points

 

[DanBengalfan]

Getting outsmarted. We nstead of picking up a blitz and having rb block burrow tucks a sack. Someone needs to do their job.

 

[DanBengalfan]

Thanks for the int, spark to our offense

 

[DanBengalfan]

Something definitely wrong. We should be winning by a lot.

 

[DanBengalfan]

someone needs to kick Zac Taylor in the nuts.

 

[cincygrad]

On the positive side, you hold a high-powered Ravens offense to 19 points, including a 58 yarder and a game winner.

On the negative side, you have Zac Taylor publicly castrating his QB on national TV. You've got a QB like Joe Burrow and you call the game like you have Joe Flacco running the show. I'm tired of Zac's offense.

 

[Gypsumstack]

I know that one score games are basically toss ups. I know you can win a bunch of one score games one year and lose a bunch the next. I know that luck plays a big part of one score games. But you know what else happens in one score games? Bad coaching decisions are amplified.

The 4 plays called from 1st and goal at the 2 were the difference in this game. You're running the ball well for the first time all year, but call 4 straight passes when you need six feet or less. You call a stupid ass trick play that is designed to catch a defense off guard and pick up a big chunk play from the 2 yard line. You call a shovel pass the depends heavily on your worst offensive linemen over the course of this game to make a crucial play at a crucial time. You don't take 3 points when you are in the middle of a dog fight of a defensive battle and you are facing the best kicker to every play the game.

I know people say a lot of little things add up to a loss, but those 4 plays really mattered in a game decided by 2 points.

And for the love of everything holy will I ever get to see a Bengals defense that can cover the fucking TE once before I die?

 

[cincygrad]

I know that one score games are basically toss ups. I know you can win a bunch of one score games one year and lose a bunch the next. I know that luck plays a big part of one score games. But you know what else happens in one score games? Bad coaching decisions are amplified.

The 4 plays called from 1st and goal at the 2 were the difference in this game. You're running the ball well for the first time all year, but call 4 straight passes when you need six feet or less. You call a stupid ass trick play that is designed to catch a defense off guard and pick up a big chunk play from the 2 yard line. You call a shovel pass the depends heavily on your worst offensive linemen over the course of this game to make a crucial play at a crucial time. You don't take 3 points when you are in the middle of a dog fight of a defensive battle and you are facing the best kicker to every play the game.

I know people say a lot of little things add up to a loss, but those 4 plays really mattered in a game decided by 2 points.

And for the love of everything holy will I ever get to see a Bengals defense that can cover the fucking TE once before I die?

I agree 100% about coaching being amplified in these games. The funny thing about the 4 down series inside the two was that the only good play among the 4 was when Burrow was given the ball in his hands and allowed to make the right throw. He hits Chase and brings the ball all the way back down the the two. It was the only play of the 4 that Taylor put the ball in his franchise QB hands rather than running some sort of gimmick. The Bengals had three skill guys in the NFL top 100 players and this was the only play using any of them. The ironic part of it is that if Burrow and Chase don't make this play, we probably just take the three down there and the game might set up a bit differently.

Taylor had some luck last year. He wouldn't need luck if he played to his strengths..... But I think he's too stubborn to change so we'll probably continue to watch as things cycle between catching breaks and catching bad luck. It really doesn't have to be this way though.

 

[DanBengalfan]

Yeah. He’s going to screw us out of the playoffs, this is the easiest part of our schedule. We should be 5-0.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

I know it has been said, and I know you never know how a game will pan out in hindsight after a certain road has already been traveled, but.....

You are on PrimeTime
You are on the Road
You are Playing a division rival
You are losing by 3 late in the 3rd quarter
You have pretty much a guaranteed FG

You take the fucking points there, even if you are on the 6 inch yard line. Because if you miss and the Ravens are fortunate enough to drive 99 yards for a TD, you now put yourself down by 2 scores instead of keeping everything within manageable reach. Always freaking take the score.

Now on the flip side of that, when the Ravens elected to take the FG inside their 15 only up by 3....I would have gone for that. If you don't get the 4th down conversion to try and push the difference to 10, then worst case scenario you are up by a FG, and you force the Bengals to drive 90 yards at home.

Taylor and Harbaugh both made mistakes, even though Harbaugh can be forgiven because he won. These coaches now a days are idiots.

 

[cincygrad]

I know it has been said, and I know you never know how a game will pan out in hindsight after a certain road has already been traveled, but.....

You are on PrimeTime
You are on the Road
You are Playing a division rival
You are losing by 3 late in the 3rd quarter
You have pretty much a guaranteed FG

You take the fucking points there, even if you are on the 6 inch yard line. Because if you miss and the Ravens are fortunate enough to drive 99 yards for a TD, you now put yourself down by 2 scores instead of keeping everything within manageable reach. Always freaking take the score.

Now on the flip side of that, when the Ravens elected to take the FG inside their 15 only up by 3....I would have gone for that. If you don't get the 4th down conversion to try and push the difference to 10, then worst case scenario you are up by a FG, and you force the Bengals to drive 90 yards at home.

Taylor and Harbaugh both made mistakes, even though Harbaugh can be forgiven because he won. These coaches now a days are idiots.

I thought Harbaugh made the right decision for his team. Being up 3 doesn't mean a whole lot when you have the kickers that were in this game. Obviously Tucker is in a class all his own, but Mac isn't a slouch. By going up 6 Harbaugh made the Bengals have to score a TD - He also could be reasonably assured that he would still have time for another drive and he has the best kicker in the league if he gets anywhere past midfield. That, and he just lost 5 straight home games, several of them due to missing 2-point conversions or 4th down plays. Even though the analytics might have said go for it, I think the smart move for him at that point was to kick it.

I didn't have a big issue with the Bengals going for it. I had a problem with the playcalling. The team hasn't been very good toward the perimeter all season - They miss blocks on pulls and they often get blown up before the play gets set up..... If you're afraid that you can't power it in, then spread it out and let Burrow see it and decide from a shotgun. Instead, you call three lateral moving plays.

 

[DanBengalfan]

I think we can work with Taylor, but there needs to be more kicks to his groin.

I don't know who else can really replace him. whoever the offensive coordinator is needs to be fired though, for not getting enough production out of this group. also, the poor blitzing recognition and blocking schemes need to be fixed, my guess is the current staff is not equipped to help our players do that.

 

[DanBengalfan]

I thought Harbaugh made the right decision for his team. Being up 3 doesn't mean a whole lot when you have the kickers that were in this game. Obviously Tucker is in a class all his own, but Mac isn't a slouch. By going up 6 Harbaugh made the Bengals have to score a TD - He also could be reasonably assured that he would still have time for another drive and he has the best kicker in the league if he gets anywhere past midfield. That, and he just lost 5 straight home games, several of them due to missing 2-point conversions or 4th down plays. Even though the analytics might have said go for it, I think the smart move for him at that point was to kick it.

I didn't have a big issue with the Bengals going for it. I had a problem with the playcalling. The team hasn't been very good toward the perimeter all season - They miss blocks on pulls and they often get blown up before the play gets set up..... If you're afraid that you can't power it in, then spread it out and let Burrow see it and decide from a shotgun. Instead, you call three lateral moving plays.

yea, exactly, they need to relax and let burrow call some of the plays.

 

[futballiscool]

You take the fucking points there, even if you are on the 6 inch yard line. Because if you miss and the Ravens are fortunate enough to drive 99 yards for a TD, you now put yourself down by 2 scores instead of keeping everything within manageable reach. Always freaking take the score.

Here's my thought process.. If you can't get a yard on 4th and Goal and the other team follows it up with a 99 yard drive you tip your cap and say the better team won. It's literally 1 yard vs 99.

I generally like aggression on 4th down within reason. Some of Brandon Staley's calls make me scratch my head but otherwise I usually understand and agree with the logic.

The shovel pass was a weird call though

 

[DanBengalfan]

it's obvious certain players have gotten comfortable with their past success.

chase has basically gone from a future hall of famer to a neutered version of himself. oh, he's getting double covered, I guess he's done. plenty of great WR in this league with similar problems having success.

Burrow, still obviously talented, seems to be not 100% and seems to have his hands tied by the coaches playcalling.

the offensive line started to get in sync, and we started rushing the ball well, both rb had 5.6 yards per carry, so we stop doing it. smart. real smart.

the second half of the schedule is going to be rough,
next week we head into a hot saints team. Dalton looking to get revenge and his tag team partner Taysum Hill looking like Kordell Stewart or Tim Tebow, the bengals historically speaking fall for those tricks. at least the saints are mistake prone, but it doesn't look good.

 

[cincygrad]

Here's my thought process.. If you can't get a yard on 4th and Goal and the other team follows it up with a 99 yard drive you tip your cap and say the better team won. It's literally 1 yard vs 99.

I generally like aggression on 4th down within reason. Some of Brandon Staley's calls make me scratch my head but otherwise I usually understand and agree with the logic.

The shovel pass was a weird call though

That Staley call on Sunday that gave the Browns a shot at the end could have gotten him fired. That was stupid.

 

[cincygrad]

it's obvious certain players have gotten comfortable with their past success.

chase has basically gone from a future hall of famer to a neutered version of himself. oh, he's getting double covered, I guess he's done. plenty of great WR in this league with similar problems having success.

Burrow, still obviously talented, seems to be not 100% and seems to have his hands tied by the coaches playcalling.

the offensive line started to get in sync, and we started rushing the ball well, both rb had 5.6 yards per carry, so we stop doing it. smart. real smart.

the second half of the schedule is going to be rough,
next week we head into a hot saints team. Dalton looking to get revenge and his tag team partner Taysum Hill looking like Kordell Stewart or Tim Tebow, the bengals historically speaking fall for those tricks. at least the saints are mistake prone, but it doesn't look good.

I was just making the same point about Chase..... And it's not like he's not begging for the ball. They need to start throwing hole shots again against cover 2. I realize the corners are playing him against the sideline, but we saw him win those match-ups last year. Does it really kill you to take an incompletion on first and 10 rather than a 2 yard Mixon run?

I think we're also seeing the direct consequence of not signing an extra receiver this offseason. Too much of a drop-off when Tee is out. And, to my knowledge this is the third straight season that Tee has missed time. I'm guessing you need to count on this with him at this point. Wonder if that will factor into his FA market.

 

[cincygrad]

I suppose the NFL can't flex Sunday's game to primetime so that we get to experience the Andy Dalton primetime performance from the opponent side?