Very close game on the road against the hottest team in the NFL right now. With the number 2 seed now out of reach for the Bengals, they need to focus on closing the division this weekend.  A win against KC this weekend guarantees a home playoff game in the first round of the playoffs and the division championship.  I would much rather have it decided this week than be in a must win situation on the road in NY.

What I liked:

- There it is. The Bengals passing game is not lost.  Palmer had his first 300 yd game of this season and he played with fire I have not seen from him except for the last minute comebacks earlier in the year.

- Palmer's fumble recovery.  When that ball popped out, I was thinking 6 for the Chargers.  Still not sure how he got there so fast.

- Coles and Cosby both stepped up in the passing game.

- JP. In this game, he was a legitimate tight end threat.

- Chad. If heart was measured on the scoreboard, his alone would have won this game.

What I didn't like:

- Why do you not put a safety over with Leon Hall? He was having a tough day on some big receivers. it seemed like he was being outplayed all day.

- Kick returns were a little suspect.  What’s with the hesitation, put your head down and run.

- Questionable d play calling in the last minute.  This is one of those times when you are a hero or a goat. If the blitz would have caused a turnover or sack, we would all praise it. Personally, I would have had more db coverage then an all out blitz.

All in all, this was a game where the Bengals proved they can play with any team in the NFL. Keep the chip on the shoulder.  This is a team that could make a nice playoff run.

WhoDey

Leave it to Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who faced tragedy of his own this season, to put his feelings perfectly into words.

“I don’t think anyone knows how to deal with it. Like I told somebody, the world’s not going to stop. That’s how it was with me,” he said. “That’s the one thing I learned from this whole deal. The world ain’t stopping. People still get up and go to work. Everyone’s got to deal with different issues and unfortunately we’re dealing with this one.”

The Bengals still have a huge game tomorrow against the San Diego Chargers for second place in the AFC.  I question how the Bengals will respond. Will they be extra motivated to win one for their fallen friend? Will they be destracted with heavy hearts for the same reason?  Personally I hope they play a complete game and win.  I also hope they accomplish whatever they set out to and find some peace on the field. I would love to see Ocho score and instead of dance, toss the ball into the air like we have seen Henry do so many times.

In order to win this game I think the Bengals are going to need to extend their drives.  Keep the ball out of the explosive offense of the Chargers and control the line of scrimmage. Solid corner play is going to be huge and the Bengals are going to need to step up on their tight end coverage.  We remember what Owen Daniels did to the Bengals D when Houston came to town and Antonio Gates is a much better weapon for the offense.  Hopefully Jerome Simpson can get some action and spread the field to allow the Bengals underneath passing game and running game the space to work.

It will be nice to think about football again.

This week was ask our 5 questions to Ryan at BoltBeat.com.  Take it away Ryan:

What Scares You About the Bengals?
the thing that scares me most about the Bengals is their offense. They have Carson Palmer who has a great accurate arm and makes a lot of good decisions with throwing  the ball. Another person that scares me is Cedric Benson. He has been putting up great numbers this season and I think that the Chargers run defense will struggle a little against him.

What Match-Up Makes You Feel Confident in the Chargers?
Antonio Gates against any receiver is a great matchup for the Chargers. He is a huge receiver who is fast, agile, and knows how to use his body to keep the ball from defenders. This season has been a career high season for him. This is mainly because defenses can't find a way to stop him. He is always able to get away from defenders and get up field and make great catches.

Best Current Chargers Player most Bengal Fans have Never Heard Of?
Malcolm Floyd. He is starting to become a huge part of the offense this season and has made some great plays. His height, 6'5", will over power the Bengals defense, whose tallest safety is 6'2".

Who Wins the Game and What's the Score?
It's going to be a great game but I think the Chargers are going to win 30-21. Rivers is going to have 300+ yards along with a couple TDs. LT is going to get around 60 rushing yards and a score. I'm also predicting that there is going to be a defensive touchdown, but just guessing on that.

If there was a steel cage match instead of a football game featuring one current player, who do you nominate?
I would have to go back to Antonio Gates. He played Center in college at Kent State for basketball. He knows how you use his body to box out people. He is a great blocking tight end also. He would mess people up.

Recently WhoDeyFans teamed up with the site WhatIfSports.com to enhance our Bengals coverage.  We don't think there is a better site out there that offers as much statistical information on your favorite team. Check out some of their online games like Gridiron Dynasty.

Game of the Week: Bengals 20 @ Chargers 24
The Bengals visit the Chargers in a huge AFC showdown with major playoff implications.

With a win and a Denver loss, the Chargers win the AFC West and with simply a win, the Bengals win the AFC North. The Bengals would control their playoff seeding destiny with a win and with games against Kansas City and the Jets to close out the season, a win in San Diego would be crucial, especially coming off a loss in Minnesota.

Well we simulated the Chargers vs. Bengals 10,001 times to find the winner and the Chargers won 57.2% of the time by an average score of 23.5-19.5.  You can see the Boxscore here, pay special attention to the passing game for the Bengals.  It continues to be weak.

Here are the current Power Rankings.

1.    New Orleans Saints    -
2.    Indianapolis Colts    -
3.    Minnesota Vikings    -
4.    San Diego Chargers    -
5.    Philadelphia Eagles    +5
6.    Cincinnati Bengals    -1
7.    Green Bay Packers    +1
8.    Dallas Cowboys        -1
9.    Denver Broncos        -3
10.    New England Patriots    +1
11.    New York Jets        +5
12.    Baltimore Ravens    +2
13.    New York Giants        -1
14.    Pittsburgh Steelers    -1
15.    Arizona Cardinals    -6
16.    Jacksonville Jaguars    -1
17.    Tennessee Titans    +2
18.    Miami Dolphins        -1
19.    San Francisco 49ers    -1
20.    Carolina Panthers    +2
21.    Atlanta Falcons        -
22.    Houston Texans        -2
23.    Seattle Seahawks    -
24.    Buffalo Bills        +2
25.    Washington Redskins    +2
26.    Chicago Bears        -2
27.    Oakland Raiders        -2
28.    Kansas City Chiefs    -
29.    Cleveland Browns    +3
30.    Detroit Lions        -1
31.    St. Louis Rams        -1
32.    Tampa Bay Buccaneers    -1

"Because of one loss, we're not going to go back to the drawing board or freak out like everyone else outside of this locker room is doing.'' -- Carson Palmer

Josh over at CincyJungle wrote about how the passing game may not be the reason for the Bengals offensive woes.  It is a great read where he details the games the Bengals lost and how turnovers (fumbles from the tight ends) probably cost the game much more than Carson not throwing the ball 50 yds. 

I get it, everyone likes the long ball. Every time you play Madden there are more than a handful of deep passes. I would be willing to argue that in the NFL the long ball does not win football games.  Look at the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night.  They are a team built to throw the ball deep.  And they did, often.  They got their ass kicked by a team who never tossed it deep.

Long drives, great defense and good special teams win football games.  In 2005 the Bengals offense could throw the long ball on any team at any time.  They were one and done in the playoffs. (There was a pretty devastating injury, but for this article I will not dive into that) The 2009 Bengals are built to run the ball down your throat and stop you on D.  I will compare them to another team from 2005.  The Steelers.  Remember them, the 6th seed that ran the ball and stopped you on D?  Yeah, they got one of those rings they like to remind you of.

So what do the Bengals need to improve on to make a run?  I think they need to focus on extending drives. The playbook has also become predictable. Most of the time you know by the personnel on the field what the play is going to be. For example, if Leonard is in then look for the screen and the acrobatic dive. It works, just not every time.  Throwing the ball deep moves you down the field.  However, unless that results in a score you will still be stuck with the problem of not getting 7 in the Red Zone.  Trading field goals for touchdowns is also a recipe for an L.

This weekend is a measuring stick game.  It is a tough road game against a very hot team. It is essentially for the number 2 seed in the playoffs.  If the Bengals lay an egg like they did in Minnesota, even I will be thinking their playoff run will be short lived.  However, if they play tough, adjust and make a game of it, I think this game is a good showing of what to expect in January. What kind of team are the Bengals this year?  I think we find out Sunday in what can be considered a playoff game.  If you don't beat the Chargers now, what makes you think you will have a better chance in a few weeks in the same stadium?

Wow, that game was bad.  The Bengals looked terrible but good teams have bad games sometimes.  We're still 9 and 4.  I am willing to forgive and forget.  The Bengals need to forget too because this coming Sunday they face San Diego in a huge matchup with play off implications.  The Chargers are 10 and 3 and right now and are alone in 2nd place in the AFC which means they have the first round bye.  If the Bengals beat them, they will both sit at 10 and 4 but the Bengals will have the game in hand against them and pretty much lock up the 1st round bye as long as they take care of business against the Chiefs and Jets.

However, if they lose, the Bengals will probably lose the 1st round bye and even though they'll still probably win the division, they will have to play in the 1st week of the play offs against a wildcard team (Broncos or Jaguars right now).  A first round bye is invaluable.  It would give would give the Bengals an extra week to prepare and get healthy and they would be just one win away from the conference championship game instead of two. 

Also, Paul Daugherty wrote a pretty interesting write up about the Bengals in today's TML.  Even though I think P Doc can be pretty harsh at times, he makes some pretty good points.  Especially about Coles.  A lot of the problem with the passing game may be the fact that Chad is Carsons only reliable target.  Maybe losing TJ will hurt in the end after all. 

I still think that the Bengals can win if they rely heavily on their running game and their defense but they need the passing game to work (even if they don't use it very often).  Running well added to a great defense controls the clock and for the most part, controling the clock means you control the score board.  BUT, that doesn't mean that I condone the poor passing game or Bratkowski's terrible play calling. Just because you want to be a running team doesn't mean you have to run on every 1st and 2nd down and pass on third.  Mix it up a little bit.  Keep defenses guessing.  I think the Bengals have the right idea but they just need to tweek and thing here and there. 

I'm not losing hope or confidence quite yet.  I still think this team has the potential and talent to get to the Super Bowl.  They just have to do it.