Week 16:“Our guys need to develop a killer instinct right now” -Taylor
Well when Zac Taylor decides to be aggressive and allows Joe Burrow to throw the ball, great things happen. After a 41-21 victory against the Baltimore Ravens, the Cincinnati Bengals moved to sole possession of the division and 3rd in the AFC. Zac Taylor called the best game of his career and Joe Burrow set Bengals records. The offense played with a chip on their shoulder after some interesting comments from Baltimore’s Defensive Coordinator (Don Martindale). While the defense did exactly what they needed to and Trey Hendrickson set a Bengals record for sacks in a season.
Joe Burrow had probably his best game of his career, giving all Cincinnati fans the perfect Christmas gift. Burrow completed 37 of his 46 passes for 525 yards and 4 TD. He was completely dominant, that coupled with aggressive play calling from Zac Taylor led to an almost perfect game from the offense. For most fans their wishes for a more aggressive play calling were finally met. Taylor made a decision to go for it on 4th and goal early in the game, and rarely took the ball out of Joe Burrows hands. Taylor’s play calling should give fans confidence in this offense, and shows how potent it can be. The Bengals offense is on the edge of producing a trio of 1000 yard receivers which has only happened 5 times in NFL history. That stat coupled with a 1000 yard rusher in Joe Mixon proves how prolific this offense is. Next week against the Chiefs will be a perfect test to show off this offense. Many would consider the Chiefs are the best offense in the league and the Bengals offense will need to repeat this week's performance in order to keep up.
Most fans would assume a game against a third string quarterback would be easy to plan for. But most fans don't realize that the defense had to game plan for three different quarterbacks. Which can be challenging, you just need to look back to the two worst losses for the Bengals this season, in the Bears and Jets. Each of those games the Bengals faced a backup quarterback and most would consider the worst losses of the season. Luckily the Bengals came prepared and handled their business. The defensive line was missing DJ Reader and his presence was missed during the game. Luckily the signing of Trey Hendrickson continues to prove how important it was as he set the Bengals record for sacks in a season. He is 6 sacks behind Carl Lawson’s 4 year career in Cincinnati. The defensive line will be the most important in the Chiefs game next week. The more pressure Patrick Mahomes faces the more this team struggles.
The Bengals currently sit atop the division and have a 1 game lead over everyone in the AFC North. With a 4-1 record in division, the Bengals hold almost every tiebreaker against the other three. According to Project 538 the Bengals currently have a 74% chance of making it to the playoffs, and a 72% chance of winning the division. One win secures the playoffs. The Bengals look to be hitting their stride at the perfect point. The Bengals are currently a playoff team and this team needs more support from it’s city. The Bengals currently have the 8th worst attendance this season for home games. The seven teams with the worst attendance have a combined record of 32-70-1. In comparison the Bengals are 9-6 and will most likely win the division and make the playoffs. The city of Cincinnati needs to start realizing how good this team is and how great the future looks.
