Tonight’s matchup pits the Baltimore Ravens against the Pittsburgh Steelers. So, naturally, I want to start out my Thursday Quick Pick column by talking about the Bengals.
Imagine you’re a Cincinnati Bengals fan right now (unless you are one, in which case, as you were). Your team, pegged by some experts as a team in decline, and picked for third place in the AFC North by some (one nitwit at Sports Illustrated had them FOURTH), sits atop the division, a perfect 3-0. The Bengals just beat the Ravens IN BALTIMORE, leaving the Ravens at an unprecedented 0-3. The Steelers just lost Ben Roethlisberger for a minimum of 4-6 weeks to an MCL sprain (I’m not suggesting that anyone would or should be happy about an injury, but believe me when I tell you, Bengals fans HATE the Steelers.). And to top it all off, the Cleveland Browns (Nothing more need be said here).
Of course, regular season success has become the norm in Cincinnati since the arrival of QB Andy Dalton, evidenced by the team’s four-straight playoff appearances. The knock on the Bengals now of course is the team’s four-straight first round exits from the playoffs. Is this the team that can avoid the same fate?
Cincinnati Bengals fans are realists; they’ve been through some pretty lean times (that’s putting it mildly), and they’ve known some serious heartache. I’m sure no one is planning any parades after only three weeks. However, things look pretty good right now in the Queen City. They’re up three games (plus a tiebreaker) on the Ravens with a home matchup later in the season, and their trip to Pittsburgh would pit them against either Roethlisberger, returning early from injury (last time he tried that, he got beaten by Tim Tebow in the playoffs), Michael Vick, or whoever replaces Vick in the event of injury (always a possibility with Vick) or being terrible (also a possibility with Vick). Add to that the continued existence of the Cleveland Browns, and the AFC North is Cincinnati’s for the taking.
What lies beyond a potential fifth-straight playoff berth? Well, there are only two paths to the playoffs’ second round; one is winning, of course, and the other involves not playing. It’s a long season. The future for the Bengals starts on Sunday. With a tough KC team coming to town looking to improve upon a disappointing 1-2 start, the Bengals will have to stay focused, no easy task after their emotional contest last week in Baltimore. Defending their home turf against the Chiefs’ challenge would be a huge statement, setting the tone for the rest of the season. Soon, you just might hear Bengals fans talking about another football B-word: bye.
Thursday Night
Ravens at Steelers
With Roethlisberger healthy, I would have no hesitation going with Pittsburgh here, but with Big Ben out, things get pretty murky. Here you have the Steelers, a team much more dependent on offence, working without the nigh-unstoppable combo of Roethlisberger to Brown. It’s impossible to know what positives Vick brings to the Steelers’ offensive mix, but the negatives are the same as they’ve always been: he’s an inaccurate passer, a fumbler, is interception-prone, and gets sacked a lot (twice last week in just over one quarter). Also, Vick hasn’t had much time in the Pittsburgh offence, not to mention the scant few days he’s had to work with the first team offence for this game, and Pittsburgh can’t afford to give away any games, especially with the murderous four-game stretch they’re facing after this week: at San Diego, home to Arizona, at Kansas City, and home to Cincinnati. The Ravens could not be more desperate; less than nine months removed from leading the Patriots by two touchdowns in the playoffs, their season is now in serious jeopardy of going down the tubes just as October dawns. They really need this game. It’s a toss-up, but I have to give the edge to Baltimore, because I think that they’ll force Vick to have to beat them, and he’s not up to it. Winner: Ravens