Ian Eagle has no idea what he’s talking about.
After calling Ben Roethlisberger’s 94-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter that broke the Bengals’ back yesterday, the CBS play-by-play announcer remarked, “Bengals fans are stunned.”
No, we’re not, Ian. We’re not stunned. We’re not even surprised.
It happens every season. It usually happens in Cincinnati, although last year was a rare exception.
Pittsburgh comes to town. The Bengals play scared. They hope they can beat the Big Bully on the Block with trickery and finesse.
But they don’t. Because the Big Bully on the Block hits them in the mouth. And the Bengals run home, crying to Mommy.
It’s different every year. Maybe they break our punter’s jaw. Maybe they blow out our quarterback’s knee. Maybe they just score a touchdown on the first play of overtime after our kicker misses a field goal at the end of regulation.
Or maybe they score three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, because our quarterback fumbled a handoff deep in our territory despite the fact that we were winning.
It happens every year, and yesterday’s result was emblematic of it.
Andy Dalton hit AJ Green on an 81-yard bomb to take the lead 21-17 at the end of the third quarter.
The Steelers’ response was to drive the length of the field, kick a field goal to make it 21-20, and remember there was a lot of game left.
Then Dalton fumbled. Pittsburgh was set up at the Cincinnati 23. The Bengals’ response was to run home, crying to Mommy.
They didn’t just give up a touchdown and a two-point conversion to make it 28-21, Steelers. They gave up two more touchdowns, including the aforementioned 94-strike.
And that is the difference between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. Pittsburgh is tough. Cincinnati is weak. Pittsburgh believes if they just keep fighting, something good will happen. Cincinnati believes if something bad happens the game is over.
That’s why Pittsburgh has won six Super Bowls and Cincinnati has won none.
Sure, the Bengals are still in first place in the AFC North, but it won’t last. The Bengals are unlikely to win again this season. They have to go to Cleveland, where they haven’t won since 2011. They host the Broncos on Monday Night Football, so in addition to Marvin Lewis being unable to beat Peyton Manning, the Dalton-Green Bengals should engage in their usual primetime choke. And then they finish with the Big Bully on the Block — Pittsburgh.
The table was set for the Bengals coming into December. It still is, although they’ve virtually eliminated themselves from getting a first-round bye. Again.
But it doesn’t matter. The Bengals are weak. They are soulless. They are prideless.
They run home, crying to Mommy.
Final record: 8-7-1. Unless Cleveland can choke worse, in which case they’ll be 9-6-1.
Either way, Cincinnati does not make the playoffs. And if they do, who cares? They’ll get punched in the mouth and run home, crying to Mommy like they did the last three years.
So, no, Ian, we aren’t stunned. We’re not surprised. We knew this would happen. The only question was how.
Who Dey Herald 