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Photo: Raiders QB Carson Palmer will make his return to Cincinnati on
Nov. 25.
Bleacher Report...
Cincinnati
Bengals: Forecasting the 8 Toughest Games on the 2012 Schedule
Last season, the Cincinnati Bengals took advantage of an easy schedule
and some unbelievably good luck to earn their second playoff berth in
the past three seasons.
Not only did the Bengals get to face teams that were on their level
such as Arizona, Buffalo, Seattle and Jacksonville, Cincy also got to
play a wounded Indianapolis team that was spiraling out of control and
Denver pre-Tebowmania.
The schedule isn’t as kind this year, but that hasn’t stopped many fans
from believing that this year’s team has a chance to be one of the best
in the franchise’s history.
In order to return to the playoffs—and win that first playoff game in
over 20 years—the Bengals will need to traverse a minefield that is the
2012 schedule. There are very few off weeks, but these eight games will
make the difference between a second straight playoff berth and a
disappointing January at home.
Week 1 at Baltimore (Sept. 10)
Thanks to the NFL’s new scheduling, division teams will open against
division opponents, and this year, Cincinnati gets Baltimore. Not only
that, but the game is on the road and on Monday night.
Considering how far apart the two franchises have been, it’s somewhat
surprising how close the series has been recently. The Bengals are
actually 8-6 against Baltimore dating back to the 2005 season, and that
includes getting swept in two games last year. But the Bengals are just
3-4 in Baltimore over that span.
Road division wins are the hardest to come by in the NFL, and the
Bengals get a tough one right off the bat. While getting a win may be
asking too much, a victory would certainly get the season started off
right.
Week 7 vs. Pittsburgh (Oct. 21)
After the opener against Baltimore, Cincinnati gets a relative break
over the next few weeks. But starting with Pittsburgh in Week 7, the
Bengals have five killer games in a seven-week stretch.
It all starts with the Steelers—a team that has long made a history of
ruining Bengal seasons. Cincy has lost four straight in the series and
is just 4-11 against the Steelers over the past seven years. The
Bengals have actually had more success in Pittsburgh than at home
during that span, going 3-4.
While the Bengals have beaten Pittsburgh only once at home since 2005,
this will be a game they will circle on their schedule. A win here and
Cincy could realistically be 6-1 heading into its toughest stretch of
the season.
Week 9 vs. Denver (Nov. 4)
A year ago, all of Denver was in a tizzy over Tim Tebow. The polarizing
quarterback was pulling out wins and seemingly willing the Broncos to
the playoffs.
The team that Denver brings to Cincinnati in the first week of November
will have a decidedly different look. And by the time that the Bengals
play Denver, we’ll know if Peyton Manning is truly 100 percent back or
if he’s just a shell of the All-Pro quarterback who led the Colts to
two Super Bowls.
Either way, the fact that the Bengals will get to play the Broncos at
home should be an advantage. Regardless of the quarterback, Denver is
nearly unbeatable at home. The Broncos beat Cincy 24-22 at Mile High
last season.
Week 10 vs. N.Y. Giants (Nov. 11)
The Giants and Bengals both finished with identical 9-7 records last
season, but that’s where the similarities end. While the Bengals’
season skidded to a halt in a wild-card loss to Houston, New York
caught fire and went the distance and won its second Super Bowl in five
years.
The Super Bowl champs come to Cincinnati in the middle of November, and
although the Giants weren’t regular-season monsters a year ago, they
still must be respected. The game will mark the second straight in
which the Bengals face a Manning at quarterback, and you’d better
believe that Peyton will give Eli a full scouting report.
Week 12 vs. Oakland (Nov. 25)
The lead-up to this game will be almost intolerable. Carson Palmer
returns to his old city for the first time since being traded. You
better believe that the media will milk this one to death.
But all of the hoopla will mask the fact that the game should be a
battle. Despite their recent upheavals, the Raiders appear to be a team
on the rise, and Palmer will certainly know the defense he’s facing.
Sandwiched in between two NFC West road games, this could be one of
those games that you look back on at the end of the season as a reason
why the Bengals either did—or didn’t—make the playoffs.
Week 13 at San Diego (Dec. 2)
The Bengals have serious problems winning in the Pacific time zone
(6-15 since 1990) and an even worse time winning in San Diego (1-6 over
that same span). Of course, Andy Dalton and A.J. Green are unbeaten on
the West Coast with a win at Seattle last year.
Cincinnati hasn’t beaten the Chargers in San Diego since a 21-16 win on
Sept. 16, 1990—the last year the Bengals won a playoff game.
Interestingly, the Bengals played five games on the West Coast that
season, beating San Diego and the Los Angeles Rams while losing to
Seattle and the Los Angeles Raiders twice—the last time in the playoffs.
Should the Bengals beat San Diego this year, it could the sign of a
truly special season.
Week 16 at Pittsburgh (Dec. 23)
As noted above, the Bengals struggle with Pittsburgh. But Cincinnati
has actually fared much better on the Steelers’ home field, going 3-4
in seven games there since 2005 while going 1-7 at Paul Brown Stadium.
This game, coupled with the season finale against Baltimore, may
possibly make or break Cincinnati’s season. It’s possible the Bengals
can absorb one loss but will struggle to make the playoffs if they lose
both. Last year, Cincy was swept by both Pittsburgh and Baltimore but
still squeaked into the playoffs.
Week 17 vs. Baltimore (Dec. 30)
It’s not inconceivable that the regular-season finale could prove to be
the AFC Central Division championship game. That’s almost how it turned
out last year when the Ravens beat Cincinnati 24-16 to edge Pittsburgh
on a tiebreaker.
Of course, this year, it could be the Bengals playing for the division
title, and if that’s the case, they drew a lucky break in getting the
game at home. Cincinnati owns a distinct 5-2 advantage against the
Ravens at Paul Brown Stadium since 2005 and have won two out of the
last three games.
But in any playoff-clinching situation, the Ravens are arguably one of
the best teams in the league. As a result, this last game should prove
to be the Bengals’ toughest game of the season.
Read this and other articles at the Bleacher Report
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