Bleav in Cincy

Matt and Willie Know That Sucked

Uff da. The Bengals went up to Minnesota, in a battle of backup quarterbacks, trying to get a win and build confidence for the Jake Browning run. Could things have gone better? You betcha. The Minnesota Meltdown, as Willie has coined it, could not have been much uglier. Carson Wentz, of North Dakota State fame, looked like villain from the Fargo franchise (most of which actually takes place in Minnesota), but it was the Vikings defense that put the Bengals in the woodchipper. The Bengals fumbled five times, losing three of them. Browning also threw two interceptions. All of these turnovers led to points for Norway's finest, two of them immediately. In all, the Bengals gave up 31 points as a result of turnovers. They were also in field goal range on two of those occasions, meaning that they gave up at least six more points that they could have scored. All and all that is a 37 point swing from turnovers in a game they lost by 38 points. These numbers are insane. That was the biggest problem, but not the only problem. The run game was, uh, did not exist. The defense gave up touchdowns on four of five Red Zone appearances, which is less than ideal. There were some good performances on that side of the ball, but when they needed to make a play the fumbled away their chance like... well like the Bengals offense. The way the Bengals lost this game is unsustainable. The run game is troubling, for sure, but there is no way they continue to turn the ball over at that rate. They had some good luck in the first two weeks with turnovers, but this far surpassed regression to the mean. In fact, it gave them a soybean field's worth of room to progress back to it. Matt and Willie are here to tell you that this team has some problems, but they are fixable and the Denver Broncos are not unbeatable. So let's all hope the Bengals cleansed themselves in the waters of Lake Minnetonka and got the stink of this loss off them before they boarded the plane back to Cincinnati. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Bengals Fumble Away Opportunity to get to 3-0: OBI's The Aftermath

On this episode: -The Bengals were steamrolled in Minnesota for a historic loss. -Are things fixable? -Was this an outlier or a trend? -A conversation about Zac Taylor. And more! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Bengals at Vikings Week 2 Game Preview: The Orange and Black Insider

On this episode: The Bengals added a new quarterback to their roster and placed Joe Burrow on IR. What will the game plan be on offense now that Jake Browning is taking over? What does the defense need to do going forward with a backup QB at the helm? What are the keys to a win over the Vikings this week? And more! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Matt and Willie Know It's Not Over

Look. This sucks. I know it. You know it. Joe Burrow had a normal offseason. He played in the preseason. The Bengals went 2-0 for to start the season for the first time in Zac Taylor's tenure, and now "poof" Burrow goes down to injury once again. It sucks. I'm not a silver linings guy, not a Mr. Brightside. But I'm also not a quitter. This season is not over. Jake Browning can chuck the ball around and win some games. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he has a vast arsenal of offensive weapons. This defense isn't bad. In fact, they might even be good. All I'm saying is, that they could still be a good team without Burrow and if they can be a good team without him, just imagine how scary they will be when he returns. Matt and Willie dive into the Burrow loss and what it means for the future. More pressingly, they discuss what happens next. This team isn't tanking. They are not hanging up the towel. They aren't cashing their paychecks and saying, "oh well, there is always next year." The did not waver when Burrow hit the turf and I would not expect them to do so anytime soon. The fun has only begun. Who Dey! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Joe Burrow's 2025 Season in Doubt, Bengals Improve to 2-0: OBI's The Aftermath

On tap this episode: The perceived timeline of Joe Burrow’s return. Can Jake Browning get this team into the playoffs? What did we see in the trenches? The Bengals’ defense is opportunistic! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.