Thurs. Nite Football - Bengals or Dolphins - who to root for?

[RobAllan]

Step 1 to winning the Superbowl is making the playoffs. Teams in our own division losing more games than us is the surest way for that to happen. Rooting for the Fins this early in the season is arrogant and dangerous.

 

[Ring 6]

I think the bye week is overrated - it's great because you only have to win two games, but...

I'd like to see the statistical breakdown of the winning % of teams coming off the bye week for the last few years. My bet is that it's gone way down because of the NEW PRACTICE RULES for teams on the bye.

They often look "soft" the following week.

I'd also like to see the % of Superbowl teams for the last few years who had the bye, and who didn't. I don't think it's that big a deal anymore.

Giants in '08
Packers in '11
Giants in '12
Ravens in '13

Every BB team that has gone to a SB has gotten a bye.
As for all the other info, you will have to do that research yourself, but I think you will find while teams getting a bye isn't a perfect predictor of success, they are much more successful than not.
I think the real comparision is 1/2 seeds vs 3/4 seeds and how each have fared.

 

[Guts]

I agree with RobAllan. 1st step is win the division once that is wrapped up the seeding can be what to aim for. It is dangerous to root for a division opponent at the moment specially when the Patriots are not guaranteed to win games easily anymore.

 

[jmt57]

I would have been very curious to compare and contrast the results and reasons of a nearly identical question from a week ago (when the Bengals played the Jets), to this week's question of whether to root for the Bengals or Dolphins.

Similarly, I would have also been curious to compare and contrast the results and reasons on who to root for had this game been between the Broncos and Dolphins, rather than Cincinnati and Miami.

 

[TruthSeeker]

I'm rooting for the Bengals because I don't like to be always rooting for the underdog (it puts me in a better mood to be rooting for the team that's winning). I'm also also aware that my rooting interest has absolutely no impact on the game and it will be just fine if the Dolphins pull it out.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

I would have been very curious to compare and contrast the results and reasons of a nearly identical question from a week ago (when the Bengals played the Jets), to this week's question of whether to root for the Bengals or Dolphins.

Similarly, I would have also been curious to compare and contrast the results and reasons on who to root for had this game been between the Broncos and Dolphins, rather than Cincinnati and Miami.

No one here considers the Jets with an iota of a chance to win the division,at least Miami still has a shot at it so last week everyone would have said they wanted the Jets to win IMO.

 

[Ring 6]

No one here considers the Jets with an iota of a chance to win the division,at least Miami still has a shot at it so last week everyone would have said they wanted the Jets to win IMO.

A Jet win and Patriot loss would have put the Jets in a tie for first with the tiebreaker advantage. You couldn't be more wrong.
Last weeks results put us 2 1/2 games ahead of Miami which is all the difference in the world.

 

[mgteich]

I agree. As Bill and Bill have taught us, the division is always first. It is arrogance to think that we have the division sewn up.

======
Confucius Say: Teams who worry about seeding in October watch playoffs at home in January.

division first.especially when every pats game is a grind. bengals the one and only choice. seeding is irrelevant right now.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Cincinnatti. Get to the play-offs first, worry about the play-offs second. it is nice having the cushion in the east right now but this team is not dominant and even though the division is likely it is not a lock. If it were a lock I would take Miami. I really can't see worrying about seeding with this year's Patriots, just get there as healthy as possible and make a run.

 

[Kontradiction]

Step 1 to winning the Superbowl is making the playoffs. Teams in our own division losing more games than us is the surest way for that to happen. Rooting for the Fins this early in the season is arrogant and dangerous.

Have you seen the LOLphins play any games besides the Pats games? They're imploding.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Have you seen the LOLphins play any games besides the Pats games? They're imploding.

I agree with this, the fish are falling apart, however IF the Patriots happened to drop their next 2 games against the Steelers and Panthers they would be facing Denver with 4 losses in the can, and that would not be a good place to be by any stretch of the imagination. I believe the Patriots will beat the Steelers this weekend, but after they lost to the Jets I can't see any game as a lock, this team can clearly lose to anyone, and I expect the Panthers game to be really tough and very possibly a loss, so I want as much distance in the division as they can get and will root against all AFCE teams until the division is locked up.

 

[mgteich]

???

If MIA were to win tonight, the imploding would be a thing of the past.

The continuing implosion of MIA is a reason to root for CIN. This is a similar situation to when CIN played the jets.

Have you seen the LOLphins play any games besides the Pats games? They're imploding.

 

[SVN]

I disagree, if we let the fins back in it and win the division then we have no shot at a title. Need to get that bye. By that reasoning, would you root for denver over buffalo or only rooting for the bengals because fins are 2 1/2 behind?

did you see how we played the first half vs the fins last week ? there is no gurantee with this pats team right now and you want to think seeding first ? There is a time to root for seeding when, the division is close to be clinched or clinched. Sure I will root for denver over buffalo except for my personal dislike of manning . And I dont want to let the fins back in it , thats my point.

 

[patsinthesnow]

This is one of the most split games in a while when it's come to rooting interest, interesting.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

A Jet win and Patriot loss would have put the Jets in a tie for first with the tiebreaker advantage. You couldn't be more wrong.
Last weeks results put us 2 1/2 games ahead of Miami which is all the difference in the world.

Like I clearly said earlier...NO ONE,Including outside of NE expects the Jets to make it to 9 wins whether it was a division tie or no tie last week...The Pats would not be worrying about losing the division to the NYJ come december unless Brady went on IR.

The Dolphins have played like crap lately,but as we all know they can turn it around and win a couple straight as they did in sept. as well as they lost all games in October...their team certainly has talent in many areas to get back to winning again while the Jets are rarily a team that wins back to back games
.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Have you seen the LOLphins play any games besides the Pats games? They're imploding.

The Dolphins are not imploding must merely not playing well as a team right now,our own team could have certainly lost 3 straight as well if not for that miracle comeback against N.O.

The only team truly imploding right now is Houston who is by far the most disorganized and dissapointing team in the league with a roster that is either underacheiving or on the injury list with no depth behind the starters.

 

[Huckleberry1]

I think Cincy is winning this game regardless. I don't see any way Miami's OL is going to be able to handle the Bengals DL. By the end of this game the rest of the Miami OL is going to b e begging to join Jonathan Martin in his happy place.

 

[RobAllan]

Have you seen the LOLphins play any games besides the Pats games? They're imploding.

As long as Miami is mathematically in the race, it's not worth the risk to count them out.

 

[ahmed]

Miami and not even close. We'll easily win the division (don't care how close each game is or how crappy we look) and I think we have a good shot at the bye. The Broncos; we play against so we can control our destiny against them; Indy will be close but we don't play against them so no head to head tiebreaker. That leaves Cincy and they have the tiebreaker against us; so want them to lose as much as possible until they are no longer a threat.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Passing Yards: 4th
QBR: 6th
TDs: 4th
Comp pct: 8th
YDs/A: 6th

Time to see if Dalton comes back to Earth, or he somehow took a crazy leap in year 3.