Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Bengals MUST Overcome Steelers to give Joe Burrow’s Return ANY Purpose

Starting point is 00:00:00 If the Cincinnati Bengals are going to make Joe Burroughs return count for something, they can't be a get right team for the Pittsburgh Steelers this week. Let's get into it. You are locked on Bengals, your daily Cincinnati Bengals podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Well, not Bengals fans. Welcome to another episode of the Locked on Bengals podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast network, your team every day and not only your team every day.

Starting point is 00:00:34 and not only your team every day, but the number one sports podcast network on the planet. We appreciate all of you out there who make Lockdown Bengals your first listen. All of you every dayers out there that have helped. Lockdown Bengals help the Lockdown Podcast Network be the number one sports podcast network out there. He's James Rapine. I'm Jake Lisco, and we've been covering your Cincinnati Bengals here on Lockdown Bengals since 2016.

Starting point is 00:01:00 And today we dive into the Bengals coming out of the by week against the Pittsburgh. Steeleers is playoff leverage watch is back on much like last year. How much can the Bengals keep their hopes alive? And I can hear your eyes rolling. I can hear all of you saying playoffs. I can hear it. I can hear all of you saying it. You don't have to scream it at me.

Starting point is 00:01:21 I hear it through the internet. But reality is, is this team has things to play for in front of it, even though the season has gone the way it's gone, even though the defense is what it is, They've got a bunch of football games left to play here, James. And if they're going to have any hopes of making Joe Burroughs return meaningful, give him a shot to play in meaningful games, whether he's back for Thanksgiving or back in the beginning of December, this game against the Pittsburgh Steelers is a big one for playoff leverage.

Starting point is 00:01:52 For sure. This is one of those. You have to win. You have to get the 3 in the division. And that's it. Joe Burrough said it earlier this week. the path to the playoffs is through the north. And it's unfortunate.

Starting point is 00:02:07 Had they handled business over the past couple of weeks, past couple of games, they would still be in the running for the wild card. And we could still have that conversation. But it really isn't that realistic at this point. And I think when you look at the division, you look at a Steelers team that certainly hit a roadblock, so to speak, as that schedule changed.

Starting point is 00:02:30 And it obviously started with the Bengals handling business against them on October 16th. So a month later, they have to do the same thing to realistically keep any playoff chances alive. And honestly, to keep the door open for Joe Burrow, I think that's a big factor here as well. There's a reason why Joe was non-committal on returning. And it has nothing to do with him, has everything to do with this team. And I think that's what I'm looking at on Sunday is how this coaching staff, how this defense, how the offense now, knowing that Joe Burrow is getting close, how they respond, how they play, how buttoned up things look, how much they get after it and attack it. Because if they truly believe, regardless of what everyone's saying about the defense, if they truly believe that, hey, if we win a couple of games here, Joe Bro is going to come back, well, then they should be playing with their. hats on fire, so to speak, right?

Starting point is 00:03:29 They should just be playing at a really, really intense level. Will that result in success? We can dive into all of those things. But I just think high level, if you know Joe's around the corner, all right, pressure's on now. You've got to deliver and do your part so he can actually get back on the field. Yeah, what kind of jolt do you get?

Starting point is 00:03:49 What kind of bi-week adjustments do you get? What kind of synthesis of information that you've obtained throughout your young career, can you then apply into lessons over the course of the by week? Because that's something that like Dylan Fairchild talked about. He had that injury. He missed a game or two. Don't even remember that.

Starting point is 00:04:05 Was it two games? And he then comes back and is able to apply lessons from having time to synthesize that information that he'd obtained and then figure out, okay, how do I apply that knowledge? How do I apply my NFL experience? And hopefully for some of these young players that have really been struggling, you get some of that, but we're kind of grasping at straws there. We will get to the defense, the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense really struggled last week

Starting point is 00:04:32 and set the point where, you know, just talked to Chris Carter for the crossover yesterday, James, and he's talking about like, ah, is this another Russ Wilson situation where our old quarterback is going to fall off a cliff in the second half of the season? That's what they're worried about in Pittsburgh right now, and I'm sitting here thinking, like,

Starting point is 00:04:48 ah, I don't know if the Bengals are going to challenge Aaron Rogers. Like, this is probably another week, where the Bengals are going to help a team get right. They've done it, what, seven straight weeks now, eight straight weeks now. Every week essentially since the Cleveland game, an offense has done something pretty gross against the Cincinnati Bengals defense. And we'll get there, but I got a fun fact for you, James.

Starting point is 00:05:15 This is the first time in four years. The Cincinnati Bengals have played the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out of the by week, and it's going to be four times out of the last six years. In fact, the Bengals have played in the Zach Taylor era, the Steelers four times coming out of the buy week, which I think the most for any other team is once. It's a weird little scheduling idiosyncrasy. The Bengals playing the Steelers a lot coming off of the Bengals by.

Starting point is 00:05:41 How much success do you have that in front of you? How many have they won, lost not trying to put you in the spot here? So they lost last year. They lost in 2024, memorable game in which they lost 44 to 30, 38 and the year before that it was San Francisco in 23. In 2022, they won 37 to 30. We the big dogs. That's the Joe Burrow. We the big dogs. He yelled it on the sideline. Before that, it was Joe's rookie year in 2020 where they lost. So not a great record. They've won one of their previous opportunities. And this is their fourth. You better get two. You better get it

Starting point is 00:06:19 to get to look. That is weird. That's odd. that you come out, you play the Steelers after the buy. I think they, Aaron Rogers conversation is really interesting when you, you include what Mike Tomlin, his reaction was this week. And I, I just know less than a month ago,

Starting point is 00:06:38 we watched Aaron Rogers really messed with these linebackers, these rookie linebackers. And it was early on. And yeah, and it was early on in Barrett Carter's starting tenure. Of course, it was his second game started. But that's something like, if I'm Aaron Rogers, I'm like, all right, well, I'm going to get right.

Starting point is 00:06:58 As long as I don't throw it up a ball that I shouldn't have thrown and let Jordan battle or DJ Turner intercepted. And DJ made a great play on that second interception. Like, he played really well. Like those are the two plays that one, you want back. The other one, DJ Turner just made a heck of a play. So can the Bengals at least do that? You know, I get it. Everyone's down on the defense and all of those things.

Starting point is 00:07:22 but you're still going to need to at least on the road win the turnover battle. And if you can do that, well, we've seen this Bengals team obviously beat the Steelers. So it is doable, but there's going to be some things that defensively they have to do that they haven't done over the past couple of weeks, really since that Steelers game, which is insane to say this, but it's the last time they won. And it shouldn't be with the way this offense has played. I mean, they're one in six since Joe Burrow went down. That one win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their last two games obviously incredibly winnable, they should have beaten the New York Jets going away.

Starting point is 00:08:01 They almost stole one against Chicago, but the defense couldn't make those plays down the stretch. So, yeah, I mean, generating takeaways is a way that you mask this defense that consistently has issues that can't get off the field, that, oh, they had a couple stops early against the Bears, but actually they didn't have those stops against the Bears, because they have penalties. And when you can't generate takeaways

Starting point is 00:08:23 and you can't get off the field, well, that's how you give up an average of like 74 points per week or whatever it is for the Cincinnati Bengals. I mean, obviously it's been terrible on that side of the ball. But for the Bengals, this game, according to at least one of those playoff leverage charts that you start to see in the second half of the season, if they lose this game,

Starting point is 00:08:47 they're down to a 2% chance to make, the playoffs. If they win this game, they're up to a 14% chance to make the playoffs. If you just look at the New York Times playoff machine that lets you put if they win, if they lose every week, they give the Bengals a 5% chance to make the playoffs if they win this week, a less than 1% chance to make the playoffs if they lose. So we're talking about a long shot in the first place, but I remember having these same conversations last year, James, down the stretch where we're looking at a team where the defense can't get them wins or losing all these close games because they can't get stops.

Starting point is 00:09:19 because the offense can't score that one more touchdown when they've already scored 31 points in a game or 38 points in a game because they continue losing games where somehow they score 38 points and lose. They once again are going to be facing so many of the same narratives as last year, except this time there's a different defensive coordinator and a much younger defense. And frankly, a team that's desperate for answers on the defensive side of the ball, desperate to not be a get right team. And I remain skeptical that they won't be a get-right team for Aaron Rogers and the things going on with that Pittsburgh Steelers offense that struggled mightily last week and their loss to the Chargers. So let's talk a little bit about this defense and the Aaron Rogers matchup coming up next. Today's show is brought to by PrizePix.

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Starting point is 00:11:03 Use code locked on NFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. That's code locked on NFL for $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. Price Fix. it's good to be right. All right, Jake, let's dive into this defense and discuss a unit that is just getting crushed right now. And I think that's what I want to start with. Like, yeah, they're bad. They've been crushed for two weeks.

Starting point is 00:11:32 And so not only should they be, I don't know if motivated is the right word, but get a jolt from Joe Burrow potentially returning and wanting to give him a reason to return. but honestly just the the pride element of it like just be well more than willing to to say all right well jalen warren you're not going to run for seven plus yards of carry this time around we are not going to let you run through us we like that that is it like if i meet you in a whole i'm going to hold on until someone else gets there too worst case like they aren't even doing that and so the The bar is really low, but I do wonder if that's there, because it should be, because if I'm in this defense, how embarrassing is it every single second over the past couple of weeks? It's really embarrassing and they should be embarrassed and how they respond to that, I think, is going to say a lot about the coaches and the defense still buying into things.

Starting point is 00:12:36 Right? Last time we heard from Gino Stoney said, it's not the scheme. Jordan battle, it's not the scheme. All right, well, if you're still really bought in, I think we'll be able to see that. Even if you do give up points to Aaron Rogers, even if he does beat your safeties and beat your linebackers, you'll be able to see that want to.

Starting point is 00:12:52 So we'll see if they come out that way. They should, but will they? I think that's a big question. I feel like we've been asking this question for a while this year, James. I feel like they've had ample reason and opportunity to show that they're going to answer the criticism that they're going to make adjustments, that they're going to find ways to play better,

Starting point is 00:13:13 and they keep having guys make mistakes in coverage. They keep having guys make mistakes in terms of where they're supposed to be in run defense. They keep having guys that aren't playing physical enough. They keep having guys trying to go under blocks in the run game and taking themselves out of the play entirely. They still have guys running the wrong way to literally the wrong side of the field on misdirection,

Starting point is 00:13:34 on, you know, QB running back options where, you know, have counter bash or something like that and you're going with the running back but the QB keeps it going the other way you're going with the QB but the running back has it going to the other way too many mistakes like that right and when it's at the point i keep going back to al golden saying i can't make it simpler and i know that you know we just talked about like they've been taken it on the chin for the last i don't know the whole season right from other teams and from the media and rightly so you're talking about one of the worst defenses statistically in the last 25 years maybe ever, how many times can we ask this question before we stop asking the question?

Starting point is 00:14:14 You know what I mean? Like how many times can we say, yeah, they should come out with their hair on fire. Well, maybe they are and this is the best they can do, right? Like, it should be better. It shouldn't be one of the worst defenses in 25 years. Even if it's going to be the worst defense in the NFL this year. Sure. Can it not be the worst we've seen in Duke Tobin's tenure in many Bengals fans' entire lives?

Starting point is 00:14:37 Yeah, in Joe Burroughs life, like the worst Bengals defense since he's been alive and on the planet. Can we not do that? That's not a very high bar. That's asking for you to give up 28 points per game instead of 33 points per game. Like not even a full touchdown better. But that feels hard. And I'm, you know, you're asking these questions like, yeah, can they come out and play with their hair on fire and show some intensity and make some of these corrections? And I'm like, I don't know if they can't.

Starting point is 00:15:07 I'll believe it when I see it. That's where I'm at with the defense right now. Like we've seen, they've shown us who they are. You know what they say? Like when someone shows you who they are, believe them. I need to be shown that there's something different than what they've shown me so far. For sure. Right.

Starting point is 00:15:21 I get it. And there's no reason to believe they're going to go out there and stop Aaron Rogers. Like there's no reason to believe that, oh, they're going to stop this run game that didn't work against the Chargers. It's not like, I mean, I watched a lot of that game. they were lost on offense. And yet when I, and I tweeted it out like, hey,

Starting point is 00:15:44 how many points of the Steelers going to score? Everyone said 30s and 40s, and then there was a bunch of jokes. But that sucks. Like, like, if you were a competent, any competent defense would look at the Steelers offense

Starting point is 00:15:57 and say, you can hold them to 20 or under. And I'm not saying the Bengals are a competent defense, but it just, it's wild to think that, they can't just do the basic, like, the basic of basic things. If you're up late, Gino Stone, make sure that Pat Friarmooth doesn't have a 68-yard touchdown, right? Don't give up seven yards per carry.

Starting point is 00:16:21 Jordan Battle, Gino Stone, Josh, Newton, all these guys could have should have would have made that play on Colston Loveland. They didn't. And so can they guard the tight end? You know, can that? Because everyone's going to talk about D.K. Matt Caff. And that's a huge matchup, right, for DJ Turner again. And that's a tough one because of the size difference, even if he did play well against him that first go round.

Starting point is 00:16:46 So we'll, uh, we'll see. It's, um, it just sucks because I, I agree with, I don't know if there are many answers. And I also think it's hard to, to show that you're being aggressive and you're playing with your hair on fire when you're not making plays. Like it's just hard. If the results aren't there,

Starting point is 00:17:10 you're not going to see the celebration, you're not going to see the intensity, even if the effort is there. But I just, I don't think the effort's fully there in the missed tackles are why. I think you can have more, you just need to be more focused on some of that stuff.

Starting point is 00:17:27 And maybe it's just because they're bad, and so bad players make mistakes. And it might just be that simple. but if it is that simple, then we're probably not seeing Joe Burrow again this year. Put it that way. Yeah. I mean, we'll see how it looks.

Starting point is 00:17:44 A lot of it is mentality stuff, I think, like, or just the way they approach a game, maybe they're just not physical players, but physicality is a big part of defense in the NFL. And I think that's, you know, if you're going to talk about tackling, I don't know how you dismiss physicality as part of it, right?

Starting point is 00:18:04 And so I think that is part of it. But this is a team that may not have Trey Hendrickson back this week. And that's a big question. Is Trey Hendrickson going to return to this team in time for it to matter? And these last couple of games, could you have used Trey Hendrickson?

Starting point is 00:18:23 When you have a lead late and a sack, maybe you could effectively end the game or make it way harder for the Bears or the Jets in the last couple of weeks? Of course. And Zach immediately pronouncing him doubtful early in the week, I mean, that's rough for a defense that's looking for answers for playmakers. And Trey could have been a bit of a shot in the arm.

Starting point is 00:18:45 Like, he's not going to fix everything, obviously. We've seen the defense with him give up plenty of points. But the way the pass rush has been, and one of the ways you beat Aaron Rogers is you get pressure to him, obviously. If you can't get pressure to him, I mean, the way Rogers was running around on this Bengals defense, last time they played. He has not done that to other teams this year, man. That's a unique experience for him this year that now he has a chance to run back

Starting point is 00:19:10 as he's looking to bounce back from his worst game of the year, I think. He's had a couple of rough ones this year, but completing just 50% of his passes, two interceptions, five and about five yards per attempt against the chargers in a game where the Steelers score 10. Don't be a get right team for once, maybe? Like maybe that's just too much to ask, but that's all I'm asking. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, it's, uh, show us who you are.

Starting point is 00:19:41 And maybe this is who they are. They just suck. Fine. But if there's any hope, if there's any anything, if there's any will, desire, or anything that has been untapped, you mentioned the mentality, you're, you're going to have to show it this week, especially if you don't have tray, which is really, that's weird. I, you know, for those watching, I haven't been in Cincinnati this week.

Starting point is 00:20:04 So I, I, I, um, I don't have maybe the intel that I normally would, but that, that whole thing is just, uh, it's weird. I thought he'd be close, put it that way, close to a return if not playing. Something to, to obviously keep an eye on into the weekend, but even if the defense lays an egg and they largely laid an egg last time these teams played, but they had those couple of takeaways mixed in. That's why we talked about it again. this week. The offense for the Bengals has been rolling and the Steelers are, as Chris Carter

Starting point is 00:20:34 told me on the crossover, shaping their defense essentially around what the Bengals do to them. And this has been a trend since the offseason. Let's get to the offense to finish out the show, which gives you a little bit of hope in this team or at least make some fun to watch coming up next. NFL season is in full swing and maybe you're thinking, should I go to Pittsburgh? Will I go to Pittsburgh? Well, look, game time is the app you can use to get the best seats and to make that process which can be complicated really easy it's fast it's easy every ticket is backed by the game time guarantee you always get 100% authentic tickets delivered on time and at the best price with game time all of the fees are included so the price you see is the

Starting point is 00:21:17 price you pay i've used game time multiple times uh just this year went to the eastern conference finals in indianapolis went and saw a comedy show at taft theater in downtown Cincinnati it was a breeze. It's fast. It's cheap and it's certainly less stressful than buying tickets anywhere else. Download the GameTime app. Create an account. Use code locked on NFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, that's promo code locked on NFL. L-O-C-E-D-O-N-N-FL-N-FL-T Ticket. Go. Download game time today. If you can have any hope with this team, it's that the offense has been the number one EPA for play offense since Joe Flacco over.

Starting point is 00:22:03 It's that the running game has figured things out largely since Joe Flacco took over, especially in the last few weeks, especially against Pittsburgh the last time around, especially against New York. And as teams continue to try to take away Jamar Chase and T. Higgins, they're opening up opportunities for the Bengals in the run game and the Bengals have been able to take advantage of those. I think another injury that's worth keeping an eye on this week is Somaget P. Ryan's high ankle sprain that he suffered on that hip drop tackle on the kickoff return because he's been

Starting point is 00:22:29 a big part of being able to spell Chase Brown and both of those guys have been very effective for the Bengals in the run game. But so has Joe Flacco. When the run game wasn't as productive as it had been against the bears, Joe Flacko goes for 470 and spreads the ball around to T. Higgins and Jemar Chase and have seven receivers go over 20 yards per catch. And meanwhile, the Steelers are looking at, boy, we actually can't handle these elite receivers in man coverage.

Starting point is 00:22:55 And as a result, as Chris Carter told me on the crossover, they're going to all this too high work and they're moving Jaylon Ramsey to free safety. and they're making all these adjustments on defense, which are essentially because the Bengals punched them in the mouth. They didn't have answers for the Cincinnati Bengals, as they spent their offseason trying to bring in DBs to deal with the Bengals wide receivers. That plan didn't work.

Starting point is 00:23:15 Now they're trying to find schematic answers to it in Pittsburgh, and that's been a big part of the story over there on the defensive side of the ball where they have stepped up the pass rush in the last couple of weeks. They've gotten home for five sacks in each of the last two weeks. So we'll see how those adjustments hit this week, where the team that drove a lot of these changes, it seems like, for Pittsburgh is now there to then test those changes again

Starting point is 00:23:38 that are, from the Steelers perspective, Taylor made to try to deal with what the Bengals are doing on offense. Yeah, I think one theme this week has been, oh, what's the difference between Joe Burrow and Joe Flagg? Like, the offense has been great. It's just like last year. And it's like, no, it's not just like last year. This offensive line has played better.

Starting point is 00:23:58 like they've done enough in the run game and in past protection wise. And I think Zach Taylor deserves credit and Dan pitcher and obviously Scott Peters, the offensive line coach, but everything has been built around. Hey, Joe Flacco can't move. How do we get the ball out of his hands? How do we make this work? How do we utilize our weapons?

Starting point is 00:24:18 How do we get more explosive in the run game? They weren't explosive in the run game last year, right? The past couple of weeks, they have been the past couple of games. And so that's huge. And I think if you go out there and you just say you do the too high thing, Joe Flacco doesn't have to push it super deep. He'll hit you underneath. He'll be fine with that.

Starting point is 00:24:41 He's patient enough. He's shown that certainly throughout the stretch of games that he's played in. And so this offense said it all year. It's not going to change. If this Bengals team is going to make a run here, the offense is going to have to be why. and it's it's not fair but they're probably going to have to close this game out like they did against the Steelers on October 16th on Thursday night football and so the bar is really high

Starting point is 00:25:10 for them for them to hit and it isn't fair but guess what if you're trying to recover from three and six and you're trying to win the division and you're trying to do all of those things well it's not going to be and so I think the the main thing here is is all right well can you continue whatever the Steelers do on defense can you continue to keep 16 upright so he can get the ball to those weapons and and can you be explosive on the ground and if you do those things then you're going to be there regardless of this defense you're going to be in the hunt and in in the mix against the Steelers on the road when the game's on the line in the fourth quarter i think that's it so that's one and two if you are there

Starting point is 00:25:55 unlike the Jets game, you have to finish it. You have to be the one. If you punt the ball back to Aaron Rogers, you just can't bank on this defense, even if they have to go 96 yards. Like if I'm Zach Taylor and it's fourth and four, late in the fourth quarter, you're up to at the 50 or even at your own 40. I mean, you'd almost be really tempted to go for it because you just don't want to give the ball back, assuming the defense is what it's been. So there's a lot of pressure on this offense. I do think that they have the answers, even though Joe Flacco is limited in some ways, they've been able to hide that because of their strengths. And one of their strengths has been this offensive line and how they've been able to hold up enough. I'm not saying they're one of

Starting point is 00:26:39 the best lines in the league. They don't need to be. They've been better during this stretch than at any point over the past couple of years. There's no doubt. Yeah, and it is going to be tested again this week probably to a more significant degree than we've seen. A lot of duty over there. Harmon is coming on too. Yeah, guys that are coming on like Nick Herbig, healthier, probably going to be a bigger

Starting point is 00:27:03 part of that rotation. Obviously, T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Cam Hayward, like those guys are all still guys. Keanu Benton, playing better in the last couple of weeks. Because like, the biggest surprise to me was how the Bengals handled the Steelers interior in that game and the run game.

Starting point is 00:27:19 And managed to open up really great running lanes. The Steelers have a linebacker issue. The way the Bengals have a linebacker issue, it's not quite as bad there, but Patrick Queen's been pretty terrible for them. Peyton Wilson's been okay. But there is, is it Wilson?

Starting point is 00:27:36 Maybe I'm forgetting a name again. But there is a linebacker problem. No, it's Peyton Wilson. You get in my head about names, James, and it just totally disrupts the flow of the pocket. Man, look at what you did. Anyway, I joke. What I did.

Starting point is 00:27:51 The Steelers do have plenty of issues that they've been dealing with on defense this year, but it has improved in the last few weeks, especially in the pass rush. So when we talk about the offensive line, the way that they've been able to mitigate pass rushes, the way that Joe Flack has been able to get rid of the ball quickly, the goal for the Steelers is, if I'm the Steelers anyway in this game, I'm probably coming out and playing brackets and true doubles and clouds on Jamar and T the entire game and say, okay, if we take away Jamar and T, how quickly can you Joe Flack

Starting point is 00:28:21 go get to your third option and how quickly can that third option uncover and be in a position where you don't have to put the ball in harm's way. And can we deal with your run game with six guys? And that's the challenge for the Steelers this week because teams that haven't been able to deal with the Bengals run game with six guys when they're dedicating extra resources to perimeter receivers. Those are the teams of Bengals have been able to punish. And we've seen it a couple of times.

Starting point is 00:28:48 and against the bears, Joe Flacco found answers from the third options. Like I said, they had seven guys go for explosive catches in that game. Andre Yosevash, Noah Fant, Mitch Tinsley, down the roster, Chase Brown using the running back in the receiving game. So the Bengals have those answers, and obviously Jumar and T are still going to win occasionally, even if you do dedicate all that attention to them because they're that good.

Starting point is 00:29:14 Then you can keep going on offense. But if you're the Steelers, you make them prove, like, okay, can you beat us outside of Jamar and T? Can you hold up in protection for a third option to get open? Can you continue to create those run lanes that you did against us last week? But can you do it on the road? Because the Bengals were just playing. All this offensive success has come at home for the Bengals.

Starting point is 00:29:32 Can you do it on the road with Joe Flacco in a hostile AFC North environment? Those are the questions that we're going to get answers to for this defense this week. That's where the difference with Joe Burrow and Joe Flacco is. Like we're always going to have that question waiting for the other shoe to drop, I think on this offense where, like, we've seen it with Joe Flacco over the years. I love what he's done so far, but we've seen it in the last few years where it hasn't sustained when he's been with some of the teams that he's been with. And some of that's the situation he's been in for sure.

Starting point is 00:30:01 And he hasn't had these weapons and he hasn't in Cincinnati. And there's a clear plan of attack for this offense. But very interested to see how they come out of this biweek on the offensive side of the ball to see if they can keep up what has been a torrid pace on that side of the ball. Yeah, it's, they're going to get hit with a few curve balls. And so will they move up in the box and be able to make it work and continue to be a 30 plus point per game offense? Like, they need to be. Like, that's what they need them to be.

Starting point is 00:30:34 And so when you mentioned that, I was thinking like Andre Yosevash, hopefully he can build off of how he ended that Chicago game, where it was just big play after big play. and I think that was a big a big moment for him even though it was in a loss he goes into the buy personally feeling good about how he kind of wrapped up things in the first half of the season after some struggles.

Starting point is 00:30:57 Noah Phant is another one like you need him. And I do think that there's a level of Chase Brown that we saw last year that we still haven't seen yet this year. And I'm not saying he needs to go for 200 from scrimmage or anything like that. But like he's capable of catching 10 passes and having 100 yards receiving and also having 100 yards rush.

Starting point is 00:31:21 Like that's something he's capable of doing. And so do they get that? Like which shoe drops? Is it the offense comes back to earth? Or is it Chase Brown goes off and has his best game of the year? Noah Fant has a huge gamer, Andre Yosevash. That's probably what we're looking at here.

Starting point is 00:31:36 Because yeah, if you're Mike Tomlin today, you say, all right, I'm not letting Jamar Chase beat us, even though he's probably going to get his anyway, he can quietly have 100 yards. And T. Higgins, I'm not going to let you go do freakish T. Higgins things. Maybe they do anyway, but that's got to be the game plan for the Steelers and really any team that plays this Bengals team. Don't let those two guys beat you and live with everything else.

Starting point is 00:31:59 Those other guys have to step up. So the Steelers can't live with everything else, whether it's Chase Brown, Andreosovash, Noah Fant, etc. Haven't talked about football in a pretty long time here, James. It's kind of felt like the offseason for a couple weeks, right? Like you have the trade deadline and offseason topics talking about the future things through the by week. And now we're back to football games. We'll have you covered here after the game on Sunday, the Bengals, of course, on the road in Pittsburgh.

Starting point is 00:32:29 And we'll see what the mood is here post-game, James. If there's a flicker of hope or just more despair. And there's been too much of that after Bengals games since Joe Burroughs. went down this year. We'll have you covered here on Lockdown Bengals. Until then, thanks for listening to this episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast. Hootay. And have a good one.

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