Bengals Fans Predict: Cincinnati Overcomes Primetime Stigma

Although the results are much less definitive than last week, most fans predicted that the Bengals would come away with their second straight win.

After last week’s rousing success, we’re continuing the “Bengals Fans Predict” series. We got even more responses this week, although there was more of a mixed bag for this game. Last week, everyone was 100% right as the Bengals knocked off the Colts 34-23. This week, the game is tougher to predict and the opponent is better, so the spread of responses is wider. I apologize if I didn’t get your response in this article – there were a lot of predictions to sift through. Let’s see what you said as the team takes on the Ravens.

The first big point is that the margin of victory you predicted for the Bengals this week is much lower. Most of the calls are one score games. On Facebook, James Kell predicted 24-20, while Mark Petrey predicted 24-21 and Ricky Johnson and Kermit Pleasant predicted 31-27. On Twitter, Steve Costello wagered 27-24. Overall, the margin of victory for the Bengals was under 7.

One of the biggest keys to victory you all mentioned was Joe Mixon. Especially in the bigger wins, you thought Mixon would be the center of the offense, which he certainly was in Week 1. Danny Robinson and Brian P Hill thought Mixon will hit the 100-yard rushing mark, which would be huge. They also predicted an average margin of victory of 12.5 points. If Mixon can get going, I think the Bengals win easily – I’m concerned the Ravens D-line may take him away, though.

This game really may come down to the O-line. If Mixon will blow up and Dalton will have another good game, the O-line needs to stave off some pressure. Dave Roberts noted that the Bengals need to give both Dalton and Mixon room to work, especially with the Ravens’ propensity to blitz. Roberts still thought the Bengals would win by a TD, though. An interesting prediction came from Robert Kirchner, who suggested that the result of the would literally depend on whether Dalton had time to throw. I find that hard to disagree with.

Lastly, there were some predictions for a Ravens win. There is still a lot of optimism within the fan base, which I love, but practically, this will be a tough win. Kevin Reynolds, Adam Jarvi, and David Briggs all projected slight Ravens wins. If the Ravens win, I don’t think it will be by much. However, if they can effectively disrupt the Bengals’ offense, they have a real shot to pull off the road win.

Overall, the predictions favored the Bengals once again. With kickoff coming later tonight, there will be lots of nervous fans no matter how close the game is. However, a win tonight would go a long way for this team.