12-20-2019, 03:35 AM
In the Marvin Lewis era Deshaun Davis Jersey 2019 , the Bengals have played the Steelers 18 times in Paul Brown Stadium.They’ve beaten them just twice.You can pin the blame regarding their latest 28-21 loss on injuries the defense suffered, or a missed penalty on the Steelers final play of the game. But every team suffers injuries, and since when do the Bengals get favorable calls against their biggest rival?Those ultimately factored into the final score, but as defensive end Carlos Dunlap wisely put it after the game, they weren’t the biggest reasons why the Steelers once again beat them on their home turf.“Insanity is when you keep doing the same thing over and over and expect different results,”Proclaimed Dunlap. “We made some mistakes that we made before. We’ve got to learn from them. Once again.”In Dunlap’s career, he’s witnessed just one home victory against Pittsburgh back in his fourth season in 2013. He’s been a part of nine losses at home at the hands of Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The loss his team suffered Sunday was very similar to the several that have come before.Dunlap and the rest of the Bengals pass rush was grossly ineffective at pressuring Roethlisberger, whom Dunlap joked about earlier in the week. While the Steelers offensive line handled their business, the Bengals offense gave up numerous pressures and allowed a handful of drive-killing sacks on quarterback Andy Dalton. In a similar fashion Color Rush Deshaun Davis Jersey , the Steelers ended up with over 100 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns from running back James Conner, while the Bengals rushing game was non-existent for most of the second half. Both teams diverged in separate phases of the game and even though the Bengals clawed their way back to a one-point lead with just over a minute left to play, the Steelers controlled the game, like they always do against the Bengals. Dunlap has seen this movie before, and he knows the refs and injuries aren’t the primary culprits. The definition of insanity is the definition of the Bengals in this kind of scenario. A defining win before a crucial showdown on the road against the AFC-leading Kansas City Chiefs in primetime would’ve been huge for the Bengals. Instead, they’re left hanging their heads after fighting tooth and nail with their arch nemesis. After the game, players on both teams got into a fight on the field, a result of the frustrating loss the Bengals suffered. Frustration is good if it can be applied towards progress. But if this game showed anything, it’s that the Bengals haven’t made enough progress to warrant taking them seriously when the season is on the line. When will progress show? When the Bengals prove they’ve overcome the perpetual trap of insanity that they currently reside in. The Cincinnati Bengals selected John Ross with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft Ryan Glasgow Jersey , but how does the pick grade out?Based on how things turned out for the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, fans should be ecstatic.With their selection at No. 9, they picked up wide receiver John Ross of Washington, and it portends to great things for the team.As had been discerned often since the 2016 season ended, the Bengals spent last year with a glaring deficit in skill position talent. In the few years prior, that had actually been quite a strength for them. A.J. Green led the way as the top-end receiver, Tyler Eifert acted as a terrifying matchup over the middle, and guys like Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones Jr gave dynamic presences to pair alongside them.Article continues below ...With Eifert missing a large portion of the year to an injury (something which seems to happen pretty often with him), the Sanu/Jones combination leaving for greener ($) pastures in free agency Cheap Deshaun Davis Jersey , and the architect of their excellent 2015 offense (Hue Jackson) heading to Cleveland, the unit took a big step down.The raw yardage didn’t dip, but the team saw stark changesin completion percentage (66.1 percent to 64.7 percent), yards per attempt (8.1 to 7.5), touchdown passes (31 to 18), sacks (32 to 41), and passer rating (104.1 to 91.8).More from NFL Spin Zone2017 NFL Draft: Atlanta Falcons Last-Minute Rumors24m ago2017 NFL Draft Grades: New Orleans Saints Select Marshon Lattimore33m ago2017 NFL Draft Grades: New York Jets Select Jamal Adams52m ago2017 NFL Draft Grades: San Francisco 49ers Trade Back For Solomon Thomas1 h ago2017 NFL Draft Grades: Houston Texans Trade Up For Deshaun Watson1 h agoThe Eifert injury issues have to be lived with at this point, and there was nothing which could be done about Jackson leaving for a head coaching gig, but improving the wide receiver position was a clear way to get this offense to a better place.The pick of Ross does that to an excellent degree.Last year Hardy Nickerson Jersey , Green had to try carrying a unit which relied heavily on Brandon LaFell as their second option for a good portion of the year (while Eifert recovered), and had reservations with thrusting rookie Tyler Boyd into a major role too quickly. Boyd should have a bigger role this time around, but Ross gives them a dynamic they wouldn’t have had otherwise.His speed is incredible. The former combine record for a 40-yard dash had been set at 4.24 by Chris Johnson years ago and few had really gotten close since — until Ross that is, who blew past it with a 4.22 effort. That sort of explosive talent was sorely missing in the Bengalsoffense last year, but it shouldn’t be a worry any longer.Placing that speed opposite of the dominance which A.J. Green provides? The AFC North is gonna have their hands full. The grouping of Green/Ross/Boyd has the ability to challenge any wideout trio over the next few seasons; add in Eifert, and defensive coordinators are already losingsleep.This pick may not have been what I was predicting (either Soloman Thomas or Jonathan Allen to boost their defensive line), but it has the potential to be a much more transformative selection for the team than either of those two would have been.Next: 2017 NFL Draft Grades: Saints Take Marshon LattimoreI’m not quite ready to say this outcome changes the future for the Bengals, but it does push me a lot closer to that line of thinking.Maybe 2016 will prove to be an aberration after all.This article originally appeared on