Monday Night Football Bengals Game Forecast - Jan 2, 2023

[House of Cards]

So, this is one I need to talk about. I was sitting in 236 on the Visitor's sideline between the 10 and 20 yard lines. I've never before been someplace that went from so loud your ears almost hurt to so silent that in the midst of 70k people you could make a cell phone call to your wife and hear every word without straining or yelling. I hope that's the only time I'm ever party to an event like that.
Flood of emotions; everyone knew it was bad, possibly the worst. I personally wanted to throw up. I'm not mad that the announcement took the length of time that it did. First off, even in all their contingency plans this likely wasn't on their list. Just getting the police officers and traffic situation in place to expel 70k people two or more hours ahead of schedule would alone be good reason for delay. Sitting for a little while for us was a small price to pay under the circumstances. But it was evident to all of us that there would be no resumption. Even if you thought the players would be willing/able to return to play, the two teams' equipment staffs were disassembling their sidelines and the ESPN crews were also visibly packing up. So we knew.
As far as the game, the NFL will have to sort that out. I expect that they'll resume it Wednesday if Aaron is correct about the 48hours. While I understand the "call it a tie" sentiment, I also don't agree with that. Cincinnati was leading 7-3 when play was suspended; that's already not a tie. They were also driving and may have added to that lead. Furthermore, this game had HUGE implications for playoff seeding and which team(s) qualify for post season. If Cincinnati wins this game and next, and KC somehow loses Sunday, Cincinnati moves all the way to the #1 seed. Hard to ask a team to totally cede what would be a huge advantage with home field thru playoffs. But that's also why the NFL Commissioner and office staff get the big bucks, they have to figure this out as best they can.
No decision they make will be greeted universally as one all are happy about. For example, if they do resume, how many of those fans who were there last night can be back again then? That place was as amped up as I've ever seen it, how does that atmosphere come close to recovering? There were a lot of Bills fans there too. How many of them aren't able to come back? I also feel terribly for those who bought tickets from resellers, especially at the ridiculous prices they were reselling for last week. On a personal note, I feel badly for my son; he purchased two club seats to take me as a Father's Day gift, and I know he spent way more than he should have for them. Lot's of others probably same thing, spent big $$$ to gift them for Christmas maybe. No matter what the NFL decides to do, lots of those folks won't be made whole no matter what.
What about the concessionaires? I watched the stands near our seats bagging up and disposing of lots of food they had prepared for sale that is lost now. That's not to say I'm complaining about any of it; it just is what it is, and it sucks, there's no "unsucking it"

[Bgoney]

It's not going to come down to want the NFL wants to do for playoff implications, it's going to be what's in the best interest of the Buffalo players and then Cincinnati players. When your emotionally spent, your also physically spent , whether it was half a quarter or not , they feel like they been hit by a truck . Both of those take more than a day or two to recover.

[House of Cards]

I don't see either team being emotional or physically ready to play Thursday and then again Monday. Basically 3 games in 7 days , I can't see the players union or the 2 teams wanting to put the players through that

I don't think that's a viable solution either. If they can't finish Wednesday night, they don't finish this week at all. And with this being a MNF game already, both teams prep for their last game was already short a day. All of this is just making that worse. Athletes are creatures of routine anyway, and even a day disruption is difficult. These guys all aready warmed up, did all their usual pregame treatments and rituals, stretched, had collisions and now are in limbo. They need to decide something fast. But I'm sure they aren't sitting having tea and cookies, I'm sure they know this too. I guess the lesson all of us can learn is that unlike what we've come to expect from our iPhones and tablets and our netflix shows, the real world doesn't always resolve as quickly and we all just need to be patient and let it play out as it plays out.

[House of Cards]

It's not going to come down to want the NFL wants to do for playoff implications, it's going to be what's in the best interest of the Buffalo players and then Cincinnati players. When your emotionally spent, your also physically spent , whether it was half a quarter or not , they feel like they been hit by a truck . Both of those take more than a day or two to recover.

Except that the NFL is a multibillion dollar business and there are further ramifications in the sports betting industry and more, so at the end of the day, it will absolutely come down to that. Admittedly, had they not been successful in resuscitating him, things would be even more complicated than they already are. But bottom line, players have seen pretty gruesome injuries before and had to find a way to suck it up and finish what they are paid to do. Not saying it will be easy, but it will happen. What I would guess is the League will try to restore the normal weekly rythms as quickly as possible, and may look at trying to conclude this game after the final week games as that only causes disruptions to two teams (Cincinnati and Buffalo), OR they try to finish this contest this week, and back both the Bills and Bengals' final reg season games into middle of next week and play their first weekend playoff games either Sunday late or Monday the following week.

[tpweather]

Wonderful posts guys and there is not a wrong answer on this forum. I still believe we need to know the condition and if he is expected to make a full recovery. This is not a crime that somebody almost died of but a freak accident to a person who my guess loves this game. Everybody will go through their emotions differently and I never understood when somebody will mention they did not see any crying or emotion from something like this or just a death in the family. I believe they need to have all games completed by next Monday and remember this affects many teams including New England and Baltimore who play Buffalo and Cincinnati and are either in the playoffs or trying to make the playoffs. Does sound uncaring that this could happen and again I go back to the family and at the end of the day their say in this should be the loudest voice in the decision.

[Bgoney]

Thankfully it's postponed until further notice. See what happens this weekend and then it will be in the hands of Buffalo and Cincinnati players. I expect the NFL could give them 2 or 3 scenarios they would like them to talk about and consider. 99% of the time the NFL would dictate what happens , this is a 1% situation. It will be in the hands of the players , and yes , not playing will definitely be an option

[tpweather]

Thankfully it's postponed until further notice. See what happens this weekend and then it will be in the hands of Buffalo and Cincinnati players. I expect the NFL could give them 2 or 3 scenarios they would like them to talk about and consider. 99% of the time the NFL would dictate what happens , this is a 1% situation. It will be in the hands of the players , and yes , not playing will definitely be an option

Thanks I had not heard that until you mentioned that they will not resume this week. Then no doubt it will go down as those two teams will only play 16 games instead of 17 games. Not perfect but you would not have those teams play the remainder of that game next week knowing they will be playing just a few days later in the playoffs.

[tron777]

Here's the article:

https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-announces- ... -this-week

A quote from Roger Goodell:

"The NFL has made no decision regarding the possible resumption of the game at a later date. The league has not made any changes to the Week 18 regular season schedule. We will continue to provide additional information as it becomes available."

[tron777]

I saw on social media this evening where Damar's Uncle has come out stating that he needed 100% oxygen yesterday. Now that has improved to 50%! That's a positive sign IMO.

[airwolf76]

It's not going to come down to want the NFL wants to do for playoff implications, it's going to be what's in the best interest of the Buffalo players and then Cincinnati players. When your emotionally spent, your also physically spent , whether it was half a quarter or not , they feel like they been hit by a truck . Both of those take more than a day or two to recover.

they are grown men i think they can handle it . this is a business that needs to play out, there was quite a bit at stake that night, its time to more forward and stop looking back at what happened . i am not sure what they will do the NFL is very soft we know that but it should be replayed and what about all the bets on that game that night what you gonna do about that

[tron777]

It's not going to come down to want the NFL wants to do for playoff implications, it's going to be what's in the best interest of the Buffalo players and then Cincinnati players. When your emotionally spent, your also physically spent , whether it was half a quarter or not , they feel like they been hit by a truck . Both of those take more than a day or two to recover.

they are grown men i think they can handle it . this is a business that needs to play out, there was quite a bit at stake that night, its time to more forward and stop looking back at what happened . i am not sure what they will do the NFL is very soft we know that but it should be replayed and what about all the bets on that game that night what you gonna do about that

I see where you are coming from Charles and you're not wrong at all. The NFL is a business even without fantasy football and sports betting getting involved. But those two things are involved so the NFL will need to make a call at some point. They have already decided to not make any calls this week and Week 18's schedule remains unchanged. That is really all we know at this time. I still think the life of this young man is of the utmost importance and I think Tee Higgins of the Bengals also could use some prayer and uplifting thoughts. I cannot imagine what he has to be going through even though he absolutely did nothing wrong. Nobody did anything wrong. It was a freak accident. But anyway back to the original discussion, I hope the NFL makes their decision next week. I am the commish of a Fantasy League and I am also in wait mode for paying out the #1 and #2 teams in my league. Week 17 was our Fantasy Championship just as it was for millions of people. It is what it is. We want to see closure on this for sure, but at the same time, we must keep Damar in our thoughts and prayers as well. That's pretty much my point in a long winded way.

[tron777]

ADMIN NOTE: I have unpinned this thread but kept it as a sticky so it doesn't get buried. We can post updates about Damar as well as the NFL's decision for the game whenever it is announced.

[Bgoney]

My opinion hasn't changed on what will happen. Whether it's called a tie or not , I can't see them playing a stand alone game while everyone else sits. The priority after this week is to have everyone healthy, so the Bengals and Buffalo would probably sit a bunch of their players , so it doesn't make sense to play the game at all. It's a situation that has no satisfactory solution

[tron777]

My opinion hasn't changed on what will happen. Whether it's called a tie or not , I can't see them playing a stand alone game while everyone else sits. The priority after this week is to have everyone healthy, so the Bengals and Buffalo would probably sit a bunch of their players , so it doesn't make sense to play the game at all. It's a situation that has no satisfactory solution

I feel the same way. There is no right or wrong answer here. I'm not the NFL, but I am under the assumption that they will probably just go with Cincy and BUF playing 16 games this year and everyone else with the usual 17 games. But you never know with Roger Goodell. We'll have to wait and see.

I did hear some positive news on Damar overnight. His vitals continue to improve and stabilize. No idea as to when they may try and bring him out of the medically induced coma. He is in good hands obviously at UC.

[tpweather]

Some great news yesterday and hopefully the young man makes a full recovery. Life moves on and the NFL is asking the teams to vote on 2 separate situations today and no doubt the Bengals could really end up getting the shaft because if the Bengals lose on Sunday they plan to flip a coin to see who gets to host a game the following week. Katie Brown as already mentioned she will vote no and that is correct. The problem is you only need 24 out of 32 teams to make a change. So you are giving Baltimore the benefit of the doubt though they will be 1/2 game behind but if the Bengals win and Buffalo lose they have the same record and you do end up going with tie-breakers which at the end of the day the Bills would get the number 2 seed.

[tpweather]

Just to add more info on this and say the Ravens beat the Bengals and win the coin toss. Yes they get to host the playoff game. The problem comes next year as the Bengals will have a better record so their schedule next year is tougher than the Ravens as the 1st place team has a much harder schedule than the 2nd place team.

How about the nfc where Washington could win this week and end up 1/2 game out of the playoffs. Will they get a coin toss to see who should get that number 7 seed

[tpweather]

What makes this even more insane is if Baltimore wins and the Chargers lose Baltimore is the 5th seed and would play the winner of the JAX/TENN winner. Then we end up playing the Chargers at home. None of this makes sense

[tpweather]

What makes this even more insane is if Baltimore wins and the Chargers lose Baltimore is the 5th seed and would play the winner of the JAX/TENN winner. Then we end up playing the Chargers at home. None of this makes sense. Just adding to this nonsense. So if the Ravens win and get the coin flip that would make them the number the 3 seed. If this happens then the Bengals should be the number 5 seed not number 6 and they would go on the road and play the Jax/Tenn winner and not face the Ravens

[tron777]

I sent out the checks to the winners this morning via snail mail for my Fantasy League so I can finally close out my 2022 season. I continue to hear some great news about Damar which is wonderful to hear! We shall see how Week 18 shakes out with regards to the Play off's and seeding. WHODEY! Bengals shouldn't have a problem beating the Ravens. I think both the Bengals and Bills will be tough to beat. They will be playing their butts off in honor of Damar.

[tpweather]

Well the nfl does what the nfl wants to do. They passed this revised situation. Zac Taylor is beside himself. Score this weekend Cincinnati 45 Baltimore 0.

[tpweather]

The Chiefs should be pissed as well. If everything falls a certain way the Chiefs get 1 home game,the Bills 2home games and the Bengals 0 home games. What they forget is if the Bengals lose which I believe they wont and they happen to lose the coin toss then they should be the 5 seed not the 6 seed which would send them to Jax/Tn winner instead of Baltimore

[tron777]

The Chiefs should be pissed as well. If everything falls a certain way the Chiefs get 1 home game,the Bills 2home games and the Bengals 0 home games. What they forget is if the Bengals lose which I believe they wont and they happen to lose the coin toss then they should be the 5 seed not the 6 seed which would send them to Jax/Tn winner instead of Baltimore

It was a difficult situation and there is no easy answer. I kind of feel like the Bengals are getting the shaft a little bit here but it is what it is. Being a Lions and a Raiders fan, I'm all too familiar with it. All the Bengals need to do is take care of business on Sunday (love the score Tim!) and then keep winning to get back to the Super Bowl.

[tpweather]

The Chiefs should be pissed as well. If everything falls a certain way the Chiefs get 1 home game,the Bills 2home games and the Bengals 0 home games. What they forget is if the Bengals lose which I believe they wont and they happen to lose the coin toss then they should be the 5 seed not the 6 seed which would send them to Jax/Tn winner instead of Baltimore

It was a difficult situation and there is no easy answer. I kind of feel like the Bengals are getting the shaft a little bit here but it is what it is. Being a Lions and a Raiders fan, I'm all too familiar with it. All the Bengals need to do is take care of business on Sunday (love the score Tim!) and then keep winning to get back to the Super Bowl.

Les the problem I have is there are rules made up and confirmed by the nfl when something like this happens. Just follow the nfl confirmed rules and then you don't have all this other bs going on. Again I do not bet on games but the Bengals will win this game by at least 20 points.

[tpweather]

I will get over this on Sunday but what if Buffalo loses and we win. Both have 12-4 records and then we don't make up new rules because Buffalo has a better record against common teams at 8-2 and we are 8-3. I have no problem because that is rule already in place. Making up new rules not so good.

[tron777]

The Chiefs should be pissed as well. If everything falls a certain way the Chiefs get 1 home game,the Bills 2home games and the Bengals 0 home games. What they forget is if the Bengals lose which I believe they wont and they happen to lose the coin toss then they should be the 5 seed not the 6 seed which would send them to Jax/Tn winner instead of Baltimore

It was a difficult situation and there is no easy answer. I kind of feel like the Bengals are getting the shaft a little bit here but it is what it is. Being a Lions and a Raiders fan, I'm all too familiar with it. All the Bengals need to do is take care of business on Sunday (love the score Tim!) and then keep winning to get back to the Super Bowl.

Les the problem I have is there are rules made up and confirmed by the nfl when something like this happens. Just follow the nfl confirmed rules and then you don't have all this other bs going on. Again I do not bet on games but the Bengals will win this game by at least 20 points.

I agree with what you're saying Tim 100% and correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall the NFL having rules for something like this. So the changes were made up in meetings between Goodell, the Players Association, NFL Team Owners, Bengals and Bills people, etc etc. I know there is a lot of BS going on and there usually is with the NFL. I also said that I think the Bengals are getting the shaft a little bit here so all they can do is respond with a nice win! A nice win is a great response!