Cincinnati Bengals season predictions

Alright, I'm going to do my best to go game-by-game here, and offer my season prediction on how each will go [I]and why[/I]. Feel free to offer opposite opinions.

at NYJ win - Chad Pennington is a good quarterback, and this is a team that has a lot of talent, but they have a few questions, too. Justin McCareins is not cut out to be a number one receiver (yet), and I think the defense lost a huge piece with Reggie Tongue being hurt for a few weeks.

MIA win - Uhm. Yeah.

BAL loss - Remember, kids, the Jamal Lewis trial isn't until November. Lewis remains one of the dominant backs in the league, and I think that Kyle Boller may not be as bad as people think. Plus, this remains a dominant defense, and I think Carson will be completely blown out of the water. Honeymoon's over in week three.

at PIT loss - This is a game that will be lost by the defense - the new emphasis on the illegal contact rule, combined with Madieu Williams' inexperience, will open up the interior passing game for Tommy Maddox, who, despite being an insurance salesman, can still throw a football. I don't see the D-Line getting any better against the run, either, and Jerome Bettis still plays football up the gut.

BYE

at CLE win - Jeff Garcia is not the savior, and I really think that Nate Webster's insanity will allow him to pop KW2 a few more times than may be necessary, probably away from the play, but will also help to bring the kid down a bit. I'm worried about Suggs, but I'm also sure that Butch Davis will make the wrong decision and let William Green start. The offensive line remains a question mark in Cleveland, which will certainly help our DL feel better about themselves.

DEN win - Mike Shanahan has a history of pulling good running backs out of thin air, but part of that was the offensive line, and they lost their OL coach to the Falcons this past offseason. Plus, they're now starting...Reuben Droughns. Unimpressive, and Jake Plummer is still Jake Plummer.

at TEN loss - I'm not impressed with Antowain Smith, and never will be, but I am always impressed with the Titans and Steve McNair's manipulation of the team's offense. This is a game the Bengals could win, but won't, simply because the Titans' offense is better than the Bengals' defense. That said, the Titans have LaMont Thompson, so the Bengals might have a shot - but I'm leaning towards loss.

DAL loss - The Dallas Cowboys are a pretty good all-around team. We all know how much Eddie George tore this team up in 8 seasons with the Titans, and he gets the chance to do it again with a star on his hat. He won't be the difference maker, though: Testaverde will. He's a good quarterback with years of experience, and the Dallas OL is still incredibly good, especially on Justin Smith's side. That said, if Drew Henson is the starting QB, the Bengals will win.

at WAS win - Joe Gibbs is a good coach, but I don't think his team has the personnel yet to really win a lot of football games. There's going to be a lot of purging, especially in the defensive backfield. The passing game will be the dominant theme in this game, and I think the Bengals will pull it out on Chaddie's back.

PIT win - The Steelers beat the Bengals last time around - and I don't see it happening again. Jerome Bettis is almost always better at the start of the season, and even though they have Duce Staley now making cuts, when he plays too much, he comes apart too. I think the Bengals can pull this one out.

CLE win - By this time, Jeff Garcia should be hurt again, and Lee Suggs should be playing RB. So the dynamic changes. But I still don't think that the Cleveland Browns have enough of a team spirit to play this game out. I think the Bengals will win - and this time, it'll be on offense, rather than defense.

at BAL loss - This is the time that Deion Sanders really starts to make a difference. While it's true that Jamal Lewis may be occupied by this time with a trial, this is also the point by which the Baltimore offensive staff should have found about 7 plays on offense that Deion Sanders can handle - a reverse will be the play that changes this game for the worse.

at NE loss - Bill Belichick will not forget the loss in Cincy this month. He'll also have gotten all of the wrinkles in his team smoothed out. Remember that the Patriots had won 8 straight preseason games coming into Cincinnati, which means they'd lost one going into their 2001 Super Bowl season. But this team is just too good in Foxboro.

BUF win - Mike Mularkey almost had a chance to coach here, instead staying at PIT for one more season before going to Buffalo. I think we'll see why Punkin passed him up. He's a rookie head coach, and Drew Bledsoe just isn't the same quarterback he was before he was hurt in that Jets/Patriots game in 2001. He seems afraid to get hit, and this team's running game will remain its strong point. Perhaps that will expose the DL's biggest weakness up to this point, but I don't see the Bills winning.

NYG loss - Kurt Warner, I think, is due to come back to something approaching his 1999-2001 form. If not, Coughlin will have installed Eli Manning by week 7, so he'll have some decent rookie-level experience coming into this game. The Giants are a deep team, and while Tiki Barber is a fumbling machine, he's also still a fairly good running back. This will be a G-Men win.

at PHI loss - Carson Palmer is not ready for Philadelphia. Nothing he has done in college could have prepared him for the level of hostility that he'll see in Lincoln Financial Field. Nothing. Nada. Zip. That first cup of urine hits him, and he'll crawl into a shell. Tack on T.O. and Donovan McNabb's ability to make a defense look like a bunch of three-year-olds, and I actually see this as a blowout loss to the Eagles.

So I forsee an 8-8 season. Of course, this is assuming that nobody gets hurt in the last preseason game, and that I have some measurable amount of intelligence. Both, as I'm sure some would agree, are questionable.

Oh. And the Ravens take the division.