More plausible ending to the Bengals season

[cincygrad]

We all know that the Bengals can't leave well-enough alone... Instead of simply losing out, improving our draft position and setting the table for Marvin Lewis to walk away from the city of Cincinnati, you know some crazy shit is going to happen. Something similar to last year. Here's two goofy scenarios - Choose one.

1) Week 16 -- Bengals walk into Cleveland and shut out the Browns behind a monster defensive effort and a horrible game by Baker Mayfield. The defensive players carry Hue Jackson off the field and claim redemption after Mayfield talked all that shit last month. 9 days later Hue Jackson is named head coach of the Bengals.

or

2) Week 17 -- The Steelers limp into week 17 needing to beat the Bengals to claim the AFC-N. Lose and they are out of the playoffs. The Bengals pull an upset on a fluky long pass play from Jeff Driskell to John Ross with less than a minute to play. Two days later, Marvin Lewis is given a new extension. Mike Tomlin is fired.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

We all know that the Bengals can't leave well-enough alone... Instead of simply losing out, improving our draft position and setting the table for Marvin Lewis to walk away from the city of Cincinnati, you know some crazy shit is going to happen. Something similar to last year. Here's two goofy scenarios - Choose one.

1) Week 16 -- Bengals walk into Cleveland and shut out the Browns behind a monster defensive effort and a horrible game by Baker Mayfield. The defensive players carry Hue Jackson off the field and claim redemption after Mayfield talked all that shit last month. 9 days later Hue Jackson is named head coach of the Bengals.

or

2) Week 17 -- The Steelers limp into week 17 needing to beat the Bengals to claim the AFC-N. Lose and they are out of the playoffs. The Bengals pull an upset on a fluky long pass play from Jeff Driskell to John Ross with less than a minute to play. Two days later, Marvin Lewis is given a new extension. Mike Tomlin is fired.

WALL OF TEXT UPCOMING!!!! But worth reading if you are interested in the draft slotting and the outcome of our division.

I would say 1 is most likely as we can't seem to beat the Steelers no matter how good our team is. So why would this be any different.

I see us losing both games possibly, especially if Cleveland beats Denver, Pittsburgh loses to New England and Baltimore loses to Tampa.

Cleveland at home against a Bengals team not playing good and with tons of injuries, I can see them going after us, especially with Pittsburgh yet again possibly losing to the Saints and the Ravens having to play the Chargers.

By the end of week 16 heading into the final week of the season, I could see this as the situation:

Cleveland 7-7-1
Pittsburgh 7-7-1
Baltimore 7-8
Cincinnati 5-10

Cleveland at Denver
Cincinnati at Cleveland

Tampa Bay at Baltimore
Baltimore at San Diego

New England at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh at New Orleans

Then it comes down to week 17:

Cleveland beats Baltimore
Pittsburgh beats Cincinnati

Pittsburgh limps into the playoffs and wins the division due to head to head tiebreaker with Cleveland.

Meanwhile, if Cincy winds up at 5-11.

Looking at the current standings, next 3 weeks of games, it might look like this:

49ers 3-13
Cards 3-13
Jets 4-12
Bills 4-12
Raiders 4-12
Bengals 5-11
Giants 5-11
Jags 5-11
Lions 6-10
Falcons 6-10

That leaves us with the 6th overall pick depending on tie breakers, but the Raiders would have a win over us and the Jags would have a better conference record than the Bengals.

Looking at that possibly outcome, the 49ers have already committed to Jimmy G., Cards to Rosen, Jets to Darnold, Bills to Allen. That leaves the Raiders who have Derek Carr, and he just signed a new contract a couple years ago. Not sure if Gruden would be in the mode to start replacing his QB or not. *shrugs*

Then of course that leaves the Giants. I have no idea how the tiebreakers work for this thing, so the Giants could wind up drafting in front of us and if that is the case, they are the first team with a direct desire for a new franchise QB. So do they find Haskins of Herbert more appealing?

Of course this does not account for any of these non-QB needing teams from trading out of their position for more picks. Trading Dalton to one of these teams to move up a little extra means absolutely nothing now, because they have no need or desire for another QB.

If the Giants or Raiders pick Haskins, at this point you start looking at Jawaan Taylor or trading back into the draft, say around 10th -14th for a team really wanting Herbert as the future of their franchise to leap frog the Jags and pick multiple other picks.

 

[cincygrad]

I figure the qb needy teams will be willing to move up. Rookie qbs have done well lately and there are a handful of teams that will be looking. I'd assume the Giants, Jaguars, Broncos, Raiders, Miami, Washington and Tampa would all be teams with interest.

 

[DanBengalfan]

Probably just some unexpected players getting arrested for something silly.