(02-18-2022, 10:14 PM)Jagsfan4life9/28/82 Wrote: And all of this roster disparity between these two clubs was quite difficult to see when they faced off against each other. The Bengals didn't win that game, they survived it. They probably don't even manage that if their opposition didn’t have a hopeless moron as a head coach.

The Week 4 Bengals were a MUCH different team than the Week 17 and later Bengals. Cincy continued to develop/improve as the year progressed (Their defense was a lot of new FA that hadn't gelled with each other yet).

Not to mention:
- Cincy was on a short week for that game after having just slayed their dragon Pittsburgh on the previous Sunday.
- Cincy was a notorious slow starting team, and seemed like they werent even focused/ready to play in the 1st half.

Jags gave them a scare to start, yes. But once Cincy woke up, Jags defense couldn't stop them. 

NFL partity is close. However, what do we think the game would be like if Cincy and Jags played in Week 17 instead of Week 4?  Probably not near as close, IMO. 

That all said, the AFCS really sucks. Yes, Tenn can get some wins with running and defense, but they're not elite to be sure. Indy is about the same, they have issues with QB and consistency.

Maybe the Jags can beat the Texans twice and split with Tenn and Indy putting them in possible shape for a division contention? It's not out of the realm of possibility. AFCW opponents next year is a tough draw for all AFCS teams.
But, the Jags do get:
Jets
Giants 
Lions
WFT (Commies)
Texans x2

Some games at home could be favorable (Raiders, Ravens, Broncos). Good to get those teams in Jax.

---