Originally Posted by Kray007
The Bengals have the best supporting cast since he’s been with the team, better than the one that won a Super Bowl.
So, I thought that I’d compare them with the Colts, position by position.
QB…Indiana Jones vs Joe Burrow. My gut says to go with Burrow and so does my brain. PFF gives Burrow a grade of 91.8. Jones got a 71.7. That’s quite a discrepancy, considering that both guys finished with comparable stats and NFL.com’s end of season QB rankings put Jones at 8 and Burrow at 10. Still, Burrow gets the nod. Advantage Bengals
RB…Taylor versus Chase Brown. By any rational standard, Taylor stands head and shoulders ahead of Cincinnati’s guy. Advantage Colts.
WR…Chase, Higgins, and Iosivas vs Pierce, Downs and whoever else the Colts trot out there. Here, it’s not even close. You can mention Pierce in the same breath as Higgins, and Downs is probably a better slot receiver than Iosivas. But, no one thinks that Dulin could carry Chase’s jockstrap. Advantage Bengals.
TE…Warren vs Drew Sample. Drew who? Advantage Colts.
OL…Raimann, Nelson, Bortoloni, Goncalves, and Travis vs Brown, Fairchild, Karras, Turner, and Mims. None of the Bengal Linemen crack a 70 on PFF’s ratings. 3 Colts come in higher than 80. Travis gets a 73 and change, Goncalves 69. I know that a lot of people have issues with PFF, but in this case, at least, their grades pass the sniff test. Advantage Colts
DE…Latu and Key vs Murphy and Mafe. The uncertainty about who lines up opposite Latu complicates making a comparison. But, Latu is better than either one of those guys and, even if Key wins the job, it’s not a disaster. PFF grades him at 63. Murphy gets a 64. Lest anyone discount that, the numbers for Cincinnati were brutal. Murphy racked up 5 1/2 sacks. Maye picked up 2. Advantage Colts.
DT…Buckner and Stewart vs Lawrence and Allen. Taking off the rose colored glasses for a moment, I’ll allow that Sexy Dexy is probably better than D Buck. By any measure, however, Stewart is better than Allen. On the whole, though, Lawrence’s other worldly ability tips the scales. Advantage Bengals.
LB…Allen and ? Vs Knight, Carter, and Burks. The Colts uncertainty at the position is trumped by the fact that the Bengals might have the worst Linebacker corps in the league. Advantage Colts.
S…Bynum and Haulcy/Wohler vs Cook and Battle. Cook is an excellent Safety, undoubtedly better than Bynum, although you have to wonder if the return of Ward and Gardner elevates his performance. On the other side, whoever the Colts line up will probably be better than Battle. But, probably doesn’t buy you many Quarter Pounders at McDonald’s. Advantage Bengals
CB…Ward and Gardner vs Turner and Hill. Seldom in the annals of the National Football League has any team put together a Cornerback duo as feared as Dax Hill and DJ Turner. It isn’t often that you get one guy capable of shutting down his side of the field, much less two. Seriously, though, all kidding aside, it’s hard to overstate Gardner and Ward’s potential for changing the dynamic of the game. Advantage Colts.
Colts 6 Bengals 4, although you can argue that the Bengals superiotity at two of the most important positions in the game tips the scales towards them.
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