By Dylan Ehle
@PaleEhle on Twitter
@PaleEhle on Twitter
Wildcard weekend is finally here, and this Sunday afternoon we’ll be treated to a battle between the AFC North champion and #3 Cincinnati Bengals and the #6 seeded wildcard San Diego Chargers, who got into the playoffs with a winning streak to end the year and a lot of help from the Dolphins and Ravens. It’s the classic battle between the solid juggernaut in the Bengals, who have glaring weakness but also don’t come to your mind as top-5 in any area in the league, and the upstart Chargers, who have shown themselves to be astonishingly explosive at times and downright pathetic at others.
Since we left the Bengals’ training camp at the conclusion of an in-depth look at their preseason on HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” the Bengals have continued to rally together and have overcome a lot of adversity to reach the AFC’s #3 seed this season. They had a head-scratching start to the season, as they lost to the Bears and Browns yet beat the Steelers and Packers for a 2-2 first quarter. They were beginning to acquire and “inconsistent” label, but a shocking 13-6 win over previously unbeaten New England seemed to shake that outlook on the team. The Bengals proceeded to make it four wins in a row including their win over the Pats, capping off their 4-0 second quarter of the season with a 49-9 beatdown of the Jets to give them an impressive 6-2 midseason mark.
The Bengals couldn’t maintain this momentum, though, as close and disappointing losses to the Dolphins and Ravens dropped them to 6-4 and put their path to the division crown in jeopardy – the Ravens (and the Steelers, who were rapidly recovering from a very slow start to the season) were at their heels.
Cincinnati responded strongly, winning five of their last six games (four in decisive fashion) to silence many of their critics and take the AFC North crown. All three wins in the last quarter of the season came by 14 points or more, including a 42-28 win over the Colts (Colts were never really in the game), and a 34-17 win over divisional rival Baltimore who were fighting for their lives in week 17.
The Bengals had to overcome the loss of their best defensive player, Pro Bowl DT Geno Atkins, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear midseason. Despite this loss, the defensive scarcely skipped a beat, as the secondary, led by free safety Reggie Nelson, really stepped up to compensate for what was lacking in the pass rush. Andy Dalton has shown improvement this season, but still has had a few head-scratching games, especially his 4 INT outing against Baltimore in the season finale. AJ Green has had a slightly down year, but is as talented as ever and will be drawing double-coverage all day. Giovani Bernard had an outstanding rookie season and has shown that he can be a gamechanging playmaker. The Bengals are dynamic on offense and 10-top in every category on defense, and form a very complete unit on the field.
Examining the Chargers, they are a red-hot team who started the season horribly, but also won five of their last six games (including the last four in a row) to secure a playoff spot. The Chargers had some upset wins over the Eagles, Cowboys, and Colts to start the season, but also laid eggs to the Texans, Raiders, and Titans. While Phillip Rivers was having a career year, a young supporting cast and an inconsistent secondary consistency let them down.
After a 4-3 start, the Chargers lost four out of five games to drop to 5-7, and the season appeared to be over. After a deflating loss to the Bengals, I believe most major sports networks decided to “stick a fork” in the Chargers – I personally wasn’t ready to write off many teams in a very weak AFC that was essentially giving away a second wildcard spot to the lowest bidder. Although I’d love to see the Arizona Cardinals be able to jump conferences to secure the berth as they are far more deserving, that obviously is not an option, and the Chargers made it in.
The thing that was most impressive to me about the Chargers’ winning streak with that they beat the Chiefs in Kansas City. The Chiefs are not pushovers by any means, and the Chargers torched their defense (which was ranked #1 at the time) for 41 points. The game showed that when the Chargers are firing on all cylinders, and can compete with anyone. A huge upset on Thursday Night Football over the Broncos cemented that even further.
When it came down to the Dolphins, Ravens, Steelers, and Chargers, I knew that the Chargers were easily the best team of the bunch. Heading into the final week, I picked that Dolphins and Ravens would choke and pave the way for the Chargers, and that’s exactly what happened. However, their final two victories against the Raiders and the Chiefs’ second team were very shaky, and that is concerning as they enter the postseason. San Diego has a chance to show the league that they are for real, but they have a long road ahead of them.
Because they are on the road, and they’re facing one of the best home team in the league this season. The Bengals went 8-0 at home this year, beating their opponents by an average of 17 points. Their quality home wins (Steelers, Packers, Patriots, and Colts) were closer, while the Bengals took care of business and route their other four opponents by an average of 26 points. That’s a stat I really look for in seeing who has the best home field advantage – did you win games you weren’t supposed to win, and did you rout the teams in games where you were favored? The Bengals did both, so I think that the Chargers are in for a rough day when they visit Cincy.
For the Chargers to win this game, they have to make it a shootout. Rookie “Young Gun” wide receiver Keenan Allen is the x-factor here, as he has shown that he can stretch the field and be a true deep threat for this team. Rivers will need to play like it is 2013 and not revert to his interception-prone ways of 2011-2012. The Chargers have some impressive upsets on their resume, but it’s going to be very difficult for them to add another this week in Cincy.
The Bengals will take this one in decisive fashion.
Prediction:
Bengals 31
Chargers 13
Since we left the Bengals’ training camp at the conclusion of an in-depth look at their preseason on HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” the Bengals have continued to rally together and have overcome a lot of adversity to reach the AFC’s #3 seed this season. They had a head-scratching start to the season, as they lost to the Bears and Browns yet beat the Steelers and Packers for a 2-2 first quarter. They were beginning to acquire and “inconsistent” label, but a shocking 13-6 win over previously unbeaten New England seemed to shake that outlook on the team. The Bengals proceeded to make it four wins in a row including their win over the Pats, capping off their 4-0 second quarter of the season with a 49-9 beatdown of the Jets to give them an impressive 6-2 midseason mark.
The Bengals couldn’t maintain this momentum, though, as close and disappointing losses to the Dolphins and Ravens dropped them to 6-4 and put their path to the division crown in jeopardy – the Ravens (and the Steelers, who were rapidly recovering from a very slow start to the season) were at their heels.
Cincinnati responded strongly, winning five of their last six games (four in decisive fashion) to silence many of their critics and take the AFC North crown. All three wins in the last quarter of the season came by 14 points or more, including a 42-28 win over the Colts (Colts were never really in the game), and a 34-17 win over divisional rival Baltimore who were fighting for their lives in week 17.
The Bengals had to overcome the loss of their best defensive player, Pro Bowl DT Geno Atkins, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear midseason. Despite this loss, the defensive scarcely skipped a beat, as the secondary, led by free safety Reggie Nelson, really stepped up to compensate for what was lacking in the pass rush. Andy Dalton has shown improvement this season, but still has had a few head-scratching games, especially his 4 INT outing against Baltimore in the season finale. AJ Green has had a slightly down year, but is as talented as ever and will be drawing double-coverage all day. Giovani Bernard had an outstanding rookie season and has shown that he can be a gamechanging playmaker. The Bengals are dynamic on offense and 10-top in every category on defense, and form a very complete unit on the field.
Examining the Chargers, they are a red-hot team who started the season horribly, but also won five of their last six games (including the last four in a row) to secure a playoff spot. The Chargers had some upset wins over the Eagles, Cowboys, and Colts to start the season, but also laid eggs to the Texans, Raiders, and Titans. While Phillip Rivers was having a career year, a young supporting cast and an inconsistent secondary consistency let them down.
After a 4-3 start, the Chargers lost four out of five games to drop to 5-7, and the season appeared to be over. After a deflating loss to the Bengals, I believe most major sports networks decided to “stick a fork” in the Chargers – I personally wasn’t ready to write off many teams in a very weak AFC that was essentially giving away a second wildcard spot to the lowest bidder. Although I’d love to see the Arizona Cardinals be able to jump conferences to secure the berth as they are far more deserving, that obviously is not an option, and the Chargers made it in.
The thing that was most impressive to me about the Chargers’ winning streak with that they beat the Chiefs in Kansas City. The Chiefs are not pushovers by any means, and the Chargers torched their defense (which was ranked #1 at the time) for 41 points. The game showed that when the Chargers are firing on all cylinders, and can compete with anyone. A huge upset on Thursday Night Football over the Broncos cemented that even further.
When it came down to the Dolphins, Ravens, Steelers, and Chargers, I knew that the Chargers were easily the best team of the bunch. Heading into the final week, I picked that Dolphins and Ravens would choke and pave the way for the Chargers, and that’s exactly what happened. However, their final two victories against the Raiders and the Chiefs’ second team were very shaky, and that is concerning as they enter the postseason. San Diego has a chance to show the league that they are for real, but they have a long road ahead of them.
Because they are on the road, and they’re facing one of the best home team in the league this season. The Bengals went 8-0 at home this year, beating their opponents by an average of 17 points. Their quality home wins (Steelers, Packers, Patriots, and Colts) were closer, while the Bengals took care of business and route their other four opponents by an average of 26 points. That’s a stat I really look for in seeing who has the best home field advantage – did you win games you weren’t supposed to win, and did you rout the teams in games where you were favored? The Bengals did both, so I think that the Chargers are in for a rough day when they visit Cincy.
For the Chargers to win this game, they have to make it a shootout. Rookie “Young Gun” wide receiver Keenan Allen is the x-factor here, as he has shown that he can stretch the field and be a true deep threat for this team. Rivers will need to play like it is 2013 and not revert to his interception-prone ways of 2011-2012. The Chargers have some impressive upsets on their resume, but it’s going to be very difficult for them to add another this week in Cincy.
The Bengals will take this one in decisive fashion.
Prediction:
Bengals 31
Chargers 13
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