Super Bowl LVI: Bengals vs Rams

singaporesoxfan

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 21, 2004
11,882
Washington, DC
Wait, really? I thought it was pointless and kind of dumb. So Meadow and AJ are going to have a tender moment with smiles and hugs in front of the diner where their father got murdered?
I have no idea whether the Chevy can do it (I know Fords can) but it would’ve been perfect to show off the automatic parallel parking feature
 

Leather

given himself a skunk spot
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
28,451
I have no idea whether the Chevy can do it (I know Fords can) but it would’ve been perfect to show off the automatic parallel parking feature
That wasn't the diner where Tony got whacked, it was a seafood joint on the shore.
 

Bongorific

Thinks he’s clever
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
8,433
Balboa Towers
I thought the halftime show was solid. There was no way they could fully “censor” all of it. Give them credit for going with that choice rather than Ariana Grande or Olivia Rodrigo or whatever else was big this year.
 

Bongorific

Thinks he’s clever
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
8,433
Balboa Towers
Wait, really? I thought it was pointless and kind of dumb. So Meadow and AJ are going to have a tender moment with smiles and hugs in front of the diner where their father got murdered?
You mean where he enjoyed some onion rings with his family before going home and listening to the Departed soundtrack?
 

wiffleballhero

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 28, 2009
4,533
In the simulacrum
I have no idea whether the Chevy can do it (I know Fords can) but it would’ve been perfect to show off the automatic parallel parking feature
You know, this is funny because that commercial was so weird and so ridiculously unthoughtful in its alluding to The Sopranos that you know that they couldn't have even conceptualized what you are referring to.

Driving that monster, she should have run over some sucker in a suburban office park.
 

Ralphwiggum

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 27, 2012
9,827
Needham, MA
Mary J. also appeared before as a special guest, in XXXV with Aerosmith and NSYNC.

I thought the halftime show was great. If you look at the list of shows they either have some currently relevant pop star (The Weeknd, Katy Perry, Gaga, Bruno Mars) or an aging act that presumably appeals more to older portions of the audience (McCartney, Springsteen, the Who, Madonna, The Stones, Tom Petty). Other than being hip hop and not pop or rock, last night clearly fell into the later bucket, and I am smack dab in the target demo for that kind of show.

Honestly, though, I've been a fan of most of the recent halftime shows other than Maroon 5 who were bizarrely out of place and awful. I thought the Weeknd was great last year as well.
 

Toe Nash

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 28, 2005
5,600
02130
Cincinnati needed multiple gifts from better teams to even be there (the Chiefs' mistakes have been well-covered but I've never seen a defense dominate another team like Tennessee did and still lose), they should have been down multiple scores by midway through the 3rd and I am personally glad they lost even if it was in a weird way.

Yes, they may have also cost me a bunch of money this playoffs.

Credit to Burrow and the defense but it is just unfathomable to me that they kept winning with how poorly their offensive line played. And I'm really glad we don't have to hear from their cocky rookie kicker for a while.
 

Marbleheader

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Sep 27, 2004
11,726
Bengals seem like a good candidate to take the Super Bowl loser 'step back' next season. Thank you for eliminating the Chiefs.
 

Toe Nash

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 28, 2005
5,600
02130
Bengals seem like a good candidate to take the Super Bowl loser 'step back' next season. Thank you for eliminating the Chiefs.
I would agree but they have a lot of cap space, so they can upgrade the offensive line, and Burrow and the WRs are for real I think. But, that's a tough division, the other teams should be healthier, and maybe the Steelers will add a top QB which makes them immediately dangerous.
 

BigSoxFan

Member
SoSH Member
May 31, 2007
47,094
I would agree but they have a lot of cap space, so they can upgrade the offensive line, and Burrow and the WRs are for real I think. But, that's a tough division, the other teams should be healthier, and maybe the Steelers will add a top QB which makes them immediately dangerous.
This is a franchise that used to skimp on scouting department to save money. Hopefully they are smart enough to go all-in while they have their franchise QB and WR on rookie deals. They should be all over Terron Armstead and other OL like Brandon Scherff.
 

biff_hardbody

New Member
Apr 27, 2016
317
I would agree but they have a lot of cap space, so they can upgrade the offensive line, and Burrow and the WRs are for real I think. But, that's a tough division, the other teams should be healthier, and maybe the Steelers will add a top QB which makes them immediately dangerous.
If the Bengals were looking to spend money outside of the offensive line, J.C. Jackson would be quite an upgrade over Eli Apple.
 

Deweys New Stance

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 8, 2001
2,888
Here to Eternity

Rudy's Curve

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 4, 2006
2,333
Man, this one fucking hurts. It's worse than '05, it's worse than '13 and it's worse than '15 and those were three horrid losses for a variety of reasons. Obviously I'd like to think it won't be the last time they're there, but you just never know (who thought Marino would never see another SB after his second year?) and the AFC is going to be perennially loaded. This journey was amazing because it was so unexpected (go back and read any preseason prediction) and now everything will seem so empty until they finally win it.
 

BigSoxFan

Member
SoSH Member
May 31, 2007
47,094
Man, this one fucking hurts. It's worse than '05, it's worse than '13 and it's worse than '15 and those were three horrid losses for a variety of reasons. Obviously I'd like to think it won't be the last time they're there, but you just never know (who thought Marino would never see another SB after his second year?) and the AFC is going to be perennially loaded. This journey was amazing because it was so unexpected (go back and read any preseason prediction) and now everything will seem so empty until they finally win it.
Sorry for the loss. No way to sugarcoat it, that was a nut punch L and I really thought Cincy would pull away after the 2nd Stafford INT. I really hope the owners go all in on this team. Burrow and Chase are cheap for a few more years and this is the real window.

On the bright side, you have such a fun young core so you’ll be getting to watch exciting football for years to come.

It’s tough to forecast getting back to the SB. We know how that goes, especially with prime Allen and Mahomes in the way, but there should be a long stretch of playoff contention for this team. And now a young team and coach got a taste of what it takes, which definitely does matter.
 

Rudy's Curve

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 4, 2006
2,333
Sorry for the loss. No way to sugarcoat it, that was a nut punch L and I really thought Cincy would pull away after the 2nd Stafford INT. I really hope the owners go all in on this team. Burrow and Chase are cheap for a few more years and this is the real window.

On the bright side, you have such a fun young core so you’ll be getting to watch exciting football for years to come.

It’s tough to forecast getting back to the SB. We know how that goes, especially with prime Allen and Mahomes in the way, but there should be a long stretch of playoff contention for this team. And now a young team and coach got a taste of what it takes, which definitely does matter.
Yep. It's tough to compare this to any Pats losses because almost all the nut punchers were after they'd broken through and the first two SBs they lost were to two of the five best teams in the history of football. I guess the Ben Dreith game is the closest one.

Two years ago they revamped the linebackers. Last year they revamped the pass rush. It's time to go all in on a real offensive line. Obviously drafting 31st every round isn't ideal, but it's supposed to be a deep tackle class and they have a ton of cap space. Sign guys. Draft guys. You obviously just cannot run it back with this group.

Obviously the calls at the end sucked, but they went both ways throughout the game. I just can't believe they ran 31 plays for 75 yards after the TD and couldn't gain a yard on the last three. That's going to really hurt for a long time.
 

BigSoxFan

Member
SoSH Member
May 31, 2007
47,094
Yep. It's tough to compare this to any Pats losses because almost all the nut punchers were after they'd broken through and the first two SBs they lost were to two of the five best teams in the history of football. I guess the Ben Dreith game is the closest one.

Two years ago they revamped the linebackers. Last year they revamped the pass rush. It's time to go all in on a real offensive line. Obviously drafting 31st every round isn't ideal, but it's supposed to be a deep tackle class and they have a ton of cap space. Sign guys. Draft guys. You obviously just cannot run it back with this group.

Obviously the calls at the end sucked, but they went both ways throughout the game. I just can't believe they ran 31 plays for 75 yards after the TD and couldn't gain a yard on the last three. That's going to really hurt for a long time.
2nd and 1 and not giving Mixon a chance to convert is what would get me. I don’t get the need for Perine with multiple timeouts and only needing 15 more yards. Donald made a great play but there’s a reason why 3rd down backs are 3rd down backs.
 

E5 Yaz

Transcends message boarding
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 25, 2002
90,020
Oregon
2nd and 1 and not giving Mixon a chance to convert is what would get me. I don’t get the need for Perine with multiple timeouts and only needing 15 more yards. Donald made a great play but there’s a reason why 3rd down backs are 3rd down backs.
I remember reading about some team (which escapes me right now) keeping their primary back off the field in the two-minute drill because he doesn't practice with the "two-minute drill unit." I don't know if this was the case with Mixon, but the idea that you don't use your best skill players at the most crucial part of the game is mind-boggling
 

Rudy's Curve

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 4, 2006
2,333
2nd and 1 and not giving Mixon a chance to convert is what would get me. I don’t get the need for Perine with multiple timeouts and only needing 15 more yards. Donald made a great play but there’s a reason why 3rd down backs are 3rd down backs.
At least anecdotally, it actually doesn't seem like Mixon is a good short yardage back. He's certainly a good back overall, but he likes to dance and runs pretty high which isn't conducive to short yardage. The OL just got worked in the first and last series which both ended on downs in the same place.
 

Toe Nash

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 28, 2005
5,600
02130
I remember reading about some team (which escapes me right now) keeping their primary back off the field in the two-minute drill because he doesn't practice with the "two-minute drill unit." I don't know if this was the case with Mixon, but the idea that you don't use your best skill players at the most crucial part of the game is mind-boggling
Even if they had a two-minute drill unit, the clock was stopped and they had two timeouts (they ended up using one after the Perine run on 3rd down anyway). They had plenty of time to think things over and get whoever they wanted on the field, and if Mixon wasn't who they needed for pass protection they could stop the clock after they got the first and get him off the field. My guess is they overthought things and got too clever (They'll never expect a draw to our third down back!").
 

E5 Yaz

Transcends message boarding
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 25, 2002
90,020
Oregon
I have watched this multiple times now, and I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if this was a designed action.. The movement of the tackles is seamless, which says to me that they went on a planned count and didn't "mis-hear" the snap call.

It's not the sort of thing you could get away with throughout a game, because someone would catch on and alert the officials. But in a crucial moment in a game where they weren't calling the tacky-tack stuff, it's the sort of trick that you could pull and get away with ... as long as the O-line works in synch. The benefit is clear enough, get the line position while the d-line waits for the snap.

Over-thinking it perhaps, but it's a net move if you can get away with it
 

BigSoxFan

Member
SoSH Member
May 31, 2007
47,094
At least anecdotally, it actually doesn't seem like Mixon is a good short yardage back. He's certainly a good back overall, but he likes to dance and runs pretty high which isn't conducive to short yardage. The OL just got worked in the first and last series which both ended on downs in the same place.
Definitely was an OL issue but Mixon looked pretty good in the previous possession. He can also set up a PA much better than Perine, if they went that route. I also would have gone back to the Boyd well. He’s money in short yardage conversion situations.
 

jcd0805

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 3, 2007
3,962
Florida
That wasn't the diner where Tony got whacked, it was a seafood joint on the shore.
Thank you, making me crazy people think this is the restaurant from the final scene. But like, why wasn't it the restaurant from the final scene?? That would have been perfection, no idea how they whiffed on that because other than that I thought the ad was fantastic.
 

Al Zarilla

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 8, 2005
58,878
San Andreas Fault
I remember reading about some team (which escapes me right now) keeping their primary back off the field in the two-minute drill because he doesn't practice with the "two-minute drill unit." I don't know if this was the case with Mixon, but the idea that you don't use your best skill players at the most crucial part of the game is mind-boggling
I remember Barry Sanders often coming off the field when the Lions got down inside the five. Never heard an explanation, but maybe it was something like that. No wonder none of his coaches lasted and maybe why he retired too young. In fact, at the best 100 show, pretty sure he said if Coach Belichick had given him a call, he may have made a comeback.
 

BroodsSexton

Member
SoSH Member
Feb 4, 2006
12,630
guam
I have watched this multiple times now, and I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if this was a designed action.. The movement of the tackles is seamless, which says to me that they went on a planned count and didn't "mis-hear" the snap call.

It's not the sort of thing you could get away with throughout a game, because someone would catch on and alert the officials. But in a crucial moment in a game where they weren't calling the tacky-tack stuff, it's the sort of trick that you could pull and get away with ... as long as the O-line works in synch. The benefit is clear enough, get the line position while the d-line waits for the snap.

Over-thinking it perhaps, but it's a net move if you can get away with it
Pretty high risk, though. That extra 5 yards is meaningful if it gets blown.
 

E5 Yaz

Transcends message boarding
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 25, 2002
90,020
Oregon
Pretty high risk, though. That extra 5 yards is meaningful if it gets blown.
Oh, absolutely. But they probably had it in their back pocket after halftime, after reading the temperature in the room and seeing that the refs were letting line play go unchecked.

Again, likely seeing more there than is actually there.
 

trotsplits

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
665
I remember Barry Sanders often coming off the field when the Lions got down inside the five. Never heard an explanation, but maybe it was something like that. No wonder none of his coaches lasted and maybe why he retired too young. In fact, at the best 100 show, pretty sure he said if Coach Belichick had given him a call, he may have made a comeback.
It's been fun shitting on the Lions over the past few weeks (and they have earned it) but Barry wasn't fond of putting his head into a hole for short yardage. Someone upthread suggested that Mixon dances too much for 3/4th and 1. Same thing: Barry never went straight into a hole. There was usually a side step, pause and burst. Even Barry's favorite HC Wayne Fontes hesitated to put him in goal line packages in the hybrid run n shoot. One of the reasons Barry quit was having to run behind Bobby Ross' caveman playbook which didn't create any space for Sanders.
 

JokersWildJIMED

Blinded by Borges
SoSH Member
Oct 7, 2004
2,742
I thought Collinsworth (and Michaels / NBC to an extent) were terrible down the stretch. Not sure we got a good look at the offsetting penalty (which was huge), a “that’s what they called” on the horrible penalty call, no mention of the missed illegal procedure, and no mention of the bad spot on the Perine run…btw where was Zac Taylor on that play?…the correct spot gives them either the first down or inches to go, and he should have been barking at the refs for a review (which obviously come from the booth but still) especially with the time out…silence from him and Collinsworth who was completely worthless.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

Found no thrill on Blueberry Hill
SoSH Member
Sep 9, 2008
42,283
AZ
I thought Collinsworth (and Michaels / NBC to an extent) were terrible down the stretch. Not sure we got a good look at the offsetting penalty (which was huge), a “that’s what they called” on the horrible penalty call, no mention of the missed illegal procedure, and no mention of the bad spot on the Perine run…btw where was Zac Taylor on that play?…the correct spot gives them either the first down or inches to go, and he should have been barking at the refs for a review (which obviously come from the booth but still) especially with the time out…silence from him and Collinsworth who was completely worthless.
I don't blame Taylor there. You have 40 seconds to get ready for the biggest play of the year and you have to keep that time out in case you need to run a play in the middle of the field before kicking a field goal. Either the booth stops it or they don't and there's not too much you can do except play football and deal with the situation. Delay of game is not an option there.

I know we always focus on the plays late, since they seem to be the ones the drive the outcome. I'm in a more big picture mode now that it's getting later in the day on the day after the game. Man, it was all there for the Bengals. The Rams were in disarray and had so much trouble figuring out how to deal with the injuries on the fly. Stafford was kind of wild and the Bengals felt like they had five opportunities for a knock out punch. And they were terrible. Absolutely terrible. They had one good drive, really. And the nice trick play. The ineptitude on that first half drive after they got the big play turned out to be really significant too -- just awful in the red zone.

Their run defense was the star of the show and gave them a chance to win, but they just couldn't capitalize. Credit to the Rams defense, yeah, but they just couldn't adjust and it seemed like they just kept kicking shitty returnable punt after returnable punt to keep themselves in field position jail, even when Stafford was going 3 and out.
 

SoxFanInCali

has the rich, deep voice of a god
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jun 3, 2005
15,568
California. Duh.
I thought Collinsworth (and Michaels / NBC to an extent) were terrible down the stretch. Not sure we got a good look at the offsetting penalty (which was huge), a “that’s what they called” on the horrible penalty call, no mention of the missed illegal procedure, and no mention of the bad spot on the Perine run…btw where was Zac Taylor on that play?…the correct spot gives them either the first down or inches to go, and he should have been barking at the refs for a review (which obviously come from the booth but still) especially with the time out…silence from him and Collinsworth who was completely worthless.
The spot was actually pretty good when I looked at a replay. His helmet got close to the line but he was leaning forward at a big angle as Donald got hold of him. The ball was against his stomach and was about 3/4 of a yard shy, which is right about where it was spotted.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,376
The fourth down play by Cincy was terrible. The DTs were really spread out and there was a huge gap between them. They should have an automatic play call for that situation (just needing a yard) to get under center, goose the center, and it’s an easy first down - even I could have picked that up. Brady has that call in his back pocket. Every team should. If they don’t, that’s a coaching error. If they do, then it’s ok Burrow for not calling it.
 

Mystic Merlin

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 21, 2007
46,769
Hartford, CT
The fourth down play by Cincy was terrible. The DTs were really spread out and there was a huge gap between them. They should have an automatic play call for that situation (just needing a yard) to get under center, goose the center, and it’s an easy first down - even I could have picked that up. Brady has that call in his back pocket. Every team should. If they don’t, that’s a coaching error. If they do, then it’s ok Burrow for not calling it.
I’m not a fan of two straight shotgun plays with Perine as the back, but I expect the Rams line pinches if Burrow comes under center or call a TO to re-group.

I do think running one of those plays from under center is a good idea regardless because it gives you the threat of the sneak, which itself could soften the edges for an outside run or rollout.
 

johnmd20

mad dog
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 30, 2003
61,996
New York City
I saw a Tweet that showed Stafford to Kupp this year had the highest passer rating in NFL playoff history. (minimum 20 attempts) Rating of 143.8. Brady to Amendola in 2017 was #3, to note. Amazingly, Stafford to Odell was #2 all time. So maybe the Rams passing is just ridiculous. That idiot McVay doesn't seem like that much of an idiot.

Anyway, Collinsworth called them the greatest duo of all time. And obviously that was hyperbole. And, obviously, they also were this year.
 

johnmd20

mad dog
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 30, 2003
61,996
New York City
I’m not a fan of two straight shotgun plays with Perine as the back, but I expect the Rams line pinches if Burrow comes under center or call a TO to re-group.

I do think running one of those plays from under center is a good idea regardless because it gives you the threat of the sneak, which itself could soften the edges for an outside run or rollout.
I have been ranting all season about how coaches actively avoid using their best players in the most important situations.

I will never understand why Mixon is off the field on any potential game winning drive. Mixon can catch passes and he can block. He is also harder to take down than Perine. I just don't understand the reasoning behind taking your best players off the field in the most important situations.

The biggest error by Cinn was not calling a TO on 2nd and 1. Just a criminal decision. Instead, they rushed to the line, STILL wasted almost 20 seconds, and their 3rd down play had a less than 0% chance of success from both the standpoint of the route and the pass. And then they run that dumb draw on 3rd with a backup.
 

loshjott

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 30, 2004
14,943
Silver Spring, MD
The fourth down play by Cincy was terrible. The DTs were really spread out and there was a huge gap between them. They should have an automatic play call for that situation (just needing a yard) to get under center, goose the center, and it’s an easy first down - even I could have picked that up. Brady has that call in his back pocket. Every team should. If they don’t, that’s a coaching error. If they do, then it’s ok Burrow for not calling it.
Yeah, even real time once Burrow flinched from his first read (it did not appear to be a planned pump fake) it was obvious that play was dead. Donald and friends were too close too fast after that split second indecision.
 

Bowhemian

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 10, 2015
5,701
Bow, NH
My primary takeaway from this game is that the missed XP cost me a $600 prize on a square. Didn't win a dime on 7 squares. :(
 

leftfieldlegacy

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2005
1,005
North Jersey
Thank you, making me crazy people think this is the restaurant from the final scene. But like, why wasn't it the restaurant from the final scene?? That would have been perfection, no idea how they whiffed on that because other than that I thought the ad was fantastic.
The scene was shot in the parking lot at Bahrs which was the restaurant prominently featured in the recent Soprano's prequel movie.
49395
 

wilked

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 17, 2005
4,046
My primary takeaway from this game is that the missed XP cost me a $600 prize on a square. Didn't win a dime on 7 squares. :(
There wasn’t a missed XP, do you mean the failed 2 point conversion?

(I was in a prop bet pool, and we had to get the official ruling on this)
 

johnmd20

mad dog
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 30, 2003
61,996
New York City
There wasn’t a missed XP, do you mean the failed 2 point conversion?

(I was in a prop bet pool, and we had to get the official ruling on this)
They attempted the XP and the holder fumbled the snap. There was no kick, so I guess that was considered a 2 point conversion.
 

BroodsSexton

Member
SoSH Member
Feb 4, 2006
12,630
guam

BigSoxFan

Member
SoSH Member
May 31, 2007
47,094
you’re definitely a degenerate if you’re betting the crowd size over/under after the super bowl.
Maybe I misread Ferm but I think “who’s taking the over” is just a figure of speech and not an indication of intent to bet on it.

(but, seriously, how many people do you think show up…)
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

Found no thrill on Blueberry Hill
SoSH Member
Sep 9, 2008
42,283
AZ
There wasn’t a missed XP, do you mean the failed 2 point conversion?

(I was in a prop bet pool, and we had to get the official ruling on this)
They attempted the XP and the holder fumbled the snap. There was no kick, so I guess that was considered a 2 point conversion.
Interesting. I just looked at the rules and I think this is correct. There is no requirement that you must start at the 2 yard line in order to try for a two point conversion.

Though, there is actually no such thing as a two point conversion. There is a "Try by kick" and a "Try by pass or run." If you score a "touchdown" on the Try it is two points. In order to attempt a try by kick, you must start the play from the 15 yard line, but not vice versa.

Here's the interesting question: Would a prop for "failed two point conversion" be satisfied if there was a fumbled snap on the extra point and the Rams fell on it behind the line of scrimmage? I think the answer in that case would be inconclusive and it would probably grade as a push or no action. In that case, the play could be described either as a missed Try by kick or a missed Try by pass or run. So long as the ball has not been kicked, and so long as it is not passed forward or crosses the line of scrimmage, and if it was snapped from the 15 yard line, then either 2 points or 1 point is still in order. You can dropkick, or you can try to pass or run the ball into the end zone.

In this case, I think it clearly grades as a failed two point conversion (e.g., failed Try by pass or kick) because the ball was passed forward by a legal passer, and if either the offense or the defense had legally entered the end zone it would have been 2 points.
 

Ferm Sheller

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 5, 2007
20,404
Maybe I misread Ferm but I think “who’s taking the over” is just a figure of speech and not an indication of intent to bet on it.

(but, seriously, how many people do you think show up…)
Yes, you're right, I wasn't serious. But I don't think Broods was, either. Just wondering whether they'll beat the turnout for the town hockey team.