The Cincinnati Bengals are celebrating.
After holding off against a feisty Baltimore Ravens squad that wanted to play spoiler on Sunday, the Bengals wouldn't let anyone spoil their AFC North crown. Cincinnati wins back-to-back division titles for the first time in franchise history with their 27-16 win over Baltimore.
Instead of having to flip a coin to determine home field for next week's wild card round, Bengals running back Joe Mixon flipped his own personal coin to celebrate in the middle of the game. Whether you want to say there was a chip on the Bengals' shoulders or not, they were fired up and ready to live up to their motto, "They gotta play us."
The Bengals sported a 24-7 lead at halftime and nearly watched it slip away in the second half despite the Ravens' not playing multiple players on Sunday, including running back J.K. Dobbins and quarterback Tyler Huntley. There were flashes of the same miscues that they showed against Tampa Bay and New England several weeks ago.
How much are those miscues a concern for the Bengals though? The Ravens will certainly have a different looking team next week when they return to Cincinnati. What can the Bengals do to avoid a repeat of anything from their last three games when Baltimore comes back?
The Strictly Stripes crew breaks down how the Bengals played in the second half, what changed and what the concern is entering next weekend. Already without right tackle La'el Collins for the rest of the year, they could be without Alex Cappa based on the severity on an ankle injury that caused him to exit the game early.
This podcast features Mohammad Ahmad, Andrew Gillis and Michael Niziolek.
Music: Starfields by Hallman
Music Link: https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/nQ9ldbVF7D/
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