Ryan Clark believes in the BENGALS more than the Bills ЁЯСА | First Take
O KEEP PACE ATOP THE RACE FOR THE TOP SPOT IN THE A.F.C. AS I MENTIONED THE BENGALS MATCHUP HAS HUGE IMPLICATIONS IN THE NUMBER ONE SEED AND EASIEST PATH FOR HOME-FIELD FOR THE BILLS IS TO WIN OUT. THE BENGALS NEED TO WIN OUT AND GET HELP FROM KANSAS CITY AND THE CHIEFS EASIEST PATH IS WINNING NEXT WEEK AND HAVING THE BILLS LOSE ONE OF THEIR NEXT TWO. HARRY, STARTING WITH YOU, WHO IS THE MORE COMPLETE TEAM, THE BILLS OR BENGALS? HARRY: I’M GOING THE CINCINNATI BENGALS AND HAVE THEM AS THE BEST TEAM IN THE A.F.C.
NOW STARTING WITH THE QUARTERBACK JOE BURROW AND WE KNOW WHAT HE MEANS TO THE TEAM BUT JA’MARR CHASE, A DIFFERENCEMAKER ON THE OUTSIDE AND WE UNDERSTAND STEPHON DIGS IS PHENOMENAL BUT A GUY WITH MORE AFTER BIG BODY TYPE AND THROW IT UP TO HIM AND BANK HIM MAKING PLAYS LEFT AND RIGHT NO MATTER THE CIRCUMSTANCES IT SPEAKS VOLUMES. MOVING TO THE DEFENSIVE SIDE OF THE BALL THEIR FRONT FOUR PEOPLE DON’T TALK ABOUT IS A LOT BETTER THAN PEOPLE GIVE THEM CREDIT FOR. SAM HUBBARD ON ONE END AND B.J. HILL IN THE MIDDLE AS WELL AS
D.J.RIETER. YOU LOOK AT THE THREE LINEBACKERS IN PRATT AND WILSON, THEY PLAY A GREAT BRAND OF FOOTBALL AND YOU MOVE TO THE SECONDARY, TAN THEM
HARRY: LISTEN, TELL YOUR HOME GIRL I HAVE SOMEBODY FOR YOU, YO, WHAT HE LOOK LIKE? CHRISTINE: HE’S GOT A GREAT PERSONALITY. AMBER: MAYBE NOT ALWAYS THE COMPLIMENT BUT HARRY DOUGLAS MENTIONED IT. IT’S WHATEVER IT TAKES TO ANALYZE THESE TWO TEAMS. HARRY: DON’T TWEET ME, ELI. SOME EMARE ABOUT IT. AMBER: WHEN WE’RE BREAKING DOWN THESE TWO TEAMS IT WILL COME DOWN TO ANYTHING, SURE, LET’S TALK PERSONALITY BECAUSE THESE TWO TEAMS ARE BOTH SO GOOD AND HARD, FRANKLY, WHEN YOU’RE HAVING TO CHOOSE ONE OR THE OTHER. WE’LL GET AN ANSWER TONIGHT WITH THE BILLS AS THE MORE
COMPLETE TEAM AND THEY’VE BEEN THE TEAM WE’VE BELIEVED IN THE HUGE MAJORITY OF THE SEASON AND BURROW COMING BACK FROM INJURY AND NEVERTHELESS THE BILLS TEAM HAS BEEN CONSISTENT AT TIMES AND CERTAINLY NOT LIVING UP TO EXPECTATIONS BUT OTHER TIMES CERTAINLY FAR EXCEEDING THEM AND THE EXPECTATIONS FOR THE BILLS TEAM HAS BEEN TO WIN THIS CONFERENCE AND CERTAINLY THEY LOOKED LIKE A TEAM EVEN WITH THE LOSS OF VON MILLER WHO CAN DO JUST THAT AND GIVE THE EDGE TO THE BILLS DEFENSE AND YOU HEARD HARRY DISCUSS THE BENGALS DEFENSE AND EVEN WITH A LOSS MILL
WE’RE GIVE THE EDGE SLIGHTLY TO THE BILLS DEFENSE AND WHAT SWINGS THE PENDULUM IS NOT SO MUCH PERSONALITY BUT THE LOSS OF LYLE COLLINS BECAUSE I THINK THAT’S HUGE. THE BENGALS O LINE HAS BEEN PERFORMING THIS SEASON IN A WAY WE’VE NOT SEEN THEM PERFORM THE LAST COUPLE SEASONS IN PROTECTING BURROW BUT IN LARGE PART BECAUSE OF THE CONSISTENCY ALL SEASON LONG AND NOW WE ENTER THE POSTSEASON WITH PROBLEMS ON THE LINE ONCE AGAIN. THE BENGALS GOT REALLY LUCKY THEY WERE ABLE TO GET IT DONE AND MAKE IT TO A SUPER BOWL WITH THE QUARTERBACK
SPENDING HALF HIS TIME ON HIS BACK AND DON’T THINK THAT LUCK STRIKES TWICE AND CHOOSING IT THESE TWO TEAMS I’M GOING WITH THE BILLS FOR THAT REASON. RYAN: IT’S A DIFFICULT DISCUSSION EITHER WAY. I THINK BOTH TEAMS ARE TEAMS WE COULD SEE IN THE SUPER BOWL AND BOTH TEAMS THAT ARE PLAYING AT A LEVEL THEY COULD WIN THE SUPER BOWL SO WHEN YOU’RE ASKING WHICH ONE YOU WANT, YOU’RE REALLY SPLITTING HAIRS. I’M GOING WITH THE CINCINNATI BENGALS BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN LOU ANARUMO AND THIS DEFENSE DO IS IN THE CREDIT BALANCE MOMENTS IN PLAYOFFS SHUT
DOWN PATRICK MAHOMES AND WHEN JOE BURROW IS IN THE PLAYOFFS AND SACKED NINE TIMES AGAINST THE TENNESSEE TITANS, I’VE SEEN THE TEAM COME UP WITH THREE INTERCEPTIONS OF RYAN TANNEHILL. WE’VE WATCHED THE CINCINNATI BENGALS AS CONSTRUCTED GET TO A SUPER BOWL, GET TO A SUPER BOWL MANY DIDN’T EXPECT TOMORROW SO YOU THINK ABOUT THE STARTER AND YOU MENTIONED THE APPENDECTOMY OF JOE BURROW THROUGHOUT TRAINING CAMP AND NOW HE’S MISSED A LOT OF TIME COMING INTO THE SEASON AND START WITH TWO LOSSES AND HE HAS FOUR OR FIVE INTERCEPTIONS EARLY ON IN THE SEASON AND YOU’RE
SAYING JOE BURROW HAS MAYBE COME DOWN TO EARTH AGAIN AND HE’S PLAYED HIMSELF BACK INTO M.V.P. CONVERSATIONS AND OBVIOUSLY JOSH ALLEN HAS DONE THE SAME WITH THE BUFFALO BILLS. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE TEAM AND TALK ABOUT THE COMPLETENESS THAT HE CONCLUDES, JA’MARR CHASE, I THINK IT INCLUDES TEE HIGGINS WITH BACK-TO-BACK HOUSE YARD YEARS AND YOU LOSE JOE MIXON AND FIND OUT WAYS YOU CAN USE TAMAJE PERINE. JOE BURROW IS THE HUGE REASON THE OFFENSIVE LINE HAS PLAYED BETTER AND ONE WAS THE CHEMISTRY AND CONTINUITY OF THOSE GUYS CONTINUING TO BE HEALTH HEALTHY AFTER YOU
BASICALLY ADD FOUR NEW LINEMEN BUT IT’S JOE BURROW UNDERSTANDING HOW TO GET THE FOOTBALL OUT OF HIS HANDS AND UNDERSTANDING WHERE AND HOW TO ANTICIPATE WHEN YOU’LL GET AN EXTRA RUSHER AND I THINK JOE BURROW CAN DO THOSE SAME THINGS HE DID IN THE LAST PLAYOFF RUN. THIS TEAM TO ME IS A TEAM NOT NECESSARILY OF DESTINY BUT NOW BECOME A TEAM OF CONSISTENCY, SO MUCH COMING INTO THE SEASON WAS WE BELIEVE IN THE BUFFALO BILLS BECAUSE WE DIDN’T BELIEVE IN THE CINCINNATI BENGALS. WE LOOKED AT LAST YEAR’S PLAYOFFS AND SAY IN THAT DIVISIONAL ROUND
IF YOU CAN STOP TYREEK HILL FROM CATCHING A BIG AND TAKING IT TO THE HOUSE THE BILLS ARE THE TEAM AND PEOPLE SAY THE BILLS HAVE BEAT THE CINCINNATI BENGALS AND HOW WE CONVINCE OURSELVES. THE CINCINNATI BENGALS WENT ON THE ROAD AND ENDED UP IN THE SUPER BOWL WITHOUT AN OFFENSIVE LINE AND NOW THE TEAM ON A WINNING STREAK SHOWING YOU THEY ALREADY BEAT THE CHIEFS AS THE BUFFALO BILLS HAVE, NOW YOU HAVE THE BILLS AT HOME AND I BELIEVE THEY WIN THIS GAME. DO THEY GET THE NUMBER ONE SEED? IT’S DIFFICULT BECAUSE THE CHIEFS
HAVE THE RAIDERS BUT I BELIEVE THIS TEAM IS THE TWO SEED AND WILL HOST THE FIRST TWO GAMES AND HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HOST THE A.F.C. CHAMPIONSHIP IF SOMEBODY BEATS KANSAS CITY. AMBER: YOU SAID WITHOUT AN O LINE AND NOW WE’RE ACCUSTOMED TO SEEING THEM DO IT WITHOUT THE O LINE AND FEEL WE’VE GOTTEN SPOILED IN THAT REGARD AND IT’S NOT A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS USUALLY EVER. THAT WAS AN EXTREME OUTLIER LAST SEASON AND WE CAN’T EXPECT T
