Sunday Jan, 3
1:00 on CBS

New York needs a win to clinch a playoff spot while the Bengals are coming off of clinching the AFC North and a win and NE loss will give the Bengals the #3 seed in the AFC.

Thoughts?

My guess is that Marvin will say all week that he'll play the starters but anyone nicked up will be a no-go while Benson will see limited carries. And if the Pats have a decent lead at halftime, I would bet that Carson will sit the 2nd half.

So I like the Jets by 10 in this one. Would be a very interesting game between two similar teams if the Bengals were to play full go.

the Jets just about always find away to blow their chances.

GO BENGALS!!!!

What a nice option to have................being able to rest some guys for the playoffs.

You play to win the game.

Rest the main guys....lose to the Jets and then play them again the very next week

I would not want any part of that scenario.

I know the Bengals are in.....but I believe playing a great 1/2 or 3 qtrs would help them in the playoffs......without injury risk I'd go all 4 qtrs if it were close....a big margin either way and I'd rest some guys.

This is the Sunday night game on NBC next weekend.

noreply66 wrote: the Jets just about always find away to blow their chances.

This. But I still have to vote for them.

The Bengals need to let the starters play for the 1st half and then bring in the subs

Hopefully the Bengals crush them.

Non wrote: You play to win the game.

Not in the NFL you don't. Curtus Painter did a good Charlie Frye immatation today.

Gotta love the Jets...gonns get in because their last 2 opponents laid down.

I believe Palmer will be playing QB of the Benglas for this one.... Jordan Palmer that is.

The Bengals have a lot of guys who are banged up, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. I think if I were the Bengals I would prefer a second crack at the J-E-T-S vs. a game against a Houston ballclub who destroyed them earlier in the season.

Bengals have never won in Giants Stadium & this is the last NFL game in Giants Stadium so I hope the first string plays all 60 & gets a W WHO DEY !!!!¡¡¡

Footwedge wrote: Gotta love the Jets...gonns get in because their last 2 opponents laid down.

There is no guarantee that the Bengals are going to "lay down" for them. There is also nothing that says the Jets can't beat the Bengals if they don't lay down.

This season is ending with an absolutely perfect "Same ol' Jets" scenario. Jets beat the Colts and control their own destiny in the final week of the season. The Jets are playing for their playoff lives at home and the Bengals may or may not be playing for a higher seed. The Bengals cruise to a blowout win.

A few years ago Pittsburgh sat out their starters @ Buffalo in the final week and the backups played like they wanted more playing time and destroyed the Bills.


Here's hoping the backups play their asses off for a huge TV audience and show why they are in the league.

EARN YOUR WHO DEY BACKUPS!!!

killer_ewok wrote: GO BENGALS!!!!

Love those Bengals!

Gotta believe the Bengals are going to use a much different game plan this week. There is no reason for Ced to touch the ball more than 10-15 times. Let LJ, Scott, and Leonhard get some touches. I think it would be a HUGE mistake for the Bengals to just lay down and take the week off. The offense has looked pretty pedestrian lately, and I think they need all the reps they can get. I'm not saying they should pull anything special out of the playbook, but just give Palmer and company some reps. Maybe try and get the passing game on track.

I've never been a fan of teams using week 17 to rest players going into the playoffs. It seems to me that more often than not the teams that had to fight every week until the bitter end do more in the playoffs than teams that just cruised in and rested starters. The margin of difference in ability from one playoff team to another is so small, that staying sharp is more beneficial in my opinion. I think the Colts made a big mistake yesterday, and other teams will probably make a similar mistake next week.

Here's hoping Marvin and the Bengals come out and look to stay/get sharp against the Jets.

Wow ... The spread is NYJ -10

osu45804 wrote: Wow ... The spread is NYJ -10

That's because Vegas already knows the Bengals aren't going to play their best people and are basically laying down for this game.

It's truly a pathetic reflection on the NFL that the Jets are going to make the playoffs this way (with both Indy and Cincy resting starters).

Then again, anything that keeps the Steelers out of the playoffs isn't all bad, I guess.

If the Pats, Jets and Baltimore all win, the Bengals would obviously be the #4 seed. Who would be the #5? Jets or Ravens?

Jets I think.

Jets are the 5th seed if they win. It would come down to common opponents for the tiebreaker.

Common opponents between those teams:

Cincinnati (Baltimore 0-2, New York 1-0)
New England (Baltimore 0-1, New York 1-1)
Indianapolis (Baltimore 0-1, New York 1-0)
Oakland (Baltimore 1-0, New York 1-0)

So the Jets would be 4-1 and Baltimore would be 1-4 against common opponents.

Well then there's no way the Bengals play their guys and play anything more than a vanilla gameplan. Not that the offense has shown much more than a vanilla gameplan all year...

So is it for sure the Bengals wuill host the Jets if they lose to them in week 17? If so, I'd let the Jets win and take my chances with them the following week in Cincy. I don't think there'd be that much difference between the #3 and #4 seed becasue I don't think it'd make much difference if a game between the Bengals and Patriots was in NE or Cincy. And I'd think the Bengals would just as soon go to Indy for the 2nd round as go to SD. Hopefully the #6 seed will beat #3 seed NE and #2 seed SD and come to Cincy for the AFC championship. But, I'm afraid the Bengals have suffered too many injuries to go that far.