Bengals Tecmo Super Bowl Season — Week 9

Following an outright dismantling of the New York Jets last week — both in Tecmo Super Bowl and in real life — the Bengals were looking to keep up the pace during Thursday Night Football action against the Dolphins in Miami.

The Bengals elected to receive the ball first following the coin toss as they were looking to get things rolling quick. But Andy Dalton was met quickly by Miami's Philip Wheeler forcing Cincinnati into a quick 3rd and long situation.

However, Dalton was able to find tight end Jermaine Gresham deep, giving the Bengals a new set of downs deep in Dolphin territory.

After that, BenJarvus Green-Ellis took the ball the rest of the way on a sweep for the touchdown score. This gave the Bengals a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.

The Dolphins offense would take the field next trying to answer with a scoring drive of their own. But
Cincinnati's Terence Newman had other plans as he laid out Ryan Tannehill on 3rd down forcing Miami into a quick three-and-out.

Thanks to Green-Ellis, it didn't take long for the Bengals to capitalize on the Miami turnover on downs. From the Bengals' 30-yard line, he found daylight and took it all the way to the house for six points. Dolphin defenders said he moved so fast they didn't even see him pass by. And judging by this live action shot below, you can see what they mean.

This would give the Bengals a nice 14-0 lead as the first quarter came to a close.

After a botched kickoff by Mike Nugent, the Dolphins were given decent field position to work with. They got into Bengal territory quickly but all they could muster was a field goal attempt.

Trying to cut the Bengal deficit a little, Miami's Caleb Sturgis came out for the kick but luckily for Cincinnati, it was wide left. The score would remain 14-0 in favor of Team Who Dey.

On the next possession, Andy Dalton lost control of the ball resulting in a fumble. But Cincinnati's Clint Boling was there to secure the ball, keeping the drive alive.

Dalton quickly made up for the scare as he connected with Mohamed Sanu for a huge 68-yard reception.

This would again set up "The Law Firm" for his third rushing touchdown of the day as he got loose on the outside and sneaked his way into the end zone. With the Bengals now holding a commanding 21-0 lead in the first half, it looked as if we were going to have our second blowout in as many weeks.

However, Tannehill was able to pick apart the defense on the next drive getting his team into the red zone. Instead of a field goal attempt, this time Lamar Miller did his best Green-Ellis impression as he also used a sweep play to find paydirt.

This would make the score 21-7, and that's what it would remain as the game headed into halftime. After two quarters of play, BenJarvus Green-Ellis was on his way to another monster game, tallying 107 yards and three touchdowns on just seven carries. Dalton chimed in with 117 yards through the air, and a pick he threw as time expired in the second quarter.

For the halftime show, the Dolphins Cheerleaders took the field and danced to "Welcome to the Jungle" as they tried to antagonize Bengal players and fans.

The Dolphins would have possession of the ball as the second half got underway. Again, Tannehill marched his team into Bengals territory but only got away with a field goal attempt. This time, though, Sturgis put it through the uprights trimming the Bengal lead to 21-10.

The Bengals struggled out of the gate on their first possession of the half as Dalton again fumbled the ball. This time, unfortunately, it ended up in the hands of Philip Wheeler who nearly ran it back for a touchdown.

Yet again, the Bengals D held strong in the red zone as the Dolphins were limited to another field goal try. Sturgis' kick was good making it a one-possession game after the Bengals were up by 21 earlier.

The Bengals' second-half offensive woes continued as a Cameron Wake sack would force Cincinnati to punt the ball away.

This would wrap up the third quarter as Cincinnati was holding on to a 21-13 lead.

A monstrous Lamar Miller run would quickly get Miami yet again into the red zone. And yet again, the Bengals defense forced them to settle for their fourth field goal attempt of the day.

Just like the first field goal try, Sturgis kick would sail wide left,  keeping the Bengal lead at eight points.

Another Bengal three-and-out gave Miami one more shot at sending the game into overtime. With 38 seconds to play, they were facing 4th and very long.

That's when Geno Atkins stepped up. The defensive tackle had been mostly quiet all day but he recorded his only sack when it mattered the most. This forced the Dolphins to turn the ball over on downs, essentially sealing the victory for Cincinnati.

But with the great field position, offensive coordinator Jay Gruden did not want to settle for just an eight-point victory. He drew up a nice pass play for Dalton that found backup tight end Orson Charles wide open for the touchdown.

This would make the final score of 28-13 in favor of Cincinnati as the Bengals survived a scare in South Beach.

After totaling 107 yards in the first half, Green-Ellis only came away with seven yards in the second half. But he still finished the day with a solid performance on the stat sheet. Dalton struggled to connect with his receivers throughout the day. And A.J. Green was never even targeted. But luckily it didn't matter too much as the Cincinnati offense was solid in the red zone all game long.

The win moves Cincinnati to 6-3 on the Tecmo Super Bowl season. But nipping at their tails are the always-pesky Baltimore Ravens, who will host Cincinnati next week on Sunday afternoon.

Decyfer Down - "Crash"

Not only is this song a nominee for what my wrestling entrance theme might be, but it talks about how God can restore you when you feel you've hit rock bottom.

Talking With God in Prayer (Day 4 of 4)

YEARNING FOR GOD

John 4:14 — "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

Talking to God
Thank God that He loves you and wants you to learn to talk to Him through prayer. Ask God to teach you how to pray.

Diving In
Make three sets of note cards with the following words/phrases on them: grandparent, best friend, your pastor, grocery store clerk and a neighbor's cousin. Spread out the first stack according to the person you talk to most at the top and the person you talk to the least at the bottom. Arrange the second set in the same way, with the person you most want to be around at the top. Line the third set next to the other two, with the person you most miss at the top. Compare how similar your lists are.

Going Deeper
Prayer is simply talking to God, who loves you and wants what is best for you. Just as you may miss someone you love when he is gone, your spirit misses God when you do not spend time talking to Him. The Bible often says that this longing to be with God is like being thirsty or hungry. Read Psalm 42:1-2: "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" You can go to God in prayer and find Him, just as the deer finds water in a stream when it is thirsty.

Talking to Each Other
—What do you think about when you are hungry or thirsty?
—How is being with God similar to being with a person you love? How is it different?
—How might you tell that your spirit is thirsty to be with God?

Bengals Tecmo Super Bowl Season — Week 8

For Week 8 action of their Tecmo Super Bowl season, the Cincinnati Bengals welcomed Geno Smith and the New York Jets to Paul Brown Stadium.

To get things rolling, quarterback Andy Dalton, who was back from his Tecmo injury, tucked the ball and ran, getting the Bengals deep in Jets territory.

But the opening Bengal drive was cut short as Dalton followed up his big run with an interception.

Geno Atkins quickly introduced himself to Geno Smith, however, forcing a quick three-and-out for the Jets.

On this drive, the Bengals found pay dirt as BenJarvus Green-Ellis broke loose for a monster run, giving the Bengals a 7-0 lead late in the opening quarter of play.

The next Jets drive looked just like their first drive as Geno Atkins won the battle of the Genos again,  forcing another New York three-and-out.

The Bengals survived a scare on the ensuing punt return as Brandon Tate lost control of the ball. Cincinnati managed to keep possession though.

The offense continued to click for the Bengals as a Mohamed Sanu 41-yard reception set up another touchdown score for Green-Ellis.

The Jets had one last chance to get some momentum before the half, but the Bengals defense again forced them to punt.

At the half, the Bengals were pitching a shutout, leading the Jets 14-0. Green-Ellis was leading the way for Cincinnati, already amassing 120 yards on just seven carries. Geno Smith had yet to complete a pass to any of his Jet receivers.

The Tecmo Super Bowl Blimp was again on hand for the halftime show. Fans who used the hashtag #BengalsBlimp before the game were entered into a chance to drive the aircraft through the Queen City skies.

Opening up the second half, Geno Smith finally completed a pass. Unfortunately for the Jets, it was to a Bengals defender, giving the ball back to Cincinnati.

The Law Firm continued his strong performance on the ground as run after run eventually landed him in the end zone again, giving the Bengals a comfortable 21-0 third quarter lead.

And the Bengal scoring wasn't limited to just the offense. When the Jets took over on their next drive, a fumble turned into disaster for New York as running back Chris Ivory was planted in his own end zone with the ball.

This made the score 23-0 Bengals as the third quarter came to a close.

The Jets tried to get something going on defense as Sheldon Richardson got a hold of Dalton in the backfield. But Dalton came right back with another huge keeper, taking it all the way to the house this time.

The follies would go on for the Jets as they fumbled the ball again on their next possession. This time it was picked up by James Harrison who almost took it back for a touchdown.

Dalton would take it again himself for the touchdown score, giving the Bengals a commanding 37-0 lead in the fourth quarter.

The Jets had no choice but to go for it on 4th and long on their next drive, but another incomplete Geno Smith pass gave the ball back to the men in orange and black stripes.

The safe thing to do here would be to run the clock out. But Dalton and the Bengal offense kept their foot on the gas as the quarterback connected with Mohamed Sanu on a 25-yard touchdown completion. 

This would make the final score as the Bengals just smacked around and completely shutout the New York Jets, 44-0.

Green-Ellis finished the game with 12 carries for 156 yards and three touchdowns. Sanu only had two catches but made both of them count, totaling 66 yards. Dalton only mustered 112 yards through the air but that was 112 more yards than Geno Smith tallied, as the Jets QB failed to complete a pass to a Jets receiver.

Due to an unfortunate computer incident, the Tecmo Super Bowl season standings had to be reset. But the Bengals still sit atop the AFC North at 5-3.

Coming up on Halloween, the Bengals will take their talents to South Beach for Thursday night Tecmo Super Bowl action against the upstart Miami Dolphins.