Feel Good Bengals Got Me Feeling Worried

My friend and former neighbor/carpooler/co-worker Dylan hails from the Cincinnati area. He used to seek out local bars that would air the Bengals games. I imagined him finding a screen somewhere in the broom closet where he would sit on a wet-vac and sip Maker's Mark Kentucky bourbon while cheering on the lowly Bungles. I was impressed by his dedication and always enjoyed listening to the signs of optimism in his voice when he gave his game recap.

This was last year. The Bengals went 4-11-1. They hadn't posted consecutive winning seasons since 1981-1982 (and '82 was a strike-shortened year). Fans recall the days of Boomer and Icky ("I heard Icky Woods sold frozen steaks out of the trunk of his car after his playing days," Dylan once told me; I later confirmed this on Icky's Wiki).

I never would've imagined being terrified of the Bengals a year later.

Of course I'm happy for Dylan and the rest of Cincinnati. The Bengals gave fans a big tease in 2005 after going 11-5, but before that they hadn't been to the playoffs since 1990 (the Vikings have been to the playoffs 10 times in that same span, which I guess could be considered a bigger tease).

This matchup will tell us a few things about the Vikings:

1. Can the Vikings bounce back? All preseason fears (offensive line, secondary, frazzled Favre) came to fruition against the Cardinals. Can they stop the bleeding?

2. How much does home field advantage mean for this team? Two losses on the road to two good teams. Now it's time to try a good team at home.

The Bengals defense will try to follow the template set by the Cardinals last week, and on paper they are up to the task. The rushing defense ranks 2nd and the passing defense 12th. And hopefully there won't be any of this. I'm just going to hold my breath when the Bengals have the ball.