After the horrendous start to begin the season, the Cincinnati Bengals have found a way to crawl back into contention. They now have a record of 3-3 and head into a bye week where they look to get healthy and get this offense clicking again. There is still a ton to improve on, but they have shown that they can play with anyone.

With the 49ers and Bills approaching next, it is crucial that Cincinnati finds a way to at least win one of those games. This division is wide open and I trust in our ability to find a way back into the playoffs this season. For now though, let’s just enjoy this win. Who Dey!

AFC North standings

Baltimore 4-2

Pittsburgh 3-2

Cleveland 3-2

Cincinnati 3-3

Positives

· Red zone defense was phenomenal. Seattle got into the redzone on multiple occasions, but the defense continuously caused turnovers on downs or field goals: Bend, don’t break.

· Massive interceptions were reeled in by Cam Taylor-Britt and Mike Hilton. While our secondary got burnt a few times on some go routes, they came in clutch when needed.

· Trey Hendrickson racked up another sack and applied pressure from the edge throughout the entire game, as usual.

· Sam Hubbard had a sack at the most crucial part of the game to help secure the win for Cincinnati. He had nine pressures on Sunday.

· Iosivas pulled in his first touchdown of his career which happened to be on his birthday. We have yet to see what he can bring to the table and hopefully this leads to him being a larger part of this offense.

· Joe Mixon continues to be a durable running back, even when he fails to have a healthy average from the line of scrimmage. Remember that he is running in a shotgun formation every single time he gets a carry. Until Cincinnati starts playing some football under center, what else can you expect? Don’t be like the goofy guy from your hometown asking for Joe Mixon to lose his job. It’s embarrassing.

Negatives

· Cincinnati’s offense outside of the first drive looked very mediocre. Zac Taylor seems to be struggling on figuring out how to effectively get this offense clicking like they have in previous years.

· Higgins had another let down performance with only two receptions for 20 yards. Tee has to find a way to get more involved in the game. He is too good to not use him to the advantage of Joe Burrow.

· Chidobe Awuzie still doesn’t look as good as he did before his injury. This is expected, but he was “burnt” on a few routes on Sunday.

· Orlando Brown left with an apparent groin injury. Luckily, he already stated that he expects to be playing in the next game after the bye. Cincinnati doesn’t have enough depth to lose someone as special as Orlando.

· I mention this weekly, but Cincinnati is really lacking a tight end threat. The team certainly fumbled at making this position a priority and I think we can see that through the first six weeks of this season.

· My final negative is Heritage Bank Center Parking — absolutely brutal. It used to be the best place to park, yet I pulled into the garage with a $50 fee and an hour wait to exit the garage. Not only that, but civilians were having to direct traffic in order to clear the garage. I’ll park in Newport and walk in zero degree temperatures before I ever make that mistake again.

Joe Cook and Dre

Kirkpatrick join Matt’s Take

This week, I was kindly joined by Joe Cook and Dre Kirkpatrick for a question and answer session. Joe is well known in the area for his company, Cincinnati Entertainment Group (CEG). Through his business he has set up exclusive events in the area and executed community outreach. If you are looking for someone to plan a big event in the area, he is the guy to reach out to.

Dre Kirkpatrick is a former Cincinnati Bengal who played cornerback in the Queen City from 2012-2019. He is a two-time BCS national champion out of Alabama and is now making a huge impact in Cincinnati with his different business ventures.

Joe Cook

Q: How did you and Dre begin working together?

A: “I met Dre in 2014 when I first moved back to Cincinnati from college. Dre was still a young DB in the league with being the Bengals first round draft pick in 2012. We became friends as him and his teammates were regular VIP clients of mine. With that being said, every time opportunities became available to get Dre active in the community in Cincy or his hometown in Gadsden, Alabama, we always have made it happen. Still going strong here in 2023. We have big things planned together including his new nightclub, Memories Night Lounge, coming to Cincy soon, along with some more community events around the area.”

Q: What are your goals for your company in 2024?

A: “Our company goals for CEG for 2024 is to be the go-to event company for all event and hospitality needs. A one-stop shop from booking artists, athletes for autograph signings, to luxury transportation, content, DJs, corporate events — anything you need you can always count on CEG. We deal with a lot of bigger companies now who call us to lock in athletes and other special guest for company events and also work with a lot of athletes along with celebrity guests who count on us for hospitality needs, so we want to continue to grow our brand locally, but always expand into bigger markets with our partnerships we are building here in 2023 and previous years.”

Q: What has been your favorite event planned thus far?

A: “Our favorite event planned thus far as a team would be the previous Gary Owen and Joe Mixon birthday celebration we hosted. The reason for that was because the room set up and event design was incredible and it was an amazing experience for guests. We had a lot of special guests in the building with guys like JaMarr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, Pac Man Jones and more who came through to show love to their teammate for his birthday.”

Dre Kirpatrick

Q: What was your favorite moment in the NFL?

A: “My favorite moments was my two picks vs. the Broncos.”

Q: What do you believe this Bengals team needs to do to get back on track?

A: “I think this team just needs to keep playing and staying together because this is just the start. Anything can happen.”

Q: If you could add any player from a different team to this roster, who would you choose?

A: “If I could add any player it would be Trent Williams (offensive tackle in San Francisco).”

Q: How did you and Joe connect as business partners?

A: We connected as business partners through our friendship and trust we have for each other.”

Q: How is life outside of football treating you?

A: “Life outside of football is new. It has its ups and downs because I still love the game and still think I can play.”

Q: What are your future business plans in Cincinnati?

A: “My future plans are real estate, night life and being there for my kids.”

Matthew McAdow is a Peebles resident. He works in human resources in the nuclear industry and has been an avid Cincinnati fan his entire life. He is an Ohio Christian University graduate and has always enjoyed giving an honest opinion on multiple topics regarding Cincinnati sports.