13. 2015 CINCINNATI BENGALS at 4. 2002 SUPER BOWL CHAMPION TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
4. 2002 SUPER BOWL CHAMPION TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Record: 12-4
Pythag: 13-3
Off: 18th
Def: 1st
1st NFC South
d. Niners Div Rnd 31-6
d. Eagles NFC Title 27-10
d. Raiders 48-21 Won Super Bowl
HC: Jon Gruden, OC: Bill Buir, DC: Monte Kiffin
Raymond James 75 Degrees
Announcers: Dave Sims/Scot Brantley
Offense
QB Brad Johnson (34-Florida St)
RB Michael Pittman (27-Fresno St)
FB Mike Alstott (29-Pudue)
WR Keyshawn Johnson (30-USC)
WR Keenan McCardell (32-UNLV)
TE Ken Dilger (31-Illinois)
LT Roman Oben (30-Louisville)
LG Kerry Jenkins (29-Troy)
C Jeff Christy (33-Pitt)
RG Cosey Coleman (24-Tennessee)
RT Kenyatta Walker (23-Florida)
Defense
LDE Greg Spires (28-Florida St)
LDT Booger McFarland (25-LSU)
RDT Warren Sapp (30-Miami) ALL PRO
RDE Simeon Rice (28-Illinois) ALL PRO
LLB Alshermond Singleton (27-Temple)
MLB Shelton Quarles (31-Vandy)
RLB Derrick Brooks (29-Florida St) ALL PRO
LCB Brian Kelly (26-USC)
RCB Ronde Barber (27-UVA)
SS John Lynch (31-Stanford)
FS Dexter Jackson (25-Florida St)
K Martin Gramatica (27-Kansas St)
P Tom Tupa (36-Ohio St)
KR Aaron Stecker (27-W Illinois)
PR Karl Williams (31-Tex A&M-Kingsville)
The first Super Bowl Champion to compete in the tournament is the '02 Bucs; middling offense and the best defense in football with 3 All Pros. Simeon Rice had 15.5 sacks; Brian Kelly 8 picks. Brad Johnson is 34, 22 scores and 6 picks. The Bucs should win this game - but to do so they'd need to become the first older team to win in the tournament; will the 13 years between the Bucs and Bengals be enough to send Cincinnati into the second round and a date with the Packers?
13. 2015 CINCINNATI BENGALS
Record: 12-4
Pythag: 12-4
Off: 7th
Def: 2nd
1st AFC North
Lost WC Steelers 18-16
HC: Marvin Lewis, Off: Hue Jackson, DC: Paul Guenther
Offense
QB Andy Dalton (28-TCU)
RB Jeremy Hill (23-LSU)
WR AJ Green (27-Georgia)
WR Marvin Jones (25-Cal)
TE Tyler Eifert (25 N Dame)
TE Ryan Hewitt (24 Stanford)
LT Andrew Whitworth (34 LSU)-All Pro
LG Clint Boling (26 Georgia)
C Russell Bodine (23 UNC)
RG Kevin Zeitler (25 Wisconsin)
RT Andre Smith (28 Alabama)
Defense
LDE Carlos Dunlap (26 Florida)
LDT Domata Peko (31 Mich St)
RDT Geno Atkins (27 Georgia) All Pro
RDE Michael Johnson (28 Geo Tech)
LLB AJ Hawk (31 Ohio St)
MLB Ray Maualuga (28 USC )
RLB Vontaze Burfict (25 Ariz St)
LCB Dre Kirkpatrick (26 Alabama)
RCB Pac Man Jones (32 W Virginia)
SS George Iloka (25 Boise St)
FS Reggie Nelson (32 Florida)
K Mike Nugent (33 Ohio St)
P Kevin Huber (30 Cincinnti)
KR/PR Brandon Tate (28 UNC)
It's the Burfict/Pac Man Bengals, second best defense in football in '15; Geno Atkins is an All Pro in that Warren Sapp role. He and Carlos Dunlap combine for nearly 25 sacks. Reggie Nelson had 8 picks. AJ Hawk is here - and on the Packer team that awaits the winner of this matchup. The Bengals don't quite have the defense the '02 Bucs sports - but the offense is stronger; 7th in the NFL. Andy Dalton's 28, 25 scores and 7 picks. Jeremy Hill/AJ Green/Tyler Eifert all had double digit TDs.
Bucs v. Bengals in the 4/13. Let's kick it off.
First Quarter
Bengals will start at their own 17.
And go 3 and out. Punt will have the Bucs starting at their own 44.
1/10-Mike Alstott gets a yard.
2/9-Michael Pittman picks up 5.
3/4-Michael Pittman takes a pitch and goes 15 yards to the right. Bucks at the Bengal 35.
1/10-Alsott is met by Geno Atkins at the line of scrimmage.
2/10-9 more for Pittman
3/1-Alstott gets 2 and another first down at the 24.
1/10-Brad Johnson throws the first pass of the game, it's 7 yards to Rickey Dudley.
2/3- a holding penalty takes the Bucs back 10
2/13-Aaron Stecker gets a carry and goes for 11.
3/2 - Pittman's stacked up by that Bengal line - Bucs aren't going for it - Martin Gramatica hits the 33 yard FG.
The Bengals open at their own 7 after the kick with 6:54 left.
And again - go 3 and out. Bengals have 2 yards total in 2 drives.
Good return by Karl Williams, Bucs start at the Bengal 38 with 5:18 left.
1/10-Pittman gets a yard.
2/9-Alstott gets a yard.
3/8- Johnson hits Pittman out of the backfield, he makes his way to a 12 yard gain and a first down at the 24. 3:18 left.
1/10-Pittman gets 1
2/9-Keyshawn Johnson breaks open - Brad Johnson hits him for a 20 yard strike that gets the Bucs all the way to the 1 yard line.
1/goal-Michael Pittman's in the end zone TOUCHDOWN BUCS and after the XP it's 10-0; Bengals will get the ball at their own 11. 1:01 left.
1/10-Incomplete
2/10-Bengals back up 10 yards on penalties.
2/20 from the Bengals 1 yard line. Giovani Bernard gets 8 yards.
3/12-Cedric Peerman runs for 12 yards - it's a first down as the quarter ends.
2nd Quarter
Bucs 10 Bengals 0 - Bengals have 1st down at their own 21 yard line.
1/10-5 yard run for Jeremy Hill
2/5-It's an end around for Mohamed Sanu, he picks up 10 and the Bengals have first down at the 36.
1/10-Andy Dalton completes his first pass, it's to Tyler Eiferrt for 10 and the Bengals are moving the ball.
1/10-Gio Bernard hits a 9 yard run.
2/1-Dalton finds AJ Green for 10 - another first down and Cincinati is at the Bucs 35.
1/10-Hill is stacked up at the line
2/10-Booger McFarland just buries Dalton, 7 yard sack.
3/17-Draw play to Bernard, just a yard - that's super conservative, Bengals will punt - it's a good one, Bucs will start at their own 3 yard line. 9:36 left.
1/10-Incomplete
2/10-Johnson finds Joe Jurevicius for 12 and the Bucs are out of the shadow of the end zone.
1/10-Bucs go deep - Brad to Keyshawn --- 56 yard gain - just a real bomb - Bucs all the way to the Bengal 29 yard line.
1/10-Pittman gets 1
2/9-Alstott gets 1
3/8-Johnson hits Pittman for an 8 yard gain and that's a first down at the Cincinnati 19, 5:59 left.
1/10-Alstott gets 1
2/9-Johnson to Johnson - Brad hits Keyshawn over the middle and he glides into the endzone - TOUCHDOWN BUCS -- and Tampa is romping, 17-0 after the kick.
Bengals to start at the 33 with 4:58 left - hard to see a great path to a comeback against the Bucs defense.
3 and out including a Warren Sapp sack.
Bengals punt, Bucs start at their own 40, 2:40 left.
1/10-Pittman gets 4.
2/6-Incomplete
3/6-Johnson to Keenan McCardell for 9, Bucs keeping their foot on the gas, they stop the clock with 1:50 left at the Bengal 47.
1/10-Johnson to Ken Dilger for 17, Bucs are at the 30 with 1:42 left. Holding call backs them up 10.
1/20-Incomplete, then an offsides call moves the Bucs up 5.
2/15 - Carlos Dunlap sack, 7 yard loss.
3/22 - Johnson finds Keenan McCardell for 29 yards -- all the way to the Cincinnati 13 yard line and with 59 seconds left in the half, the Bucs have first down.
1/10- Johnson to the end zone --- Rickey Dudley -- TOUCHDOWN BUCS Tampa is just lighting the Bengals up in this one; it is 24-0 after the kick.
Bengals will get the ball with 45 seconds left at the 25 -- and they go 3 and out with a Simeon Rice sack, Cincinnati losing a yard on the drive - Tampa will get a couple incomplete passes in after the punt -- but we go to the half with Tampa leading 24-0
Third Quarter
A real whipping here in Tampa; the Bucs are the first SB Champion to play in the tournament and they are playing like it - a real concern was that defensive teams were likely to struggle dispropotionately and that sure isn't the case today. Bucs 24 Bengals 0
Tampa opens at the 26.
1/10-Johnson to Pittman, 8 yards.
2/2-Alstott gets 1
3/1-35 yard run for Michael Pittman to the Bengal 30.
1/10-Incomplete
2/10-3 for Alstott
3/7-Johnson to McCardell for 7 and a first down at the 20 with 11:19 left.
1/10-Incomplete
2/10-Johnson to McCardell at the 5 - he breaks a tackle and is into the endzone -- TOUCHDOWN BUCS - Tampa picks up right where they left off and now it is 31-0 and it is a laugher.
After the kick and a penalty on the receiving team the Bengals will start from their own 3 yard line with 10:19 left in the quarter.
And again - the Bengals go 3 and out. A dominant performance by Tampa.
Tampa will take over at the Bengal 41 yard line, 8:41 left.
1/10-Pittman gets 3.
2/7-Aaron Stecker busts a 32 yard run all the way down to the Cincinnati 6 yard line.
1/goal - Incomplete
2/goal-Jameel Cook gets a run, he goes all the way to just inches from the end zone.
3/goal - Play fake - Alstott dives over the top - the Bengals bite and Johnson finds a wide open Keyshawn Johnson in the end zone - TOUCHDOWN BUCS and after the kick it is 38-0 and the 2002 Bucs have put Region 1 on notice.
6:27 left, Bengals will start at their own 7 yard line.
Yet again - 3 and out.
Bucs will open at the Bengal 44, just 5:02 left. Bucs go 3 and out including a Michael Johnson sack. good run back by Brandon Tate and the Bengals will take over at the Tampa 33 with 3:12 left. Deepest possession of the day for the Bengals
1/10-Hill gets 4
2/6-Hill gets 3
3/3-Dalton finds AJ Green for 11 yards.
1/10-Gio Bernard stopped at the line.
2/10-Bernard stopped again as the qtr ends.
Fourth Quarter
38-0 Bucs, just a matter of what the final score will be; Bengals at the Tampa 16 with a third and ten.
3/10 Dalton to Hill for 1 yard; Bengals decide to take some points as opposed to going for it and Mike Nugent puts them on the board. 38-3
Tampa regains possession at their own 34, 14:03 to play.
1/10-Pittman gains 3.
2/7 - Foot on the pedal - Johnson to Johnson for 27. Bucs at the Bengal 36.
1/10-Alstott loses a yard.
2/11-Alstott gains a yard.
3/10-Johnson to Jurevicius for 27 more - bucs to the 9 with 10:44 to play.
1/goal-Alstott to the 3.
2/goal-Darian Barnes stopped at the line.
3/goal-Barnes again stuffed. Gruden wants the points and another Gramatica kick makes it 41-3
8:29 left, Bengals start at their own 39. Full garbage time now.
1/10-Dalton to Eifert for 9.
2/1-Gio Bernard gains 20.
1/10-Dalton to AJ Green for 14, Bengals to the Tampa 18.
1/10-Dalton scrambles for a 1 yd gain
2/9 Hill gains 5
3/3 Dalton to Sanu for 5, Bucs have first and goal at the 7, 6:26 left.
1/goal - Dalton to Marvin Jones in the end zone - TOUCHDOWN BENGALS - the XP is good, with 6:03 ledt, Tampa will start at their own 35 -- Rob Johnson is the new Bucs QB.
3 and out. Bengals regain possession at their own 34, 3:36 left.
1/10-Incomplete
2/10-Incomplete
3/10- Dalton to Sanu for 14. 3:20 left.
1/10-Incomplete.
2/10-Incomplete
3/10-Incomplete - Tampa's offsides on the next play.
4/5 - Sack - Derrick Brooks brings down Dalton just before the 2 minute warning - the Bucs are going to burn clock and we've hit the end of the game.
Final: BUCS 41 BENGALS 10
From the play in game through the 12/5, each game has been tight throughout and the final margin within a score. Not this one - the 4th seed in region 1, the 2002 Super Bowl Champion Bucs, just butchered the 13th seeded Bengals - which is great; my primary concerns with the simulation was that defensive minded teams were not going to compete as well as is ideal and that ultra modern teams would be overly represented as the tournament moved on. I don't know yet about the second but the first concern is put to bed - if the 2002 Bucs played the 2015 Bengals, this sure feels like the game we'd see. 15 more minutes of possession for Tampa, Bengals held to 72 yards in the air.
Johnson: 17-27 296 yds 4 TD
Dalton 10-20 89 yds 1 TD
Pittman: 16 carries, 102 yards, 1 TD
Bernard 8 carries, 37 yds
Johnson: 5 catches, 128 yds, 2 TD
Green: 5 catches, 44 yds
Warren Sapp - 2 sacks
Reggie Nelson/AJ Hawk- 10 tackles
Player of the Game - BRAD JOHNSON
So, that's the top half of Region One. Advancing to Round 2:
2015 Chiefs at 2007 Patriots
2014 Packers at 2002 Bucs
Bottom half of Region 1 is next.
