The Bengals played well on offense.  Carson Palmer had a good football game, completing 24 of 36 passes for 266 yards and 2 TDs.  RB Rudi Johnson only carried the ball 12 times for 46 yards (3.8 ypc) and a TD.  WR Chris Henry returned from his suspension, and it seemed like he had never left…catching 5 passes for 81 yards and a TD.  Chad Johnson caught 6 passes for 78 yards and a TD.  TJ Houshmandzadeh caught 6 passes for 70 yards.

DE Justin Smith had 10 tackles and a half sack, while LB Caleb Miller pitched in 9 tackles.  The Bengals had all kinds of trouble with the Falcons offense.  The Falcons ran the ball 38 times for 143 yards (3.8 ypc).  The Falcons completed 20 of 28 passes for 277 net yards thru the air.

The Bengals better either fix the defense OR run the football more on offense.

The Bengals are averaging 21.3 points per game this season, which is a little disappointing considering all the talent they have on the offensive side of the football.  The Bengals are only averaging 99.8 yards rushing per game and that needs to improve.  The passing game has been ok for the Cats averaging 215.0 net yards per game and completing 62.2% of their attempts.  Carson Palmer is looking more confident in the pocket every week.

The Bengals defense has been hammered by injury this season, but that’s no excuse.  The Bengals are allowing 18.8 points per game, which is pretty good considering how many yards they have allowed.  The Cats can’t stop the run as they allow 127.0 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.  The opponents average 199.0 net yards passing and complete 57.3% of their passes.

The Bengals really played well in the second half and pulled out a win against a good football team.  Carson Palmer completed 23 of 39 passes for 240 yards and 2 TDs.  RB Rudi Johnson carried the ball 26 times for 101 yards (3.9 ypc).  WR Chad Johnson caught 6 passes for 73 yards.  TJ Houshmandzadeh caught 7 passes for 61 yards and a TD.  TE Reggie Kelly caught 3 passes for 34 yards and a TD.

LB Caleb Miller led the charge on defense with 9 tackles.  DEs Robert Geathers and Justin Smith each had a sack.  The Bengals run defense really played well, holding the Panthers to 16 carries for 60 yards (3.8 ypc).  The Panthers completed 20 of 34 passes for 217 net yards passing.

This was a huge win for the Bengals, as they tied up the Ravens at the top of the AFC North.

This football game pits two teams against each other that are moving in different directions.  The Panthers are rolling and have won 4 straight games, while the Bengals have lost their last two games.

The Panthers are starting to click on offense.  Steve Smith is finally healthy and that will cause huge problems for the Bengals defense.  Smith already has 31 receptions for 450 yards this season.  But the Panthers will not come out throwing in this game….not with the Bengals run defense allowing 140.4 yards per game and 4.7 yards per carry!  Look for DeShaun Foster to have a huge game against the Bengals defense.  Foster has 431 yards rushing (3.8 ypc) this season and will add many more by the time this game is over.  QB Jake Delhomme has played well this season (1,343 yards passing, 83 QB rating).  Look for Delhomme to throw the ball after the Panthers establish their running game.  Smith and Keyshawn Johnson (32 rec, 419 yards) form a deadly combination at wide-out so the Bengals DBs will have their hands full.

When the Bengals have the football, look for them to try to run the ball with Rudi Johnson (405 yards rushing) against a Panther run defense that is allowing 115.0 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.  Also, look for Carson Palmer (1,178 yards passing, 90.1 QB rate) to throw short passes to TJ Houshmandzadeh (23 rec, 291 yards) and Chad Johnson (24 rec, 300 yards) because the line has had trouble with protecting on long passes.  Palmer has already been sacked 17 times this season, and DE Julius Peppers already has 8 sacks by himself! 

This should be a good football game that will probably be decided by who protects the football better…..Jake Delhomme or Carson Palmer. 

The Cincinnati Bengals are bleeding. It’s not life threatening but the team has a wound and it needs time to heal. It isn’t necessary for a doctor to treat it, but they do need to protect it from getting worse. They need a Band-Aid. And Johnson & Johnson should be their brand of choice.

Running back Rudi Johnson and wide receiver Chad Johnson need to be moved to the forefront of the Cincinnati Bengals game plan. The playmakers of 2005 have yet to make a real impact this year, and the season isn’t getting any younger.

Now is the time to get them the ball!

With this week’s upcoming game versus the Carolina Panthers the Bengals need to inject a cure into their sickly offense. That means a heavy dose of J & J.

Carolina has a tough defense, spear-headed by current NFL sack leader, defensive end Julius Peppers. The Bengals have a banged up offensive line reconstructed out of reserve players. They need confidence. They have to build up their immunities against the pass rush. Keeping Carolina off pivot Carson Palmer’s back would be a good remedy.

The play callers need to keep Peppers honest or he could be settling into the Bengals backfield like a staph infection.

The best way to keep the Carolina fever down is to get Rudi Johnson involved early and often. He is averaging about 20 carries and 80 yards a game, but he needs to get 25 or more to be truly effective. Over the last three games, which have included a narrow win and two losses, he has had 19, 14 and 17 carries.

The offense needs to do more than just hand him the ball and hope to move straight ahead. It also has to incorporate Johnson into the game plan by using a few screens and draws. These types of plays would be a good deterrent against a Panthers team that if not challenged could lock into over pursuing the quarterback.

Establishing Rudi Johnson is vital. If the Bengals can get the Panthers to crowd the box it will allow the other Johnson, receiver Chad to stretch the defense. Carolina has shown some susceptibility to the long ball, and although Carolina’s defensive backs are physical, Chad Johnson has the height, speed and athletic advantage over either corner Chris Gamble or Ken Lucas.

Carson Palmer needs to put an emphasis on trying to get the ball into Chad Johnson’s hands. It is time for the Stoppable, er, I mean,Unstoppable One to get into the end zone. He has to become more than a decoy. It has to be demonstrated that Chad Johnson is an integral part of the game plan. Any time there is one-on-one isolation quarterback Carson Palmer has to put faith in his patchwork line and try to work the ball deep downfield.

If the Bengals use Johnson & Johnson effectively they will get a much needed win and come Monday morning they can take off the Band-Aid and find that only a little scar from two consecutive losses remains. If not, it may be time to head to the emergency room.

Like this article? View my others Bengals entries,Bengals try to avoid Bye Week Blues! and Bucs got the Bengals by the tail! at RealFootball365.com.   

Last year, Madieu Williams missed alot of the season due to injury.  He’s back with a vengeance this season.  Williams has 32 tackles and 2 interceptions this year.  The Bengals are fortunate that he’s stayed healthy as the defense has been ransacked by injury.

This is simply…a shocking result!  The Bengals came out flat and the Bucs wanted the game more.  Carson Palmer’s numbers looked good for the game, but he really couldn’t get much going.  Palmer completed 24 of 37 passes for 261 yards and a TD.  The Bucs supposedly “soft” run defense bottled up Rudi Johnson all day and held him to 52 yards of 17 carries (3.1 ypc).  TJ Houshmandzadeh had a good game, including an amazing TD catch.  TJ caught 10 passes for 102 yards.  Chad Johnson also had a decent game catching 6 passes for 99 yards.

Rookie linebacker Ahmad Brooks had a good game for the Bengals with 11 tackles and a pass defensed.  Linebacker Landon Johnson pitched in 10 tackles.  Safety Madieu Williams had 11 tackles.  Defensive Ends Robert Geathers and Justin Smith each had a sack.  The Bucs still ran the ball well against the Bengals defense, despite all of those tackles.  The Bucs ran the ball 25 times for 126 yards (5.0 ypc).  The Bucs also completed 25 of 44 passes for 174 net yards passing, including the game-winning TD with 35 seconds left.

This was quite a disappointing game for Bengals fans.

Second string QB Anthony Wright will be out 2-3 weeks after undergoing an appendectomy on Friday.  Doug Johnson, who played well in the pre-season, will take over as Carson Palmer’s back-up until Anthony Wright is ready to return.

At first glance, this game looks like a mis-match….but when you look a little closer it looks like this could be a good football game.  The Bengals had their bye last week, and need it after the Patriots destroyed them 38-13 on their home field.   The Bengals also need it to give some key players time to heal.  The Bucs should have won last week, if not for Reggie Bush’s 65 yard TD return of a punt in the 4th quarter.

The Bengals are the kind of team that gives the Bucs defense a hard time.  The Bucs are the small and fast kind of defense, while the Bengals are bullies that try to beat you up.  The Bucs are gonna have a hard time dealing with big Rudi Johnson who is averaging 88.3 yards rushing per game this season.  The Bucs defense is softer than a roll of Charmin against the run, allowing 163.3 yards rushing per game and 5.0 yards per carry.  The Bengals will definately come out running on Sunday, and they’ll do it until the Bucs prove they can stop it.  The Bengals have problems in their pass protection as Carson Palmer has been sacked 15 times and that has led to five fumbles (3 of which he lost), so look for the Bucs to blitz a little more than usual.  They must get to Palmer because he has an excellent receiving crew led by Chad Johnson and TJ Houshmandzadeh.

The Cadillac (Carnell Williams) finally got into gear last week, as he rushed for 111 yards against the Saints.  Williams should get a chance to carry the load against a Bengals run defense that is allowing 144.0 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.  Look for the Bucs to throw the ball a little bit after the run is established.  Bruce Gradkowski played well last week, but the Bengals secondary is much better than the one the Saints have.  The Bengals have held opposing QBs to a 62.5 Qb rating so far this season.  The Bengals have 10 sacks and 7 interceptions this season, so Gradkowski will have to be careful throwing the ball.  I’m pretty sure the Bengals will be double-covering Joey Galloway the whole game and force Gradkowski to throw to someone else.

Their is a slight chance here for an upset, but I’m going with the Bengals in this football game.  It could be closer than most people think because both teams should be running the ball.