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The Bengals have claimed kicker Aaron Elling off waivers from the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bengals added him to protect themselves against Shayne Graham’s injured hip. The Bengals better hope Graham’s injury isn’t serious because Elling is not that good of a kicker.
The Bengals made some key mistakes that cost them this football game. Lucky for them….it’s the pre-season. Carson Palmer looked very sharp as he completed 15 of 22 passes for 136 yards with 2 TD passes. Doug Johnson finished the game as he completed 5 of 11 passes for 89 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception. Rudi Johnson was running hard as he carried the football 13 times for 69 yards (5.3 ypc). Chad Johnson (5 rec, 83 yards, TD) and Chris Henry (2 rec, 62 yards, TD) both had outstanding games. The Bengals finished up with 17 carries for 86 yards (5.1 ypc) and they completed 20 of 33 passes for 213 yards.
The defense was tough against the run holding the Falcons to 74 yards rushing on 32 carries (2.3 ypc). But, they had problems defending the pass as the Falcons completed 22 of 32 passes for 223 yards.
This was just what the doctor ordered for the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals were hurting at linebacker so they jumped at the chance to bring in Marshall after the Redskins let him go. Marshall played in 15 games (all starts) last season with the Redskins and he made 104 tackles, had 1.5 sacks and defensed 3 passes. Marshall has now played in 75 games (45 starts) in his NFL career and he has made 290 tackles, has 5.5 sacks, has defensed 9 passes and he has 4 interceptions (one of which he returned for a TD). Look for him to battle for a starting job on the Bengals.
The Cincinnati Bengals have lost linebacker Eric Henderson for the season after placing him on Injured Reserve with a fractured wrist. The second year linebacker didn’t play a down for the Bengals as a rookie but he was playing well in the pre-season this year. He had 5 tackles and a sack in the first two pre-season games. This is a bad break for Henderson as the Bengals needed depth at linebacker.
The Bengals looked sluggish on offense and that’s what cost them the football game on Saturday. Carson Palmer didn’t look sharp as he completed 5 of 11 passes for 41 yards. Doug Johnson replaced Palmer and did a semi-decent job completing 14 of 23 passes for 99 yards. Rookie Jeff Rowe was impressive completing 6 of 9 passes for 56 yards and a TD. He also carried the football 2 times for 20 yards (10.0 ypc). Quincy Wilson led the way in the running game with 19 yards on 4 carries (4.8 ypc). Kenny Watson added 18 yards on 8 carries (2.3 ypc) and Rudi Johnson added 15 yards on 6 carries (2.5 ypc). WR Skyler Green looked sharp with 3 catches for 25 yards (8.3 avg) with a TD. The Bengals rushed for 87 yards on 27 carries (3.2 ypc) as a team and they completed 25 of 43 passes for 180 yards.
The defense looked good and bad. Against the run they were tough allowing only 67 yards rushing on 23 carries (2.9 ypc) but the Saints completed 27 of 38 passes for 216 yards. So the Bengals have some things to work on defensively.