If you just look at the records of the teams coming into this football game you would think the Patriots would kill the Bengals……not so fast my friend!  The Bengals lost two tough games on the road but this game is in the Jungle where the kitties tend to be vicious! 

The Patriots have been clicking on all cylinders on offense as they are averaging 151.7 yards rushing per game and 289.3 yards passing per game.  The Bengals defense is soft at defending both the run (145.0 yards per game) and the pass (257.7 yards per game) so the Patriots should have no problems moving the football.  Look for the Patriots to run the ball a little more this week to attempt to control the clock and keep the Bengals offense on the sidelines.  Laurence Maroney (252 yards rushing, 4.7 ypc) and Sammy Morris (151 yards rushing, 4.6 ypc, 2 TDs) will pose a serious challenge to the Front Seven of the Bengals’ defense.  Tom Brady has been remarkable this season and he will likely not have much of a problem shredding the defense of the Bengals.  WRs Randy Moss (22 rec, 403 yards, 5 TDs) and Wes Welker (20 rec, 221 yards, TD) will both have good games getting down the field against the Bengals.  But, TE Ben Watson (9 rec, 75 yards, 3 TDs) and Dontae’ Stallworth (4 rec, 64 yards) will be the secret weapons of the Patriots on Monday Night.

The Bengals would prefer to run the football this week to keep the Patriots offense off the field.  That will be easier said than done as they will be without Rudi Johnson.  Kenny Watson will step in for Johnson and he has played well this season as he has carried the ball 9 times for 60 yards (6.7 ypc) with 1 TD run.  The Patriots do have an outstanding run defense as they are only allowing 74.0 yards rushing per game and 3.4 yards per carry this year.  If the Bengals offensive line can give Carson Palmer time to throw the ball they will have success throwing the football.  WRs Chad Johnson (25 rec, 442 yards, 3 TDs) and T.J. Houshmandzadeh (29 rec, 260 yards, 4 TDs) give the Bengals one of the best pairs of receivers in the league and they will play well this Monday Night.

PREDICTION:  I have more faith in the Patriots defense’s ability to stop the Bengals on offense a couple of times.  Look for the Bengals to fight hard at home and lost by less than a TD.

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Rudi Johnson might miss the game on Monday Night against the Patriots due to a hamstring injury that caused him to leave last weeks game against the Seahawks.  Johnson has not been himself so far this season as he has carried the ball 58 times for 177 yards (3.1 ypc) and he has also caught 8 passes for 92 yards (11.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  If Johnson can’t go, Kenny Watson will take over as the main back for the Bengals.  Watson has carried the ball 9 times for 60 yards (6.7 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also has caught 2 passes for 2 yards (1.0 avg) so far this season.  The Bengals have also signed running back de de Dorsey who was with them in past seasons which helps because he knows the playbook.

The Bengals came close again yesterday, but the bottom line is it was just another loss.  QB Carson Palmer completed 27 of 43 passes for 342 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 big interceptions.  Kenny Watson replaced an injured Rudi Johnson and he was outstanding with 9 carries for 60 yards (6.7 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Rudi Johnson had one of the worst games of his NFL career before leaving with a hamstring injury as he carried the ball 17 times for 9 yards (0.5 ypc).  WRs T.J. Houshmandzadeh (12 rec, 141 yards, TD) and Chad Johnson (9 rec, 138 yards) both were outstanding again like they have been all season long.  The Bengals finished up with 84 yards rushing on 30 carries (2.8 ypc) and they completed 27 of 43 passes for 328 yards.

The defense played better against the Seahawks than they did last week but that’s not really saying too much.  New addition Dhani Jones led the Bengals with 7 tackles after being signed after the Browns debacle last week.  Safety Madieu Williams also had a solid game with 6 tackles and a interception.  The Seahawks finished up with 102 yards rushing (4.1 ypc) and they completed 24 of 37 passes for 238 yards.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=270923026

This game will likely be a shootout as both teams have good offenses and below average defenses.  The Bengals would love to run the football with Rudi Johnson (168 rushing yards) against a Seahawks defense that is allowing 111.0 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry.  The Bengals would love to control the clock and they their defense on the sidelines.  But the Bengals won’t be able to resist throwing the ball against the small corners of the Seahawks.  Chad Johnson (16 rec, 304 yards, 3 TDs) and T.J. Houshmandzadeh (17 rec, 119 yards, 3 TDs) should both have field days against the Seahawks secondary.  The Seahawks had better blitz Carson Palmer if they are going to stop the Bengals because if he has time in the pocket he’s going to dissect this defense.

The Seahawks will likely have the same offensive gameplan that the Bengals will trot out.  The Bengals defense has allowed 166.5 yards rushing per game and 6.1 yards per carry so far this season.  RB Shaun Alexander is probably licking his chops thinking about Sunday as he has 175 yards rushing this season with 2 TD runs.  The Bengals will also have to try to blitz Hasselbeck because if he has time to throw he will have a good game.  Bobby Engram (8 rec, 135 yards), Deion Branch (7 rec, 122 yards) and Nate Burleson (4 rec, 80 yards) could all have good days against a Bengals defense that is allowing 267.5 yards passing per game.

PREDICTION:  The Seahawks will get a stop or two on defense in this game.  The same can not be said about the Bengals so look for the Seahawks to win a high-scoring, thrilling football game.

Sure, Carson Palmer’s last pass last week was picked off and the Bengals lost the game…..but he still threw for 401 yards and had 6 TD passes so you can’t blame him for the loss last week.  Palmer has now completed 53 of 82 passes (64.6%) for 595 yards with 8 TD passes and 2 interceptions (108.5 QB Rating) so far this season.  Look for him to keep playing at a high level as he will make a run at the MVP Award this season.

The Bengals had to make a move to improve the defense and that’s the reason for the signing of linebacker Dhani Jones.  Jones played in all 16 games last season for the Eagles and he made 76 tackles, defensed 6 passes and had 1/2 a sack.  Jones has now played in 95 games in his NFL career and he has made 415 tackles, defensed 27 passes, has 4 sacks, forced a fumble and has 4 interceptions.  The Bengals hope they can get Jones up to speed soon because he should battle for a starting job at some point in the season.

What an amazing display of offense that the Bengals had on Sunday racking up 531 yards against the Browns.  The problem is that the Browns rolled up an amazing 554 yards to beat the Bengals.  The Bengals had a chance to win this football game but Carson Palmer was picked off by Leigh Bodden to end all hope for the Bengals late in the 4th quarter.  Still, Palmer was amazing on Sunday as he completed 33 of 50 passes for 401 yards with 6 TD passes and 2 interceptions.  Rudi Johnson was also very productive as he carried the ball 23 times for 118 yards (5.1 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 33 yards (8.3 avg) with 1 TD reception.  WR Chad Johnson was unstoppable as he caught 11 passes for 209 yards (19.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Johnson also made good on a promise to jump into the Dawg Pound if he scored a TD at that end of the stadium and as expected he got a gigantic beer bath!  T.J. Houshmandzadeh also had an excellent game as he caught 8 passes for 69 yards (8.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Unknown WR Glenn Holt also had an outstanding game as he caught 5 passes for 52 yards and a TD.  The Bengals finished up with 137 yards rushing on 26 carries (5.3 ypc) and they also completed 33 of 50 passes for 394 yards.

The defense was so awful against the Browns that no one player stood out.  The Bengals couldn’t stop Jamal Lewis who rushed for 216 yards on 27 carries (8.0 ypc) with a TD run against them Sunday.  They couldn’t stop QB Derek Anderson and his receiving crew as he threw for 328 yards and he had 5 TD passes.  The Browns finished up with 226 yards on 30 carries (7.5 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 33 passes for 328 yards.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=270916005

The Battle of Ohio.  That sounds good in theory but it was not a battle at all last season as the Bengals swept the Browns by a combined score of 64-17 last season.  The Bengals even thumped the Browns 30-0 on their home field last season!  The Bengals travel to Cleveland after getting a big win on Monday Night 27-20 over the division rival Baltimore Ravens.  The Browns are coming off a 34-7 drubbing at the hands of the hated Pittsburgh Steelers.  The Bengals will likely feed the rock to RB Rudi Johnson who will find the Browns defense much softer than the Ravens.  Johnson only had 50 yards on 18 carries (2.8 ypc) last week against the Ravens but the Browns allowed 206 yards rushing on 42 carries (4.9 ypc)!  After the Bengals push the Browns around a little and soften them up look for QB Carson Palmer (100.3 QB Rating) to attack the Browns pass defense which allowed Ben Roethlisberger to throw 4 TD passes last week.  Chad Johnson promises a spectacular Cleveland celebration if/when he scores a TD.  He caught 5 passes for 95 yards and a TD against the Ravens.  T.J. Houshmandzadeh also had a solid game with 9 grabs for 50 yards and a TD against the Ravens and he also could have a huge game against the Browns.

The Browns only hope in this football game on offense is to attack the Bengals run defense which looked a little soft against the Ravens.  The Ravens rushed for 107 yards on 25 carries (4.3 ypc) against the Bengals defense.  The line must block well against the Bengals who will likely have 8 men in the box to try to stop Jamal Lewis.  Lewis had a rough time against the Steelers as he carried the ball 11 times for 35 yards (3.2 ypc) and he lost a fumble.  The Browns line allowed 6 sacks last week but only one after Derek Anderson entered the game. If the Browns give him time to throw he could have some success against the Bengals secondary.  Braylon Edwards needs to start putting up on the field or he needs to shut up.  He only caught 3 passes for 49 yards (16.3 avg) and he also lost a fumble.  It will be interesting to see if he has a good game or not against a team that can be passed on.  The key matchup however will be the Bengals safeties against TE Kellen Winslow who had a solid opening game.  He caught 4 passes for 83 yards (20.8 avg) and the Browns will need production like that from him again to have any chance to put up a fight with the Bengals.  It’s very possible that the Brady Quinn era could start during this game as Romeo Crennel has said that he will yank Anderson if things don’t go well.

PREDICTION:  The Bengals will kick the Browns butt up and down the field.  The Bengals took the fight to the Ravens on Monday Night and if the Browns get hit in the mouth like that….they will back down.  Tune in late to see Brady Quinn’s first passes of his NFL career.

I was amazed last night as I watched the Bengals win a football game because of their defense.  The Bengals forced the Ravens to turn the ball over 6 times last night.  DE Robert Geathers was all over the football field last night as he made 4 tackles, had a sack, a fumble recovery and he also intercepted a pass that he returned 30 yards.  DT Michael Myers only had 3 tackles and he also intercepted a pass at the Bengals’ 1-yard line to end the game.  Linebacker Landon Johnson was outstanding as he made 12 tackles and recovered 2 fumbles…one of which he returned 34 yards for a TD.  Safety Madieu Williams was also very active with 10 tackles and a fumble recovery.  The Ravens finished up with 107 yards rushing on 25 carries (4.3 ypc) and they completed 22 of 40 passes for 207 yards.

The offense played a good game despite not putting up a lot of yards against the Ravens.  Carson Palmer was sharp as he completed 20 of 32 passes for 194 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Rudi Johnson had a rough game as he carried the ball 18 times for 50 yards (2.8 ypc) and he also caught 3 passses for 26 yards.  WRs Chad Johnson (5 rec, 95 yards) and T.J. Houshmandzadeh (9 rec, 50 yards) each caught a TD pass but they took some wicked hits by the Ravens defense.  Overall, the Bengals finished up with 55 yards rushing on 23 carries (2.4 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 32 passes for 181 yards.  This was an outstanding win for the Bengals to start the season.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=270910004

I like the Bengals this season.  Carson Palmer’s knee will not be an issue this season and that’s bad news for the AFC North.  Look for WRs Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh to have huge seasons without Chris Henry the first half of the season.  Also, look for Rudi Johnson to have another outstanding season.  The problem with the Bengals this season is that their defense is going to stink……bad.  But, the offense will save the day in Cincinnati as they win 10 or more games in 2007.