The Bengals dominated a not very motivated Colts team on Thursday Night.  Ryan Fitzpatrick started this game for the Bengals and he was efficient in completing 5 of 8 passes for 44 yards with 1 TD pass (9-yarder to WR Glenn Holt).  He also carried the football 4 times for 35 yards (8.8 ypc).  Jeff Rowe had a solid game completing 7 of 11 passes for 67 yards.  Jordan Palmer was also semi-effective completing 4 of 7 passes for 43 yards and he also carried the football 1 time for 15 yards.  James Johnson led the Bengals in rushing in this game with 54 yards on 8 carries (6.8 ypc).  DeDe Dorsey also had a solid game with 9 carries for 38 yards (4.2 ypc) with a TD run (6-yarder).  Chris Perry was busy with 9 carries for 20 yards (2.2 ypc) with a 5-yard TD run.  The Bengals held onto the football for a amazing 35:56 in this football game.  The Bengals rushed for 171 yards on 38 carries (4.5 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 26 passes for 130 yards.

The Bengals shut out the Colts’ offense as they scored on a 103-yard kickoff return by Courtney Roby.  Cornerbacks Simeon Castille and David Jones along with safety Kyries Hebert led the way for the Bengals with 5 tackles apiece.  The Colts were held to 41 yards rushing on 19 carries (2.2 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 28 passes for 113 yards.  The Bengals finished up the preseason with a 2-2 record.

The Bengals were awful last Saturday Night at home against the Saints but the score should have been much worse.  Carson Palmer completed 11 of 16 passes for 105 yards but he had his nose broken in this game.  He should be good to go in the regular season opener however.  Ryan Fitzpatrick made a brief appearance as he completed 2 of 4 passes for 13 yards.  Jeff Rowe was solid on some dink and dunk passes completing 7 of 10 for 36 yards.  Carson Palmer’s little brother Jordan did not look too good in this game as he completed 1 of 2 passes for 6 yards and he tossed an interception.  Chris Perry was very busy for the Bengals in this game as he carried the football 12 times for 36 yards (3.0 ypc).  He also caught 4 passes for 22 yards (5.5 avg) against the Saints.  Ben Utecht was the leading receiver for the Bengals in this game with 4 catches for 49 yards (12.3 avg).  The Bengals finished up with 38 yards rushing on 17 carries (2.2 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 32 passes for 127 yards.

Linebacker Keith Rivers led a poor Bengals’ defensive effort with 8 tackles and a sack.  The Saints finished up with 145 yards rushing on 29 carries (5.0 ypc) and they also completed 27 of 42 passes for 313 yards.  The Bengals have to feel fortunate that this game didn’t count.

The Bengals have placed WR Marcus Maxwell on the Injured Reserve List due to a torn muscle.  This will hurt the depth of the Bengals’ WR corps but it isn’t as if Maxwell would be considered a difference maker on the offense.  The Bengals are probably really glad that they have re-signed Chris Henry due to injuries in the WR corps.

The Bengals swore up and down that Chris Henry was done with the Bengals due to his off the field actions.  But, with Chad Johnson’s shoulder banged up and none of the rookie WRs really stepping up the Bengals have re-signed Chris Henry.  Henry will have to sit out the first four games of the NFL season due to an NFL suspension.  The 25-year old Henry played in 8 games for the Bengals last season and he caught 21 passes for 343 yards (15.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  No one questions Henry’s talent on the field as he’s good enough to be a #1 WR for some teams and that’s why the Bengals bit the bullet and re-signed him.  Henry has now played in 35 games in his NFL career and he has caught 88 passes for 1,370 yards (15.6 avg) with 17 TD grabs.  If Henry sees the light and behaves the Bengals made a good move here but if he acts up Cincinnati will wish they never bothered with him.

The Bengals didn’t look too bad in the first three quarters but they were outscored 17-0 in the 4th quarter which cost them this game.  Carson Palmer was not at his best on Sunday Night as he completed 6 of 13 passes for 50 yards with 1 interceptions.  Backup QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was awesome in this game as he completed 11 of 14 passes for 111 yards with a 12-yard TD pass to WR Glenn Holt.  Fitzpatrick also carried the football 3 times for 31 yards (10.3 ypc) in this game.  Jeff Rowe finished up the game completing 8 of 14 passes for 101 yards.  Kenny Watson led the Bengals in rushing Sunday Night with 31 yards on 5 carries (6.2 ypc).  Chris Perry was also busy with 23 yards rushing on 7 carries (3.3 ypc) against the Lions.  Rookie WR Jerome Simpson led the Bengals in receiving in this game with 5 grabs for 114 yards (22.8 avg).  The Bengals finished up with 100 yards on 21 carries (4.8 ypc) in this game and they also completed 25 of 41 passes for 224 yards.

Linebackers Corey Mays (5 tackles) and Darryl Blackstock (4 tackles, sack) led the way for the Bengals’ defense in this game.  The Lions finished with 112 yards rushing on 31 carries (3.6 ypc) against the Bengals and they also completed 16 of 27 passes for 263 yards.