Carson Palmer decided that he couldn’t give it a go today due to a sore elbow so Ryan Fitzgerald got the start at QB and he was awful.  He completed 21 of 35 passes for 156 yards with 1 TD pass and 3 interceptions.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 41 yards (10.3 ypc) but he lost a fumble on a sack.  Chris Perry had another bad game rushing for 28 yards on 12 carries (2.3 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 15 yards (3.0 avg).  Perry also lost a fumble in this football game.  T.J. Houshmandzadeh led the Bengals in receiving again this week with 6 grabs for 50 yards (8.3 avg).  Chad Johnson caught 3 passes for 28 yards (9.3 avg) with a TD grab and he also recovered a Eric Wright fumble on a interception return for the Browns.  The Bengals finished up with 69 yards rushing on 16 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 35 passes for 142 yards.

The defense actually didn’t play that bad against the Browns today.  Linebackers Dhani Jones (9 tackles) and Keith Rivers (8 tackles) led the way for the Bengals on defense in this game.  Safety Chinedum Ndukwe also was very active for the Bengals in this game with 6 tackles, a sack and a interception.  The Browns finished up with 134 yards rushing on 40 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 24 passes for 127 yards.  The Bengals fell to 0-4 on the season with this loss.

The Battle of Ohio has lost some of it’s luster this season as both the Bengals and Browns are both 0-3 on the season.  Still, this is a crucial game for both teams as they need to turn things around soon before the season is lost.  If the Browns’ coaches have been watching the game film of the Bengals’ defense (questionable) then they will no doubt want to run the football in this game.  The Bengals are allowing a stunning 174.3 yards rushing per game this season and Jamal Lewis has torched them many times in his career.  The Bengals only have 1 sack this season so Derek Anderson will likely have a lot of time to throw the football tomorrow so he has no excuses left.  If he starts this game poorly he will get yanked for 2nd year QB Brady Quinn.  The Browns should focus the passing game around TE Kellen Winslow seeing how Braylon Edwards hands appear to be made of concrete this season.

The Bengals will probably come out firing the football around the field as long as Carson Palmer’s elbow holds up.  The Browns don’t have much of a pass rush and they are starting two second year CBs who are on a learning curve.  Chad Johnson is barking that he’s feeling better and is ready to breakout but I’ll believe it when I see it.  T.J. Houshmandzadeh is back based on his great game of last week and he will likely give the Browns’ secondary fits tomorrow.  The Bengals feel that Chris Perry could have a big game against a Browns’ defense that is allowing 145.0 yards rushing and 4.1 yards per carry this season.

PREDICTION:  CINCINNATI BENGALS 31, CLEVELAND BROWNS 20

The Bengals have signed 29-year old CB Jamar Fletcher to a 1-year contract.  Due to the injury to Jonathan Joseph the Bengals had to add another CB.  Fletcher played in 10 games (2 starts) for the Texans last season and he made 19 tackles and defensed 3 passes.  Fletcher has now played in 94 games (10 starts) in his NFL career and he has made 177 tackles, has 1 sack, defensed 23 passes and he intercepted 7 (including 1 that he returned for a TD). 

The Bengals will be without starting CB Jonathan Joseph tomorrow against the Cleveland Browns due to a ankle injury.  Joseph had 8 tackles, has defensed 4 passes and he has a fumble recovery that he returned for a TD this season.  He’s a playmaker while his replacement is not.  David Jones will start in Joseph’s place against the Browns who will be sure to throw the ball his direction.  Jones has 9 tackles and he has defended 1 pass this season.

Carson Palmer got off to a rough start this season for the Bengals.  He has been sacked 9 times this season already and he had a tough time trying to figure out the defense of the Ravens and Titans in the first two weeks of the season.  But, Palmer played very well against the Giants last week and he owns the Cleveland Browns (this week’s opponent).  Palmer has completed 52 of 90 passes (57.8%) for 514 yards with 1 TD pass and 3 interceptions (63.8 QB Rating).  The Bengals lack of a running game (86.7 yards per game, 3.3 ypc) has not helped Palmer as teams are coming after him with blitzes.  Still, look for Palmer to really take off this week against the Browns.

The Bengals brought their A-game on Sunday in New Jersey and they fell just a field goal short against the World Champions.  Carson Palmer was on as he completed 27 of 39 passes for 286 yards with a TD pass.  He also carried the football 3 times for 23 yards (7.7 ypc).  Chris Perry also had his best game of the season carrying the ball 20 times for 74 yards (3.7 ypc) with a TD run.  He also caught 2 passes for 19 yards (9.5 avg) against the Giants.  T.J. Houshmandzadeh had a huge game for the Bengals catching 12 passes for 146 yards (12.2 avg) with a TD grab.  Fellow WR Antonio Chatman pitched in with 6 catches for 70 yards (11.7 avg).  The Bengals finished up with 102 yards rushing on 27 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 27 of 39 passes for 245 yards.

The Bengals didn’t play too well on defense against the Giants.  Linebacker Dhani Jones led the way for the Bengals with 12 tackles.  Fellow LB Richard Jeanty pitched in with 10 tackles.  CB David Jones was also busy with 9 tackles on Sunday.  The Giants finished up with 117 yards rushing on 25 carries (4.7 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 43 passes for 289 yards.  The Bengals fell to 0-3 on the season with the Battle of Ohio round #1 set for this Sunday in Cincinnati.

The Cincinnati Bengals and New York Giants are two teams heading in totally different directions right now.  The Bengals are 0-2 having been outscored 41-17 by the Ravens and Titans.  The Giants have won both of their games by a combined score of 57-20 over the Redskins and Rams.  The Bengals’ offense appears lost right now as they are averaging only 184.5 yards of offense per game.  The bad news for the kitties is that the Giants are only allowing 205.0 yards per game this season.  The Bengals should just come out passing against the Giants and try to get a lead on them.  Sure, Carson Palmer is off to a tough start but he could have success if given time to throw.  The Bengals have only allowed 3 sacks this season but the Giants have 7 already.  Still, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson could give the Giants’ corners problems in this football game.

The Giants have to be foaming at the mouth watching the Bengals on film.  The Bengals are soft against the run as they are allowing 203.0 yards rushing per game and 4.7 ypc.  This means the Giants will try to push them around with Brandon Jacobs (209 yards rushing), Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw.  That doesn’t mean that Eli Manning won’t make the Bengals pay for sneaking up into the box to stop the run.  Manning has looked sharp this season and Plaxico Burress (15 rec, 214 yards, TD) is a huge mis-match for the secondary of the Bengals.

PREDICTION:  NEW YORK GIANTS 30, CINCINNATI BENGALS 13

The Bengals have signed 26-year old linebacker Abdul Hodge to the practice squad.  He played in 8 games (1 start) for the Packers as a rookie last season and he made 10 tackles and defensed two passes.  The Bengals were smart to take a chance on Hodge who can help out the run defense of the Bengals if he can stay healthy.  After all, the Bengals have allowed a whopping 406 yards rushing in the first two games of the season.

The Bengals sucked again yesterday against the Titans.  Carson Palmer had another awful game as he completed 16 of 27 passes for 134 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 interceptions.  Chris Perry pitched in with 64 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.0 ypc) and he scored on a 13-yard TD run.  DeDe Dorsey only rushed for 10 yards on 3 carries (3.3 ypc) but he also caught 2 passes for 49 yards (24.5 avg).  Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson only had 4 grabs for 37 yards (9.3 avg) to lead the way in the passing game for the Bengals.  The Bengals finished up with 88 yards rushing on 28 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 27 passes for 127 yards.

The Bengals got pushed around on defense by the Titans who ran the ball right down their throats.  Linebacker Dhani Jones led the way for the Bengals in this game with 10 tackles.  S Marvin White, LB Keith Rivers and DT Domata Peko each pitched in with 8 tackles apiece.  The Titans finished up with 177 yards rushing on 41 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 21 passes for 118 yards.  The Bengals look pathetic this season as they are off to an 0-2 start.

This should be a good football game tomorrow.  The Titans got thrashed 35-6 by the Bengals last season so they will likely be looking for revenge in this game.  Kerry Collins will be starting for a injured Vince Young and that could change the way the Titans run the offense.  Collins is a classic dropback passer with a strong throwing arm so he will likely test the Bengals’ secondary deep a few times.  Make no mistake though, the Titans are going to attack the Bengals’ running defense which allowed 229 yards rushing last week against the Ravens who didn’t even have their starting running back (Willis McGahee) available for that game.  Rookie RB Chris Johnson is the speed merchant who will test the exterior of the Bengals’ Defense while LenDale White will pound away at the middle of the defense. 

The Bengals will have to protect QB Carson Palmer well against a defense that rolled up 7 sacks last week with most of them coming right up the middle.  If Palmer gets the time he needs to throw the ball look for T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Ocho Cinco to have good games against a Titans’ defense that allowed 215 passing yards last week.  The Bengals would like to get the running game going this week with Chris Perry and Kenny Watson but it will be tough against a Titans’ defense that only allowed 33 yards rushing and 1.9 yards per carry last week against the high powered Jags’ running attack. 

PREDICTION:  TENNESSEE TITANS 23, CINCINNATI BENGALS 17