This should be a interesting battle tomorrow afternoon.  The last time Kyle Orton played in a game he left with a dislocated finger on his throwing hand which is not a good thing for a QB.  The Broncos could decide to keep the ball on the ground tomorrow but I’m not so sure that’s the way to go.  With rookie Knowshon Moreno hurting the Broncos would have to lean on Correll Buckhalter.  No disrespect meant here but Buckhalter is a average running back at best and if the Bengals focus on him he will be stopped.  The Broncos really need Orton to be healthy enough so that the offense can have some balance to it.  Eddie Royal and Brandon Stokley would be the top 2 WRs right now but maybe Brandon Marshall is finally behaving himself.  If he is he could have a big game tomorrow.

Carson Palmer didn’t play much in the pre-season but he has declared himself healthy for tomorrow and that’s bad news for the Broncos.  The Broncos do have a nice set of CBs in Champ Bailey, Andre’ Goodman and rookie Alphonso Smith but they will have their hands full with Chad Ocho Cinco, Laveranues Coles and Chris Henry.  The Bengals won’t forget to run the ball with Cedric Benson against the very soft run defense that the Broncos still have.

PREDICTION:  CINCINNATI BENGALS 27, DENVER BRONCOS 17

The Bengals completely dominated this football game last night.  J.T. O’Sullivan was in and out of this game quickly as he completed both of his pass attempts for 23 yards with a TD.  Jordan Palmer finished up the game and he looked o.k. completing 8 of 16 passes for 75 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 interception.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 25 yards (12.5 ypc).  De De Dorsey had another huge game for the Bengals as he carried the ball 13 times for 68 yards (5.2 ypc).  He also returned a blocked punt 6 yards for a TD.  Brian Leonard was also effective carrying the ball 9 times for 64 yards (7.1 ypc) with a TD run.  He also caught 2 passes for 8 yards in this game.  The Bengals finished up with 389 total yards in this game (296 rushing, 93 passing) as they had possession of the football for 34:42. 

CB Morgan Trent and LB Jim Maxwell each had 6 tackles to led the way for the Bengals’ D which had six sacks.  The Colts finished up with only 205 total yards on offense (79 rushing, 126 passing).  The Bengals finished up the pre-season with a 2-2 record.

The Cincinnati Bengals have only allowed 15.7 points per game this pre-season which is good for 9th in the NFL.  They have allowed only 298.3 yards per game (also 9th in the league).  So are they for real or just a mirage?  I hate to be the bringer of bad news to Bengals’ fans but they only have 4 sacks so far and 0 interceptions.  I don’t see a lot of playmakers on the defense yet so I’m thinking they will still have problems this season.  On a bright note, linebacker Keith Rivers is leading the team in tackles with 14 and it’s good to see him back.  I’m sure he’ll be looking forward to playing the Steelers this season so he can get Hines Ward back.

The Bengals probably wouldn’t have signed Laveranues Coles in the off-season if they had faith that Chris Henry could stay out of trouble and motivated.  No one disputes Henry’s talent as he has the jets to get deep against anybody.  It’s all in Henry’s head as this is a man who has not realized his talent.  Henry has caught 13 passes for 217 yards (16.7 avg) with 3 TD grabs this pre-season already as he has been the go-to man.  The Bengals really need him to step up and be at least a solid #3 WR for them this season but he could beat out Coles if he keeps up the good work all year long.

All 25-year old De De Dorsey has ever done at the NFL level is play good football but he’s never really had an extended chance to prove himself.  He has played in 29 games (2 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 26 times for 191 yards (7.3 ypc)!  He also has caught 6 passes for 68 yards (11.3 avg) out of the backfield.  Dorsey is at it again this pre-season trying to win a job with the Bengals.  He has carried the ball 11 times for 87 yards (7.9 ypc) and he has returned 4 kickoffs for 97 yards (24.3 avg).  The Bengals should not only keep Dorsey on the final roster but they should give him some legit playing time as Cedric Benson is probably not the back of the future for this team.

The Bengals’ whole season hinges on the health of starting QB Carson Palmer.  Palmer has been banged up this whole pre-season as he has completed 7 of 11 passes (63.6%) for 133 yards with 0 TDs and 1 INT (67.6 QB Rating).  The Bengals didn’t go out in the off-season and get a truly solid backup QB and it has showed this pre-season with Palmer out.  J.T. O’Sullivan’s stats look good so far but the Bengals are only averaging a pathetic 11.7 points in three games this pre-season.  O’Sullivan has completed 26 of 37 passes (70.3%) for 335 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs (116.4 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 4 times for 29 yards (7.3 ypc).  Don’t let those shiny numbers fool you as O’Sullivan won the starting job for the 49ers last season only to lose it by turning the ball over a lot.  He’s only a tad better than Ryan Fitzgerald and that’s saying something.  Third stringer Jordan Palmer is assured of a roster spot because the Bengals want to keep his brother (Carson) happy.  The younger Palmer has completed 14 of 24 passes (58.3%) for 206 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 interceptions this pre-season (65.6 QB Rating).  If Jordan had to play an extended period of time I’m convinced the Bengals would be drafting in the top 3 in the NFL Draft.

The Bengals will be without 1st round pick Andre Smith for a while after he fractured his foot in his 2nd day of practice in a non-contact drill.  The Bengals gave Smith a $42 million dollar contract on Sunday.  The Bengals are depending on Smith bolstering the offensive line so they need him back as soon as possible.

The Bengals have placed TE Ben Utecht on the Injured Reserve List ending his season due to a serious concussion.  Utecht played in 10 games for the Bengals last season and he caught 16 passes for 123 yards (7.7 avg).  He has now played in 51 games in his 4-year NFL career and he has caught 87 passes for 923 yards (10.6 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  The Bengals are really hurting at TE for this season with both Reggie Kelly and Ben Utecht out for the year.