The Bengals have released 33-year old long snapper Brad St. Louis and he had it coming.  He played in 5 games for the Bengals this season and his snaps caused the Bengals to leave a lot of points on the field.  25-year old Clark Harris played in 4 games last season for the Texans and that is the extent of his NFL experience.  Still, this was a move that had to be made for the Bengals.

The Cincinnati Bengals Antwan Odom put on 30 lbs in the off-season and the extra strength is making a big difference.  Odom tied his career high in sacks (8) in only the 4th week of the season and has 19 tackles and 8 sacks through the first five weeks.  After getting 7 sacks in the first two games, including a huge 5-sack game against the Green Bay Packers in week 2,  Odom has been seeing a ton of double teams and offensive lines have been keying in on stopping Odom.  This has given the rest of the Bengals’ D more room to work.  Since Odom has been getting a lot more attention from offensive lines, his stat lines have not been as impressive as earlier in the year.  His impact is still huge though, as Odom has never really been much of an impact player and it has been a great surprise for the Bengals this year.

When the Bengals acquired backup running back Brian Leonard from the Rams during the off-season it didn’t register as a major addition.  But he does everything he can to help his team win ballgames.  He has only carried the ball 4 times for 11 yards (2.8 ypc) this season but he has also caught 14 passes for 110 yards (7.9 avg).  Leonard had the big catch on 4th and 11 against the Steelers on the final drive of the game that set up Carson Palmer’s pass to Andre Caldwell to win the game.  He also has three tackles this season as he helps out on special teams.  All good teams need unselfish players like Leonard to succeed.

Carson Palmer led the Bengals to a late comeback victory once again, as the Cincinnati Bengals (4-1) beat the Baltimore Ravens (3-2) Sunday.  With 22 seconds left in the game, Palmer hit Andre Johnson for a 20-yard touchdown pass to win the game.  The touchdown capped off an 80-yard drive that was kept alive by some costly Ravens’ penalties.  The Bengals should not have won this game, but with some Ravens’ penalties, luck, and a will to win they were able to pull out the victory.

The play right before Palmer’s touchdown pass was a pass interference penalty called on the Ravens’ Frank Walker.  It set the table for Palmer to throw another game winning touchdown this season.  The Ravens also had two other penalties during the Bengals’ comeback drive, as Chris Carr was called for illegal contact and Rey Lewis was called for unnecessary roughness.  Palmer ended the game with one TD, one INT on 271 yards on 18/31 passes (58%).  His game winning touchdown pass made up for the interception he threw in the 2nd quarter, where the Ravens’ Ed Reed returned it 52 yards for a touchdown.

Cedric Benson had a huge game for the Bengals and was just as big of a reason for the win, if not bigger, as Palmer was.  Benson broke the Ravens’ 40 game streak of holding backs under 100-yards in a game, as he went for 120 yards on 27 carries (4.4 avg) and had a touchdown.  Chad Ochocinco also had a solid game for the Bengals with seven catches for 94 yards, but he did lose a fumble.  The Bengals defense played better than the offense, as they held the Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco to 186 pass yards and picked him twice, with Johnathon Joseph and Leon Hall each having a pick.  They also held the Ravens to only 82 rushing yards.  The Bengals now sit atop the AFC North standings alone.  They face off against the Houston Texans (2-3) next week at home.

The Cincinnati Bengals (3-1) have a big challenge facing them, as they square off against the Baltimore Ravens (3-1) in Baltimore Sunday.  The Bengals have won three in a row after their heartbreaking loss in week one to the Broncos, but the Ravens and their defense are looking to put an end to the Bengals’ winning streak.  The Bengals will need to get running back Cedric Benson going or else Carson Palmer and the Bengals offense will be in big trouble.  The Ravens are holding teams to only 59 rushing yards per game, but Benson has been having a very good year so far with 4.4 yards per carry and his offensive line has been very strong.  The Ravens have won of the best defenses in the league though and are hungry for a win after a controversial loss to the New England Patriots.

The Ravens are not just a defensive team anymore, as their offense is very dangerous.  Second year quarterback Joe Flacco has been playing great for the Ravens as he as already thrown for 1,103 yards with eight touchdowns and only three picks.  Flacco has shown he will try and force the ball at times though, so the Bengals need to attack and pressure him.  The Bengals defense has not been doing a very good job at stopping the run, as they are giving up 103 yards per game on the ground.  The Ravens have been great running the ball with the tandem of Ray Rice and Willis McGahee, so the Bengals look like they are in trouble in that aspect.  Carson Palmer has been a good leader down the stretch of games, but has been inconsistent so far this year.  The Ravens look like they have a better match-up in almost every aspect of the game, so I think the Bengals are going to have a very difficult time coming out with a win.  The Ravens defense is too strong and their running game looks like it will run all over the Bengals’ defense, so I think the Ravens are going to take this one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Cincinnati Bengals 13, Baltimore Ravens 31

The Cincinnati Bengals’ running back Cedric Benson has been very solid for them through the first four games and has gained a lot of respect from his teammates.  He is one of the main reasons the Bengals are 3-1, as he has rushed for 367 yards on 84 carries (4.4 avg) and has two touchdowns.  He also has six catches for 49 yards (8.2 avg) and is a much improved blocker, something he was criticized for often earlier in his career.  Benson, who gained a reputation as a “me first” player who wouldn’t work hard enough while with the Chicago Bears, has found a great home in Cincinnati with full support from his coaches, teammates, and fans.  The Bengals will need Benson to bring his strong running skills against the Ravens Sunday, as they are holding opponents to 2.6 yards per carry.  The Ravens also have a 39 game streak of not allowing a 100-yard rusher, a streak Benson is looking to break.

Last season was a nightmare for Chad Ocho Cinco as he only caught 53 passes for 540 yards (10.2 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  A lot of “experts” thought that last season was the beginning of the end for Ocho Cinco.  But most of his troubles last season were because Carson Palmer was injured most of the year.  That thrust Ryan Fitzpatrick into a starting role and he rarely threw the football further than 10 yards down the field because of his lack of arm strength.  With Palmer back though and T.J. Houshmandzadeh in Seattle, Ocho Cinco is back in his role as the undisputed #1 WR on the Bengals.  He has caught 17 passes for 258 yards (15.2 avg) with 3 TD grabs this season.  He’s still not shy about having fun when he scores either as he has already done a Lambeau Leap in Green Bay and he wanted to jump into the Dawg Pound but he was restrained by a offensive lineman.  That was probably a good thing for Ocho Cinco who jumped into the Pound last season earning him a huge beer bath.  Still, it’s great for Bengals’ fans to see Ocho Cinco returning to his fun loving, productive self.

This was quite a football game.  Kicker Shayne Graham kicked the game winning 31-yard FG with only 4 seconds left in overtime.  Carson Palmer had two big drives in this football game, one to tie it in the 4th quarter and then the game winning drive in O.T.  Palmer completed 23 of 44 passes for 230 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 interception.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 20 yards (6.7 ypc) in this game as it was his feet that kept the game winning drive going on a 4th and 10 in O.T. where he got about 12 yards.  Cedric Benson was solid in this game carrying the ball 18 times for 74 yards (4.1 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 12 yards.  Bernard Scott gave the Browns problems late in the game as he carried the ball 6 times for 41 yards (6.8 ypc).  Brian Leonard only carried the ball 1 time for 4 yards in this game but he also caught 6 passes for 28 yards (4.7 avg).  Chad Ocho Cinco caught 3 passes for 24 yards but two of them went for TDs.  The Bengals finished up this game with 154 yards rushing on 30 carries (5.1 ypc) and they also threw for 221 yards.

The defense played just good enough to give the Bengals’ offense a chance to win this football game.  Linebacker Keith Rivers led the way for the Bengals with 10 tackles in this game.  DE Robert Geathers had the best play of the game for the D as he returned a fumble 75 yards for a TD.  The Browns finished up with 395 total yards on offense (146 rushing, 249 passing) in this game.  The Bengals are now 3-1 on the season as they are tied with the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the AFC North.

The Bengals will try to avoid a let down after beating the Steelers last weekend for the first time at home since 2001.  Marvin Lewis is 8-4 against the Browns in his career so he usually has his team focused for the Battle of Ohio.  The Bengals will not doubt come off the bus running against a Browns’ D that is allowing 184.3 yards rushing per game and 5.4 yards per carry.  Cedric Benson should pad his stats against the Browns (293 yards rushing, 4.4 ypc, 2 TDs) on Sunday.  The Bengals have allowed 7 sacks this season so it will be important to protect Carson Palmer so that he can throw the ball downfield.  Chad Ocho Cinco has had a lot of big games in Cleveland even jumping in the Dawg Pound last season where he got a beer bath.

The Cleveland Browns have changed QBs deciding to start Derek Anderson in this game.  Just two years ago, Anderson led the Browns to a 51-45 win over the Bengals in Cleveland.  The Bengals need to get pressure on Anderson as opposing QBs have a 92.2 Rating against them.  That means that DE Antwan Odom will be let loose and the Browns must contain him.  If Anderson gets the time to throw the ball then Braylon Edwards could have a monster game against the Bengals.  The Browns will be without Jamal Lewis so look for Jerome Harrison and James Davis to run just enough to keep the Bengals’ D honest.

PREDICTION:  BENGALS 30, BROWNS 27

26-year old undrafted rookie WR Quan Crosby has been the secret weapon for the Bengals this season.  He has been returning punts and giving the Bengals’ offense good start position.  He has returned 11 punts for 180 yards (16.4 avg) so far this season for the Bengals.  He has the speed and moves to challenge for a spot on the Pro Bowl this year if he stays healthy and keeps up the good work.