The Bengals have lost rookie inside linebacker Rey Maualuga for the rest of the season due to a fractured left ankle.  He played really well as a rookie for the Bengals this season.  Maualuga played in 15 games for the Bengals this season and he made 63 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, forced 3 fumbles, defensed 2 passes and he had 1 sack.  He will be a player the Bengals build the defense around in the future.  Lucky for the Bengals that they still have 26-year old Rashad Jeanty around and he will repalce Maualuga in the starting line-up the rest of the year.  He has played in 14 games for the Bengals this season and he has made 12 tackles.  He has now played in 52 games in his four years with the Bengals and he has made 207 tackles, defensed 5 passes and he has forced 5 fumbles.  The Bengals’ D shouldn’t suffer much with Jeanty in the starting line-up.

25-year old corners Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph both got stiffed as neither of them made the Pro Bowl this season.  Hall has played in 15 games for the Bengals this season and he has made 67 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, 24 passes defensed and 6 interceptions.  Jonathan Joseph has played in 15 games for the Bengals this season and he has made 66 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 20 passes defensed and 6 interceptions (including 1 returned for a TD).  Both Hall and Joseph deserved getting picked for the Pro Bowl but the most stunning thing is that no Bengals’ player got picked to represent the team despite the fine season the team has had.

The Bengals clinched the AFC North division title with a hard fought victory over the Chiefs yesterday in the Jungle.  Carson Palmer managed the game by completing 17 of 25 passes for 139 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT.  Cedric Benson was outstanding once again yesterday with 133 yards rushing on 29 carries (4.6 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 7 yards.  Laveranues Coles (3 rec, 43 yards, TD) and Chad Ocho Cinco (4 rec, 31 yards, TD) both had decent games for the Bengals yesterday.  The Bengals finished up with 274 total yards on offense (144 rushing, 130 passing) in this game.

The defense played very well for the Bengals yesterday.  LB Dhani Jones (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed) and CB Jonathan Joseph (7 tackles) led the way for the Bengals’ yesterday.  CB Leon Hall (4 tackles, 4 passes defensed, interception) and safety Chinedum Ndukwe (4 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and 1 interception) also had very solid games for the Bengals yesterday.  The Chiefs finished up with 295 total yards on offense (123 rushing, 172 passing) in this game.  The Bengals are now 10-5 on the year.

There were whispers last season that 31-year old WR Chad Ocho Cinco was on the downside of his career.  But, that has not been the case this season as a healthy Carson Palmer is helping Ocho Cinco prove that he has a lot left in the gas tank.  Ocho Cinco has played in 14 games for the Bengals this season and he has caught 68 passes for 1,016 yards (14.9 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 2 times for 34 yards (17.0 ypc) this season.  Ocho Cinco is now back among the elite WRs and the Bengals’ offense is benefitting from it big time.

30-year old running back Larry Johnson probably can’t wait for tomorrow to finally get here as he will be playing against the Chiefs.  Johnson is the #2 all-time rusher in Chiefs’ history but Coach Haley didn’t get along with him and thus cut him loose.  Johnson has shown with the Bengals that he still has something left.  In 5 games with the Bengals, Johnson has carried the ball 33 times for 155 yards (4.7 ypc) and he has also caught 3 passes for 4 yards (1.3 avg).  After Benson gets his yards look for Larry Johnson to make his old team pay for getting rid of him like they did.

26-year old Cedrick Benson is really rewarding the Bengals for their faith in him this season.  He has played in 12 games for the Bengals this season and he has carried the ball 272 times for 1,118 yards (4.1 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  He has also caught 15 passes for 104 yards (6.9 avg) this year.  Benson is proving to be the workhorse type of running back the Bengals have needed for quite some time.

The Bengals should be able to get back on track this Sunday against the pitiful Chiefs.  Cedric Benson should really take advantage of the very soft run defense of the Chiefs which is allowing 162.6 yards rushing and 4.8 yards per carry.  When Benson needs a rest or the Bengals are winning by a comfortable margin look for Larry Johnson to thrash his old team.  The Chiefs only have 19 sacks this season so Carson Palmer should have enough time to slice up the secondary like a surgeon.  Look for Chad Ocho Cinco to be dancing in the end zone a couple of time this weekend.

The Chiefs have been running the ball well lately with Jamaal Charles so the defense will likely focus on stopping him.  They should be able to handle Charles as they are only allowing 85.2 yards rushing per game and 3.8 yards per carry.  The Bengals are not a team that blitzes too much but they might change that for this game as Chiefs’ QBs have been sacked 44 times this season.  Matt Cassel has proven this year that he will throw into coverage when he has a pass rush in his face so look for Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph to make some big plays on Sunday.

PREDICTION:  BENGALS 27, CHIEFS 13

The Cincinnati Bengals (9-5) played inspired football against the San Diego Chargers (11-3), which was fueled by the tragic death of their teammate Chris Henry.  Unfortunately, the Bengals fell just short of beating the hottest team in the NFL, as Chargers’ kicker Nate Kaeding hit a 52-yard field goal with 3 seconds left to beat the Bengals.  Down by 11 going into the 4th quarter, the Bengals played their hearts out and outscored the Bengals 11-3.  Carson Palmer played well for the Bengals, passing for 314 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception on 27/40 passes.  One of Palmers’ touchdown passes was a 49-yard pass to Chad Ochocinco in the 2nd quarter.  Ochocinco, who was in tears before kickoff, had a rare quiet touchdown celebration, getting down on his knees and looking up towards the sky in honor of his former teammate and friend Chris Henry.

Although the Bengals picked off Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers twice, he still found a lot of success against the Bengals’ secondary.  Rivers threw for 308 yards and 3 touchdowns on 24/38 passes.  They had a hard time covering Vincent Jackson, who caught 5 passes for 108 yards and 2 touchdowns.  The defense did do a good job stopping the run, holding them to 70 rushing yards as a team.  This was a tough and emotional loss for the Bengals, and they still need one more win to clinch the AFC North.

The Cincinnati Bengals will be playing with very heavy hearts Sunday against the San Diego Chargers after the tragic death of their 26-year-old wide-receiver Chris Henry.  Unfortunately the Bengals can’t skip this one and they are going up against a very tough opponent.  Philip Rivers has already passed for over 3,500 yards this season and has 21 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions.  The Chargers have a very potent passing game that the Bengals defense needs to try and contain.  They also have LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles to worry about running the ball.  This will be a tough matchup for the Bengals defense.

The offense is going to need a big day to keep up with the Chargers scoring.  If Cedric Benson can run the ball like he has all year, it will give the Bengals a great shot.  He needs Carson Palmer to play much better than he did last week, as the quarterback failed to throw for 100 yards.  Hopefully he and Chad Ochocinco can hook up for a few big plays.  They will need some if they are going to take down the Chargers who have won eight in a row.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  San Diego Chargers 31, Cincinnati Bengals 21

Some very sad news came out today that the Cincinnati Bengals’ wide-receiver Chris Henry has died one day after falling out of the back of a pick-up truck his fiancée was driving.  Apparently Henry and his fiancée were having some sort of domestic dispute when she took off in the truck and Henry jumped in the bed of the truck.  The situation is still under investigation by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police and the cause of death has not been announced.  No charges have been made yet.  This was an extremely sad outcome for such a young and talented man.  He was often portrayed by the media as having some character issues, as he made some poor decisions while in college and early in his NFL career.  However, those close to him described him as a quiet, hardworking, and pleasant guy who was a loving father of three young children.  Like most, the Bengals’ players, coaches, and staff were all shocked and extremely saddened by this pre-mature death.