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.