WR Jordan Shipley was a third round pick last April out of Texas and he is making his mark with the Bengals so far.  In his first three games of his NFL career, Shipley has caught 13 passes for 161 yards (12.4 avg).  Shipley makes his money going over the middle and he’s a tough guy with good hands.  TE Jermaine Gresham was a first round pick out of Oklahoma last April and he has been playing really well also.  Gresham has caught 13 passes for 99 yards (7.6 avg) with 1 TD grab so far this year.  Shipley and Gresham are a big part of the Bengals’ future on offense but they are also a big part of the right now as Terrell Owens and Chad Ocho Cinco draw most of the coverage giving the rookies room to operate.

The Bengals hogged the ball on offense as they had possession of it for 36:22 yesterday.  Carson Palmer was so-so as he completed 19 of 37 passes for 195 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs.  Cedric Benson did the heavy lifting for the Bengals yesterday with 27 carries for 81 yards (3.0 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 2 passes for 9 yards (4.5 avg) with a TD grab.  Jermaine Gresham (4 rec, 59 yards), Terrell Owens (4 rec, 42 yards) and Chad Ocho Cinco (4 rec, 34 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Bengals yesterday.  The Bengals finished up with 120 yards rushing on 37 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 37 passes for 185 yards in this game.

The Bengals’ D was led by CB Leon Hall who had 6 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 QB hit.  Robert Geathers, Morgan Trent and Roy Williams each recovered 1 fumble apiece in this game.  The Panthers finished up with 87 yards rushing on 24 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 33 passes for 180 yards yesterday.  The Bengals are now 2-1 on the year.

The Bengals got back on track last weekend in the Jungle against the Ravens.  The Panthers have been pretty awful so far this year and they are turning to rookie QB Jimmy Clausen who will be making his first NFL start this Sunday.  Here’s a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bengals have the ball:  I look for the Bengals to come off the team bus throwing the ball against the Panthers.  The Panthers only have 1 sack this year so Carson Palmer should have a lot of time to throw the ball.  The Panthers are giving up 218.0 yards passing per game so far this season so I look for Chad Ocho Cinco and Terrell Owens to both be dancing in the end zone this weekend.  The Bengals will pass to get the lead and then grind out the win on the ground with Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott.

When the Panthers have the ball:  Look for the Panthers to run the ball as much as they can in this game with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart against a Bengals’ D that is allowing 113.5 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry so far this year.  The Bengals must stop the running game if they want to beat the Panthers this weekend.  The Bengals will likely double Steve Smith the whole game and dare Jimmy Clausen to try to throw to someone else.

PREDICTION:  BENGALS 27, PANTHERS 7

Chad Ocho Cinco and Terrell Owens are co-existing so far for the Bengals.  Carson Palmer has targeted Terrell Owens 24 times in the first two weeks while throwing the ball Chad Ocho Cinco’s way 22 times.  Chad Ocho Cinco has done a lot more with his chances so far for the Bengals.  He has caught 16 passes for 203 yards (12.7 avg) with 1 TD grab so far this year.  T.O. has only caught 10 passes for 110 yards (10.0 avg) so far this season.  I think the reason for the difference in numbers is because Carson Palmer knows Ocho Cinco a lot better than T.O.  I think that Owens’ numbers will improve as the season goes on.

The Bengals won this game despite not getting in the end zone.  Mike Nugent had five field goals and the defense made it stand up.  Carson Palmer was a game manager in this game as he completed 16 of 35 passes for 167 yards.  Cedric Benson got his work in as he carried the ball 23 times for 78 yards (3.4 ypc) in this game.  WRs Terrell Owens (3 rec, 57 yards), Chad Ocho Cinco (4 rec, 44 yards) and Jordan Shipley (5 rec, 42 yards) led the way in the Bengals’ passing game yesterday.  The Bengals rushed for 94 yards on 31 carries (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 35 passes for 159 yards.

LB Dhani Jones (9 tackles) and safety Chris Crocker (8 tackles, 1 pass defensed) led the way for the Bengals’ D in this game.  Leon Hall, Brandon Johnson, Pac Man Jones and Chinedum Ndukwe each pitched in with 1 interception apiece.  The Ravens finished up with 109 yards rushing on 23 carries (4.7 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 39 passes for 150 yards.  The Bengals are now 1-1 on the year.

The Bengals catch the Ravens at the perfect time.  The Ravens won a brutal battle 10-9 on Monday Night Football against the Jets.  They now travel to the Jungle to deal with the Bengals on a short week.  The Bengals swept the Ravens last season by a combined score of 34-21!  Here is a look at the match-ups in this game:

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals will likely look to stay balanced on offense in this game.  But I see them coming out throwing the ball to open up running lanes for Cedric Benson who rushed for 237 yards against the Ravens last year.  The Ravens have a lot of injuries in the defensive backfield and I expect the Bengals to spread the field out with Chad Ocho Cinco, Terrell Owens, Jordan Shipley and Jermaine Gresham.  Look for Carson Palmer to go wherever the match-ups dictate with the ball as all four of those guys are capable of having a huge game.

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens have to be excited about this weekend after watching game tape of the Bengals’ D against the Patriots.  The Ravens will likely try to get Ray Rice going early in this game to loosen up the Bengals’ D a little bit on the back end.  The front seven have to be able to handle Rice on their own as the Bengals’ DBs have more than enough to worry about with Todd Heap, Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason and old friend T.J. Houshmandzadeh going out for passes.  The Bengals must get pressure on Joe Flacco because if he has a lot of time to throw he could slice and dice the Bengals’ D.

PREDICTION:  BENGALS 24, RAVENS 21

Carson Palmer might be in line to have a huge game this week against the Ravens.  Terrell Owens, Jordan Shipley and Jermaine Gresham are all new and improved targets for Palmer besides having Ocho Cinco back.  Palmer played well against the Ravens last year anyway so imagine what he could do to them this time around.  He completed 38 of 64 passes (59.4%) for 495 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT in the Bengals’ sweep of the Ravens last year.  Palmer also looked pretty decent in the season opener (mostly the second half) as he completed 34 of 50 (68%) passes for 345 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT.  I know…I know….they are playing the Ravens’ D but the Bengals are not likely to be intimidated at all by a team they swept last year.

The Bengals weren’t too good in any facet of the game yesterday.  The Bengals were down 24-3 at the half and then Patriots’ WR Brandon Tate returned the opening kickoff of the second half 97 yards for a TD.  That essentially ended this football game.  Carson Palmer’s numbers look good but he got most of them in garbage time.  Palmer commpleted 34 of 50 passes for 345 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT (his INT was returned 59 yards for a TD by LB Gary Guyton of the Patriots).  Cedric Benson couldn’t get going in this game as he finished up with 43 yards rushing on 15 carries with 1 TD run.  Chad Ocho Cinco put up huge numbers in this game as he finished up with 12 receptions for 159 yards with 1 TD grab.  Terrell Owens (7 rec, 53 yards), Jordan Shipley (5 rec, 82 yards) and  Jermaine Gresham (6 rec, 25 yards, TD) pitched in for the Bengals in the passing game.  The Bengals finished up with 87 yards rushing on 25 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 34 of 50 passes for 341 yards yesterday.

The defense was pretty darn awful in this game for the Bengals.  LBs Keith Rivers (10 tackles, 1 pass defensed) and Dhani Jones (9 tackles) led the defensive effort yesterday by the Bengals.  The Patriots finished up with 118 yards rushing on 23 carries (5.1 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 35 passes for 258 yards.  The Bengals didn’t look like the same team they were last season yesterday.

The Bengals have really improved the offense adding Terrell Owens along with rookies (WR) Jordan Shipley and (TE) Jermaine Gresham.  I look for the Bengals to have a much more wide open offense in 2010 and they have a good match-up in the opener this Sunday against a soft Patriots’ D.  Here is a close look at the match-ups this weekend:

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals will give the Patriots a good dose of RB Cedric Benson in this game, which is to be expected.  But, I look for the Bengals to throw the ball early and often against a very young and inexperienced secondary.  Chad Ocho Cinco and Terrell Owens are the names on the marquee of the Bengals passing game.  But if the Patriots pay too much attention to those guys, look for Carson Palmer to check down to Jordan Shipley and Jermaine Gresham on the short stuff.  I think the Bengals are going to have little problem moving the football Sunday but they can’t afford to leave any points on the field which puts a lot of pressure on inconsistent kicker Mike Nugent.

When the Patriots have the ball:  The Bengals are going to have to get pressure in Tom Brady’s face to cause him to hurry the ball.  That will likely have to come from DEs Antwan Odom and Robert Geathers because the Bengals will need the linebackers to help out covering passes.  The Bengals will likely leave CBs Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph on islands covering Randy Moss and Wes Welker which will be fun to watch.  But, Tom Brady uses everyone in the passing game so the outside linebackers and safeties are going to have to deal with the other WRs and TEs of the Patriots.  The Patriots will also run a little bit with Fred Taylor, Kevin Faulk, Sammy Morris and Laurence Maroney and it will be up to the Bengals’ DTs and MLB to handle that.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 24, BENGALS 21

I think the oddsmakers aren’t giving the Bengals enough respect for going 10-6 last season.  I think it’s because of the thud the season ended with when the Bengals bowed out at home against the Jets in the playoffs.  But, the Bengals have really improved on offense over the off-season to go along with their solid defense.  I think the Bengals will win at least 10 games once again in 2010 so I would bet the over with confidence.  The Bengals also aren’t getting much respect in the Super Bowl futures market as they are 28-1 to win the big game.  That is where I put my money when my brother flew out to Vegas last week.