The Bengals scored the last 17 points of the game yesterday to pull away for an impressive road victory.  Andy Dalton was solid, but far from excellent, as he completed 18 of 29 passes for 168 yards with 2 TD passes and 2 INTs.  Bernard Scott had a solid game starting in the place of a suspended Cedric Benson.  Scott carried the ball 22 times for 76 yards (3.5 ypc) and he caught 3 passes for 0 yards yesterday.  WRs A.J. Green (4 rec, 63 yards, TD) and Jerome Simpson (1 rec, 44 yards, TD) led the way for the Bengals in the passing game yesterday.  TE Donald Lee (3 rec, 44 yards) and WR Andre Caldwell (4 rec, 31 yards) also had solid games for the Bengals yesterday.  The Bengals finished up with 92 yards rushing on 27 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 29 passes (62.1%) for 160 yards as they had possession of the ball for 31:27.  The kick and punt returns were also incredible for the Bengals yesterday.  Pacman Jones only returned one punt, but it went for 63 yards!  Brandon Tate returned 4 kickoffs for 113 yards (28.3 avg) and he also returned 3 punts for 73 yards (24.3 avg) in which one of them was returned for a 56 yard TD.

The defense gave up a lot of passing yards but not many points yesterday.  CB Leon Hall (9 tackles), LB Brandon Johnson (7 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) and safety Reggie Nelson (5 tackles, 2 passes defensed and a interception that he returned 75 yards for a TD) led the way for the Bengals’ D in this game.  The Seahawks finished up with 61 yards on 20 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 47 passes (53.2%) for 350 yards in this game.  The Bengals are now 5-2 on the season.

The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off their bye week and they are 2-1 on the road this season, so it’s all systems go for them.  The Seahawks lost a tough one last weekend, 6-3 to the Browns in Cleveland.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals are likely going to come out passing in this game against a Seahawks’ D that is allowing 249.7 yards passing per game this year.  A.J. Green, Jermaine Gresham and Jerome Simpson are going to cause matchup problems for the Seahawks’ secondary.  The O-Line will likely give QB Andy Dalton more than enough time to throw the ball this week, as the Seahawks’ pass rush is pretty weak.  Bernard Scott is going to get the start tomorrow in the place of suspended Cedric Benson.  All they will ask of Scott is that he runs hard and protects the football.

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Seahawks are likely to have QB Tarvaris Jackson and RB Marshawn Lynch back this weekend.  The Seahawks’ O-Line is one of the worst in the entire NFL, so look for the passes to be of the shorter variety.  Sidney Rice will likely be Jackson’s main target in the passing game, so the Bengals will probably allow for some safety help on him.  Doug Baldwin, Ben Obomanu and Mike Williams, will not strike any fear in the hearts of Seahawks’ defenders.  The Seahawks would like to be balanced, but that might be hard against a Bengals’ D that is only allowing 89.5 yards rushing per game and 3.3 yards per carry.

PREDICTION:  BENGALS 20, SEAHAWKS 16

It was looking pretty awful in the pre-season as far as the Bengals’ passing game was going.  But, when the regular season started, the kids have stepped up.  Rookie A.J. Green is everything the Bengals thought he would be, and more so far this year.  Green has caught 29 passes for 453 yards (15.6 avg) with 4 TD grabs in 2011.  He is going to be a true #1 WR for the Bengals.  Jerome Simpson might be a bone head off of the field, but he has played well so far this year.  Simpson has caught 22 passes for 353 yards (16.0 avg) so far this year.  Andre Caldwell has been a decent #3 WR for the Bengals, but he doesn’t get down the field much.  Caldwell has caught 17 passes for 142 yards (8.4 avg) with 1 TD grab so far in 2011.  Andrew Hawkins is the #4 WR for the Bengals and he has caught 5 passes for 56 yards (11.2 avg) so far this year.  The Bengals hope this crew keeps up the good work.

The NFL has reduced starting RB Cedric Benson’s suspension for off field conduct from three games to one game.  Benson is going to serve the suspension after the bye week when the Bengals play the Seahawks.  Benson has played in all six games for the Bengals so far this year and he has carried the ball 117 times for 458 yards (3.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He has also caught 5 passes for 24 yards (4.8 avg) so far this year.  Bernard Scott will get the chance to replace Benson as the main man against the Seahawks.  He has played in six games for the Bengals so far this year and he has carried the ball 30 times for 85 yards (2.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Scott has also caught 5 passes for 13 yards (2.6 avg) so far in 2011.  Brian Leonard will also pitch in for the Bengals against the Seahawks.  He has played in 6 games for the Bengals so far this year and he has carried the ball 9 times for 64 yards (7.1 ypc).  Leonard has also caught 9 passes for 104 yards (11.6 avg).  The Bengals are averaging 105.3 yards per game and 3.8 yards per carry so far this year.  They hope to improve on those numbers after the bye week.

Owner Mike Brown softened on his stance concerning dealing 31-year old Carson Palmer, when the Raiders offered a king’s ransom for him.  The Bengals have dealt Palmer to the Oakland Raiders for a first round pick in 2012 and a conditional first round pick in 2013.  To steal a line from “The Godfather”, Mike Brown was offered a offer than he couldn’t refuse.  31-year old Carson Palmer played in 97 games (all starts) in his career with the Bengals and he completed 2,024 of 3,217 passes (62.9%) for 22,694 yards with 154 TD passes and 100 INTs (86.9 QB Rating).  Palmer also carried the ball 179 times for 316 yards (1.8 ypc) with 5 TD runs with the Bengals.  Palmer made it to two Pro Bowls in his time with the Bengals.  He is also #3 all-time in passing yards, passing TDs and interceptions in Bengals’ history behind Ken Anderson and Boomer Esiason.  Owner Mike Brown comes out of the Carson Palmer saga smelling like a rose.

UPDATE:  The 2013 draft pick will be a first rounder if the Raiders get to the AFC Championship Game in either 2012 or 2013.  If they don’t, the pick in 2013 will be a 2nd rounder.

The Bengals passed the ball really well offensively and the defense was solid as usual today.  Andy Dalton was razor sharp in this game as he completed 25 of 32 passes for 264 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Cedric Benson led the way on the ground in this game with 57 yards rushing on 16 carries (3.6 ypc) with 1 TD carry.  Bernard Scott pitched in with 11 carries for 29 yards (2.6 ypc) in this game.  Brian Leonard carried the ball 2 times for 9 yards (4.5 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 38 yards (19.0 avg) in this game.  WRs Jerome Simpson (6 rec, 101 yards) and A.J. Green (5 rec, 51 yards, TD) led the way for the Bengals in the passing game today.  WR Andre Caldwell (4 rec, 32 yards) and TE Jermaine Gresham (4 rec, 23 yards) also pitched in for the Bengals in the passing game.  The Bengals carried the ball 31 times for 94 yards (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 32 passes (78.1%) for 264 yards as they had possession of the ball for 33:36.

The defense was pretty darn good for the Bengals today.  Safety Reggie Nelson (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss), CB Nate Clements (6 tackles, 3 passes defensed) and CB Leon Hall (5 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the Bengals’ D in this game.  LB Thomas Howard (fumble recovery) and DE Carlos Dunlap (fumble recovery that he returned 35 yards for a TD in the 4th quarter to seal the win) also made huge plays for the Bengals today.  The Colts finished up with 94 yards rushing on 23 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 34 passes (67.6%) for 179 yards in this game.  The Bengals are now 4-2 on the year.

The Cincinnati Bengals have won two games in a row and they have looked pretty impressive in doing so.  The Colts have looked better with Curtis Painter at QB…..but still not good.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals are going to likely come out feeding the ball to Cedric Benson against a Colts’ D that is allowing 145.2 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry.  Establishing the running game will help slow the pass rush and give Andy Dalton a real chance for success against a Colts’ D that is allowing 254.2 yards passing per game so far this year.  WRs A.J. Green and Jerome Simpson along with TE Jermaine Gresham could all have big games for the Bengals this weekend.

When the Colts have the ball:  The front seven of the Bengals should be able to stop the Colts’ running game cold as they aren’t too worried about Delone Carter and Donald Brown.  The Bengals are going to go after QB Curtis Painter in an effort to force him into making some big mistakes with the ball.  The Bengals will likely double cover Pierre Garcon (Painter’s favorite WR) and try to essentially take him out of the game.  That means that Painter will have to try to get the ball to Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and Austin Collie this Sunday.

PREDICTION:  BENGALS 24, COLTS 13

23-year old rookie QB Andy Dalton has brought his team back to beat the Bills and Jaguars in the last two weeks as he is really proving to be a leader on the team already.  Dalton has played in all five games for the Bengals so far this year and he has completed 93 of 157 passes (59.2%) for 1,047 yards with 6 TD passes and 5 INTs (78.7 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 6 times for 20 yards (3.3 ypc) so far this year.  Let all of the “experts” keeping yapping about the 1-4 Cam Newton of the Panthers, because Andy Dalton is already 3-2 as a starting QB in his NFL career.

The Bengals were down 20-16 with 8:24 left in the game and that’s when Andy Dalton took over.  Dalton completed 21 of 33 passes for 179 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT.  Cedric Benson carried the ball 24 times for 53 yards (2.2 ypc) to lead the way for the Bengals on the ground today.  Bernard Scott pitched in with 20 yards rushing on 6 carries (3.3 ypc) with a TD run today.  WR A.J. Green (5 rec, 90 yards, TD), WR Jerome Simpson (4 rec, 40 yards) and TE Jermaine Gresham (5 rec, 21 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game today for the Bengals.  The Bengals finished up with 77 yards rushing on 31 carries (2.5 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 33 passes (63.6%) for 162 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:33.

The defense played really solid ball for the most part today, except on a 74-yard TD pass from rookie QB Blaine Gabbert to WR Jason Hill, who was wide open with 8:24 left in the game.  That play gave the Jags a short lived 20-16 lead in this game.  LB Rey Maualuga (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed), DT Domata Peko (5 tackles) and LB Thomas Howard (5 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) led the way for the Bengals on D in this game.  CB Nate Clements (4 tackles and 1 fumble recovery) and DT Geno Atkins (2 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and a fumble recovery that he returned 10 yards for a TD on the last play of the game) also had big plays for the Bengals today.  The Jaguars finished up with 96 yards rushing on 27 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 28 passes (53.6%) for 200 yards.  The Bengals are now a very surprising 3-2 on the season.

This is the perfect matchup for the Bengals this week as the Jaguars are only averaging 9.8 points per game so far this year.  The Bengals have played well on the road this year and they will again this Sunday.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals are going to give the Jaguars a heavy dose of RB Cedric Benson.  If the Jaguars sneak up to stop Benson, rookie QB Andy Dalton will start shooting passes down the field to A.J. Green and Jerome Simpson.  The Jaguars are giving up 228.8 yards passing per game, so if the O-Line gives Dalton time to throw the ball….he’s likely in line for a big game.  TE Jermaine Gresham is also having a solid year and he will make the Jaguars pay if they try to double team A.J. Green.

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Bengals are going to key on stopping RB Maurice Jones-Drew and WR Mike Thomas.  Jones-Drew and Thomas are responsible for 670 of the 1,057 (63.4%) yards the Jags’ have on offense this year.  The Bengals are only giving up 86.8 yards rushing per game and 3.1 yards per carry, so they are going to give Jones-Drew a rough time.  The Bengals have 10 sacks already this year and they are going to try to keep the pressure on Blaine Gabbert this weekend.  Mike Thomas is the only player on the Jaguars with more than 7 catches or 92 yards receiving so far this year.

PREDICTION:  BENGALS 20, JAGUARS 10