After his 2008 season many people started to think that he was nearing the end of his career.  But, Ocho Cinco came back with a vengeance in 2009 for the Bengals.  He played in 16 with the Bengals last season and he caught 72 passes for 1,047 yards (14.5 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 32 yards (10.7 ypc) last season.  Ocho Cinco has now played 9 years for the Bengals in which he has played in 137 games and caught 684 passes for 9,952 yards (14.6 avg) with 62 TD grabs.  Ocho Cinco has also carried the ball 24 times for 175 yards (7.3 ypc) in his career with the Bengals.  He has had at least 90 catches in a season 4 times for the Bengals and he has had at least 1,047 yards receiving 7 times in his career.  If the Bengals sign, draft or trade for a quality WR to play opposite of Ocho Cinco there is no reason to think that he can’t still play at a high level for the next couple of years.

27-year old Cedric Benson proved that he is the real deal last season for the Bengals.  He played in 13 games for the Bengals last season and he carried the ball 301 times for 1,251 yards (4.2 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  Benson also caught 17 passes for 111 yards (6.5 avg) last year for the Bengals.  Benson really has stepped up for the Bengals the last couple of years as he has paid them back for giving him another chance to be a feature back after failing for the Bears.  Benson has now played in 25 games (2 years) with the Bengals and he has carried the ball 515 times for 1,998 yards (3.9 ypc) with 8 TD runs.  Benson has also caught 37 passes for 296 yards (8.0 avg) for the Bengals.  Look for Benson to be the main man in the running game for the Bengals as long as he can stay healthy.

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.

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 need Carson Palmer to stay healthy because he is the leader of the team.  He is playing at a high level this season and he is a big reason that they are 7-3 and sitting atop the AFC North right now.  The 29-year old Palmer has started every game for the Bengals this season and he has completed 192 of 312 passes (61.5%) for 2,217 yards with 14 TD passes and 8 INTs (87.2 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 23 times for 59 yards (2.6 avg) with 3 TD runs this year.  The Bengals have pretty much gone the way that Palmer has in his career so it’s good for them that he is playing well right now.  Palmer has played in 75 games for the Bengals in his career and he has completed 1,572 of 2,477 (63.5%) passes for 17,847 yards with 121 TD passes and 75 INTs (88.7 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 131 times for 232 yards (1.8 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  For the Bengals to hold off the Steelers and Ravens in the AFC North they will need to continue to block well and keep Carson Palmer in one piece.

Chris Crocker and Chinedum Ndukwe has played pretty darn well for the Bengals this season despite not getting much credit.  Most of the credit for the pass defense is going to CBs Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph but the safeties have had their back all season.  Crocker has made 41 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 8 passes defensed and he has 2 interceptions.  He is the center fielder of the D for the Bengals as the free safety and he has played well this season for them.  Ndukwe was supposed to back up Roy Williams at strong safety but he’s in the starting lineup now due to injury.  He has 42 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks and he has defensed 3 passes.  He’s not the big playmaker that Williams is but he’s a sure tackler and he is very solid in run support.  The Bengals are lucky to have a pair of safeties the quality of Crocker and Ndukwe.

27-year old DE Jonathan Fanene hadn’t done too much in his career until now for the Bengals.  With Antwan Odom out of the season they needed someone to step up and Fanene has been that guy lately.  He has played in all 8 games for the Bengals this season and he has 15 tackles and 3.5 sacks.  In his first four years with the Bengals, Fanene played in 37 games in which he had 42 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 sack.  The Bengals are glad now that they held onto Fanene and they need him to keep playing well the rest of the season.

The Bengals are using converted FB Daniel Coats and J.P. Foschi at TE this season.  Neither of them is much of a receiver but they have helped the running game with their blocking as the Bengals are rushing for 127.7 yards per game and 4.3 yards per carry.  Coats has caught 12 passes for 118 yards (9.8 avg) and Foschi has caught 8 passes for 74 yards (9.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  The Bengals were looking for a pass catching TE at the trade deadline but it just didn’t happen so they will be content to use Coats and Foschi the rest of the year.