redlegsfan21
09-14-2006, 06:47 PM
By LAURA M. MEDINA
Maybe the Cincinnati Bengals' season doesn't hinge upon Carson Palmer's left knee after all. Not if their defense keeps dominating as it did in the season opener.
If Palmer remains unable to match the consistent performances that helped him become a Pro Bowl selection last season, the Bengals (1-0) might need another strong defensive effort when they host the Cleveland Browns (0-1) on Sunday.
Palmer's first meaningful game since tearing up his knee in last year's playoffs was not a good one, but an impressive defensive effort lifted the Bengals to a 23-10 win at Kansas City last Sunday.
Coming off a season in which he led the NFL with 32 touchdown passes and was fourth with 3,836 passing yards, Palmer completed 13 of 19 passes for 127 yards in the opener without a touchdown or interception.
Cincinnati was held to 236 total yards, about 130 less than its 2005 average.
"Offensively, that doesn't cut it," said Palmer, who threw just six passes in the second half. "We need to do better, and we will do better as the season goes along."
It's hard to imagine the Bengals defense doing much better.
Cincinnati's seven sacks tied the second-highest single-game total in franchise history and all of them came from defensive linemen, half as many as that group had all of last season. The Bengals limited the Chiefs to 289 total yards - they led the league with 399.8 per game last year - and held Larry Johnson to 68 rushing yards after he ran for 201 and three TDs in last season's meeting.
"There were just some things we saw on film and ways we wanted to attack them," said end Justin Smith, who had three sacks and recovered a fumble. "This year, we're planning on rushing the passer straight-up instead of playing games."
Last year, Cincinnati gave up 234.3 passing yards per game, and allowed 343.5 per contest overall to rank 25th in the league in total defense. The Bengals allowed an average of 30.9 points in their final eight games.
Even with the solid Week 1 performance, coach Marvin Lewis sees plenty of room for improvement.
"We won the football game, but we've got a lot of work to do, a lot of things to do better," he said.
Palmer has a bit to work on, too, since having reconstructive knee surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament during the offseason.
He is looking to avoid going back-to-back games in the regular season without a TD pass for the first time since September 2004. Palmer failed to throw for at least 200 yards in only two regular-season games last year.
Chad Johnson also had a fairly quiet opener with 48 yards on five receptions and another 14 on two rushing attempts. Rudi Johnson helped pick up the slack with 96 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries.
Palmer and the Bengals offense would get a boost this week if wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh can return. The sixth-year wideout, who had 78 catches for 956 yards last year, sat out the opener with a bruised foot and his status for this game remains uncertain.
Cleveland's offense had plenty of its own problems last Sunday, getting held to 186 total yards and committing three turnovers in a 19-14 home loss to New Orleans.
The Browns (0-1) did not get a first down until 2:26 remained in the first half, and Charlie Frye's 74-yard touchdown pass to Braylon Edwards on their first offensive play was nullified by a holding penalty.
"The first play described the whole game," tight end Kellen Winslow said.
Cleveland, which scored an NFL-low 232 points last year, had only two yards in the first quarter and failed to score in the first half.
"We didn't play as well as we could have played or thought we could have played," Browns coach Romeo Crennel said. "We weren't very good at all, particularly in the first half. ... We are only as good as we are, and we aren't very good right now."
Frye completed 16 of 27 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown, but was also the team's best running threat with 44 yards and a score on six carries. Running back Reuben Droughns, who had 1,232 rushing yards last year, finished with 27 yards on 11 carries.
"The outcome was bad," right tackle Ryan Tucker said. "We made a lot of mistakes and now we have to clean it up."
One of the few bright spots was Winslow, who had eight catches for 63 yards and a TD. It was his first game since Sept. 19, 2004, having missed the final 14 games of his 2004 rookie season with a broken leg and sitting out all of last season following a motorcycle accident.
The Browns were 2-6 on the road last season and lost both meetings with the Bengals, who were 5-3 at Paul Brown Stadium. Cincinnati leads the overall series 33-32.
http://sports.myway.com/news/09142006/v0744.html
Maybe the Cincinnati Bengals' season doesn't hinge upon Carson Palmer's left knee after all. Not if their defense keeps dominating as it did in the season opener.
If Palmer remains unable to match the consistent performances that helped him become a Pro Bowl selection last season, the Bengals (1-0) might need another strong defensive effort when they host the Cleveland Browns (0-1) on Sunday.
Palmer's first meaningful game since tearing up his knee in last year's playoffs was not a good one, but an impressive defensive effort lifted the Bengals to a 23-10 win at Kansas City last Sunday.
Coming off a season in which he led the NFL with 32 touchdown passes and was fourth with 3,836 passing yards, Palmer completed 13 of 19 passes for 127 yards in the opener without a touchdown or interception.
Cincinnati was held to 236 total yards, about 130 less than its 2005 average.
"Offensively, that doesn't cut it," said Palmer, who threw just six passes in the second half. "We need to do better, and we will do better as the season goes along."
It's hard to imagine the Bengals defense doing much better.
Cincinnati's seven sacks tied the second-highest single-game total in franchise history and all of them came from defensive linemen, half as many as that group had all of last season. The Bengals limited the Chiefs to 289 total yards - they led the league with 399.8 per game last year - and held Larry Johnson to 68 rushing yards after he ran for 201 and three TDs in last season's meeting.
"There were just some things we saw on film and ways we wanted to attack them," said end Justin Smith, who had three sacks and recovered a fumble. "This year, we're planning on rushing the passer straight-up instead of playing games."
Last year, Cincinnati gave up 234.3 passing yards per game, and allowed 343.5 per contest overall to rank 25th in the league in total defense. The Bengals allowed an average of 30.9 points in their final eight games.
Even with the solid Week 1 performance, coach Marvin Lewis sees plenty of room for improvement.
"We won the football game, but we've got a lot of work to do, a lot of things to do better," he said.
Palmer has a bit to work on, too, since having reconstructive knee surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament during the offseason.
He is looking to avoid going back-to-back games in the regular season without a TD pass for the first time since September 2004. Palmer failed to throw for at least 200 yards in only two regular-season games last year.
Chad Johnson also had a fairly quiet opener with 48 yards on five receptions and another 14 on two rushing attempts. Rudi Johnson helped pick up the slack with 96 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries.
Palmer and the Bengals offense would get a boost this week if wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh can return. The sixth-year wideout, who had 78 catches for 956 yards last year, sat out the opener with a bruised foot and his status for this game remains uncertain.
Cleveland's offense had plenty of its own problems last Sunday, getting held to 186 total yards and committing three turnovers in a 19-14 home loss to New Orleans.
The Browns (0-1) did not get a first down until 2:26 remained in the first half, and Charlie Frye's 74-yard touchdown pass to Braylon Edwards on their first offensive play was nullified by a holding penalty.
"The first play described the whole game," tight end Kellen Winslow said.
Cleveland, which scored an NFL-low 232 points last year, had only two yards in the first quarter and failed to score in the first half.
"We didn't play as well as we could have played or thought we could have played," Browns coach Romeo Crennel said. "We weren't very good at all, particularly in the first half. ... We are only as good as we are, and we aren't very good right now."
Frye completed 16 of 27 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown, but was also the team's best running threat with 44 yards and a score on six carries. Running back Reuben Droughns, who had 1,232 rushing yards last year, finished with 27 yards on 11 carries.
"The outcome was bad," right tackle Ryan Tucker said. "We made a lot of mistakes and now we have to clean it up."
One of the few bright spots was Winslow, who had eight catches for 63 yards and a TD. It was his first game since Sept. 19, 2004, having missed the final 14 games of his 2004 rookie season with a broken leg and sitting out all of last season following a motorcycle accident.
The Browns were 2-6 on the road last season and lost both meetings with the Bengals, who were 5-3 at Paul Brown Stadium. Cincinnati leads the overall series 33-32.
http://sports.myway.com/news/09142006/v0744.html