Thanks to the sell out, I was able to watch the Bengals impressive 17-7 win against the Baltimore Ravens. Unfortunately the play-by-play was provided by Dick Enberg, who has a tendency to mess up his information. Assuming he is right, the Bengals improved to 6-2, for the first time since its Super Bowl season in 1988. The win also improves the Bengals’ mark against divisional opponents to 4-0.
The Bengals jumped off to a 14-0 in the first quarter with a Carson Palmer six-yard touchdown pass to Andre Caldwell and a one-yard touchdown run by Cedric Benson on the Bengals’ first two possessions of the game.
Benson had another solid performance with a 117 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries.
Palmer ended the day, passing for 20-of-33 for 224 yards and a touchdown. His top two targets were Laveranues Coles (six receptions for 72 yards) and Chad Ochocinco (five receptions for 66 yards). It was great to witness Coles’ performance, who finally seemed comfortable for the first time this season. Prior to the latest win, Coles had only 16 receptions and 155 yards in seven games.
The brightest spot for the Bengals was on the defensive side of the ball. The Bengals only allowed 215 yards of total offense. The defense also shut down Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco, who was sacked four times and intercepted twice.
Cornerbacks Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall continued to play stellar football.
The Bengals did receive a blow when wide receiver Chris Henry went down with an injury. On his only reception of the day, Henry was injured when tackled by Baltimore cornerback Fabian Washington. On the play, Henry suffered a broken forearm. Early indications are that Henry could be out for the reminder of the season.
Next up for the Bengals is a road trip to face Pittsburgh. The Steelers play Denver on MNF and are currently 5-2. After the Steelers’ matchup, the Bengals will have three games against teams that are struggling at Oakland (Nov. 22), vs. Cleveland (Nov. 29) and vs. Detroit (Dec. 6)
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Actually, according to Bengals.com the 2005 AFC North Division championship team also had the 6-2 record at season mid point, so you’re right about Enberg. He needs to get his facts straight.
What a great game. I was nervous for this one , then again…I’m nervous for all of them. That said, we were focused and played well! All the commentators and articles I’ve read this morning confirm what we knew, the Bengals are legit.
Next game is huge for us. To sweep the Stillers, what a dream that would be. Having lived there 5 years as a Bengal fan, I can’t tell you the distain I have for that town and Stiller fans, alike.
I hope two things emerge coming out of this last win. First, that we have angered the Ravens enough that they take out their frustration on the Stillers, who they have yet to play. And secondly, that I don’t hear about another potential black out for the rest of the season. This team needs our support, not our doubt!
I’ll listen to Enberg any day. He’s the consummate pro, but he’s getting up in years. I know he makes mistakes, but he has to be in his mid seventies now. Still, he’s a familiar voice and there’s a comfort in listening to him do a game. No different than Summerall, and before that Gowdy. Youngsters might not appreciate that now, but they will.
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