written on nbc sports-report card time

by whodey?? on Nov 3, 2009 7:59 PM EST Comment 4 comments

Cincinnati Bengals (5-2)
Grade: A-minus

What they’ve done well: Carson Palmer has started to look like the Carson Palmer of old. He's led the Bengals to three come-from-behind wins, and four drives in the last two minutes have either tied the game or given the Bengals the lead. Cincinnati's getting consistent production from former running back washout Cedric Benson and Chad Ochocinco is back to form. The Bengals are rolling to 20.1 first downs per game, good for 9th in the league. That may be due to a powerful and aggressive offensive line that has given up only 11 sacks through seven games. By this time last year the Bengals had given up 27.

Needs improvement: The Bengals' defense needs work, particularly against the pass. They're 31st in the league with 253.3 passing yards allowed per game, ahead of only Tennessee. The Bengals are aggressive in going after the ball having been credited with 38 passes defensed (tied for 7th) but they have to do a better job of holding their opponents’ passing game in check.

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Passing Game

I actually think our corner backs have been pretty good most games, but as you may recall a huge portion of the yards we’ve given up on the pass game have come from screens. Remember Andre Johnson and Houston, or how about Ray Rice and Baltimore? And don’t forget about the 85 flukey yards from Denver. I think JJ and Crocker have let a few go over their head, but the stats don’t tell the whole story.

by The Dealio on Nov 3, 2009 9:56 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Also, we've faced some stiff QB competition in the first half of our schedule

Big Ben, Aaron Rodgers, Kyle Orton (hey, he’s won a lot of games), Joe Flacco, Matt Schaub (sp?), Jay Cutler.

Our secondary looked terrible against Pittsburgh and Texans. Wasn’t too flashy against GB either if I remember correctly.

by WhoDeyDerek on Nov 3, 2009 10:38 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Run Defense and late leads factor in as well.

We have a very good run defense this season, which necessitates teams throwing the ball to try and beat us. We’ve only allowed one 100 yard rusher and just three carries over 20 yards this season. Not bad when compared to last year’s flood gate like defense. And on several occasions, Denver, Browns, Packers and Bears we’ve been ahead later in the game forcing teams to throw only.

However we do need to find a way to stop these screens. And I think missed tackles were a big part of them, which judging from the Bears game, appear to have been remedied.

by St. Esiason on Nov 4, 2009 10:54 PM EST reply actions 0 recs