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Bengals top Packers: the good, the bad and the ugly
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Cedric Benson--Cincy's new running stallion--Photo by AP
On Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals rebounded from last week's devestating last-second defeat by Denver to take a victory at Lambeau Field, 31-24 over the Packers.
The Good:
1. Cedric Benson--Benson was an absolute workhorse in Green Bay, posting 141 yards on 29 carries for a 4.9 yard per carry average.
Benson kept the chains moving, ate the clock and allowed the Bengals offense to present a running threat that clearly took the pressure off Carson Palmer and the receivers.
2. Antwan Odom--Odom scored five sacks on Aaron Rodgers, pushing the left side of the Packers offensive line around at will. Those five sacks disrupted the Packers passing attack to the point of complete futility and accounted for 31 lost yards for the Packers. Odom played a physical game in which he refused to be denied. If he can maintain that intensity for the remainder of the season, the Bengals will have a defensive presence that can keep them in any game.
3. Third-down conversions--The Bengals have been notorious for the past several seasons for having a low third-down conversion rate. Percentages in the 20-30 range was about the average. Sunday, the Bengals converted 8 of 14, a rate of 57 percent. That kept the offense on the field and the defense fresh.
4. The passing game--Carson Palmer completed 65 percent of his throws for 185 yards, three touchdowns and suffered only two sacks. Chad Ochocinco caught four passes for 91 yards and got to do the 'Lambeau Leap' after scoring his first touchdown in 2009.
5. The defense--In addition to Odom's singular performance, the defense held the Packers to seventeen points--including seven as a result of a short field after Palmer's first interception and three at the end of the game when the defense was playing too conservative of a prevent game. In between, the defense kept the pressure on Rodgers and held the running game in check with only 89 yards.
6. Special teams--Kevin Huber only had to punt four times, but he kept two of those inside the twenty yard line and averaged over 46 yards per punt. Quan Cosby returned five punts for 114 yards, including a 60 yard return that barely missed being a touchdown. Both sides of the punting game allowed the Bengals to manipulate the average starting field position masterfully.
The Bad:
1. The passing game--Carson Palmer threw two careless first-half interceptions to Charles Woodson, including one that went to the house. Those two picks accounted for 14 of the Packers' 24 points, directly or indirectly. Hopefully, those can be attributed to Palmer's final bit of rust, as he looked more accurate and comfortable in the second half.
2. Special teams--As good as the special teams looked throughout the game, they really botched it at the end of the game. With about 45 seconds left, the Packers settled for a field goal to bring the game within seven, and tried for an onside kick. The Bengals lined up some of their best 'hands men' for the onside kick, then proceeded to stand there and watch the kick bounce into the waiting hands of a Packer. It was inexcusable to allow the Packers another possession that almost paved the way to another defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.
3. Two-minute defense--In the final two-minutes of the game, Aaron Rodgers picked up 72 of his 261 yards in the air, and another 27 on two scramble runs. The Bengals shouldn't have taken off the pass rush that had been so successful for 58 minutes.
The Ugly:
1. Penalties--How a team in the NFL can win a game on 13 penalties costing them the entire length of the field can only be explained by the fact that the opponent also racked up 11 flags of their own for 76 yards. This was one of the few positives in last week's loss to Denver, in that the team only caused four penalties. This week, it was false start after delay of game after holding. Were it not for the weaknesses in the Packers' game execution, these penalties would have been costly in that the game probably would have belonged to Green Bay.
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