The Bengals bounced back from their defeat in the season opener with a resounding win over their Ohio rivals, the Browns. Cincinnati looked in control from the get go, and built up an 11 point lead at halftime, before adding 3 more Shayne Graham FGs and shutting out the Browns in the second half for a convincing 33-13 victory.
This was the product of an all around solid team effort. The Bengals dominated time of possession, largely as a result of Cedric Benson's consistent rushing (32 runs for 100 yards). The passing game delivered when it was needed, with the Bengals' 'big three' all turning in very good performances. Carson Palmer had a 124 passer rating, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh caught 8 of his passes. Chad Johnson was spectacular, catching 4 (mostly long) balls for over 100 yards.
Crucially, the Bengals didn't turn the ball over, while the Browns' Derek Anderson was intercepted once by SS Chris Crocker. The Browns also muffed a punt, which was recovered by the Bengals and put a definitive end to any hopes of a late comeback. Cincinnati's defense added 4 sacks, including one by DT Domata Peko, who now has 3 for the season and is developing into a force to be reckoned with.
But the highlight of the day came on special teams: On a Bengals kickoff, a backup safety whose name does not matter (but who was controlled by Ickey himself) came sprinting down the field like a lightning bolt and delivered a crushing BIG HIT on the return man - the first in Ickey's entire Madden 08 career! Now if only he could find that strip ball button every once in a while...
