If things hold up the way they are, the Cincinnati Bengals (2-11) will have the No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

The Carolina Panthers (1-12) – who the Bengals beat earlier this season – all but have the top pick locked up. They would most-likely take Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, but there is the chance they will look to trade the pick (especially if they are tricked into thinking that their 2010 second-rounder, Jimmy Clausen, is the answer at QB).

If that’s the case, the Bengals need to do whatever it takes to move up and draft Luck. And if they had the No. 2 pick, it shouldn’t take too much to move up a spot.

Do I think Carson Palmer is the lone reason for the Bengals’ struggles this season? Absolutely not. But his career is in clear regression and the Bengals would hate to look back on it 5 years from now and wished they had done more to try and get Luck.

Yes, the Bengals have several needs and there are fans that would want nothing to do with starting from scratch with a rookie QB. But I say it’s time – especially if a player like Luck is available. No one is a “sure thing” in the NFL, but the Stanford signal-caller is as close as it gets.

Plus, the Bengals would have to pay Palmer a boatload of money to keep him next season, unless he's willing to take a paycut (which I seriously doubt). It's time to pull the plug on Carson and start fresh.

Course, knowing Mike Brown, he's probably targeting Cam Newton. I think Newton needs to get arrested at least once between now and the draft for Brown to really have strong interest in him. Going AWOL from the combine wouldn't hurt, either.

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As the losses pile up – and his production begins to decline – Terrell Owens is letting his true colors shine through.

Following the Bengals’ 23-7 loss at the Steelers on Sunday – in which Owens had just one reception for 22 yards – he lashed out and said, “I can’t throw the ball to myself.” He also said quarterback Carson Palmer likes to kill puppies and that’s he’s secretly a member of the Taliban. (OK, so he didn’t say that last part, but he might as well have. And with Palmer's beard, he could almost pass as a Taliban guy. Nah, there are no Muslim extremists who throw quite that many pick-6's.)

Just a few weeks ago, Owens was saying how much he enjoyed playing with Palmer and that he hoped to be back in Cincinnati for another season. However, things began to fly south for the winter when Owens called out Palmer last week following the loss to the Saints, claiming there were times he was open but didn’t get the ball enough.

And now this week, Owens was right back at it. That’s the T.O. we’ve been waiting for!

However, Owens also gave an interesting and accurate take on Bengals’ offensive coordinator Bob “Throw A 4-Yard Pass On Third-and-5” Bratkowski.

The Bengals began the Steelers game playing well and led 7-0 past the midway point of the second quarter. However, they fell apart from there, and following the game Owens brought up something about Bratkowski that fans have been screaming about for years: Brat is terrible at making in-game adjustments.

“We had no adjustments,” Owens said, according to ProFootballTalk.com

Not one?

OK, maybe he was exaggerating a bit, but probably not all that much. Brat is all about coming up with a plan and then sticking with it even when the opposing defense adjusts to what he’s doing.

So, while ridiculous play-calling will always be what Bratkowski is remembered for the most (I’ve honestly never seen a team that consistently throws short of the markers on third down – part of that is on Palmer, but Brat is the one calling the plays) his lack of in-game adjustments is another reason he is one of the worst OC’s in the biz.

The good news is that this is the final year Bengal fans will have to worry about having Brat around. He will be out the door along with head coach Marvin Lewis. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer will still be under contract in 2011, so owner Mike Brown could insist that the new coach (someone offensive-minded) keep Zimmer as his defensive coordinator. Or there is the outside chance Brown will promote Zimmer to head coach.

And actually I shouldn’t say “outside chance.” Since that would be the cheapest option, you know Brown is strongly considering it.

As for the Bengals perhaps picking No. 2 in April’s NFL Draft, more on that in this space soon.

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The Bengals’ front office and the new head coach – whoever he might be after Marvin Lewis is fired after this season – are going to have an interesting decision to make at the wide receiver position. And honestly, I think it’s a rather easy one.

Do they cut-bait with Chad Ochocinco, chose not to re-sign Terrell Owens and start fresh with a first-round wideout?

I believe the answers to be, in no particular order, yes, yes and yes.

The artist formerly known as Johnson has been a good circus act in Cincinnati for many years. He will go down as a Bengals’ Hall of Famer (although not an NFL HOFer as he hopes). But it’s time to take his routine to another city. I’m not sure what his trade value would be like this offseason, but the Bengals should look to get whatever draft pick they can for him and move on. If it’s a fifth-rounder, great. You aren’t going to get much better than that for an aging Chad (will be 33 in January).

And T.O. has actually had a great season and is still in impeccable shape for his age (will turn 37 in a week). But there is no way a new coaching staff is going to want to have him on the team. It’s not going to happen.

So, with Jordan Shipley in the fold – who will be a good No. 2 or No. 3 WR for years – and the tight end position finally set with Jermaine Gresham (the Bengals’ first good TE since Rodney Holman), it’s time for the Bengals to grab a game-breaking wide receiver in the first round of the 2011 draft.

And I think that player is A.J. Green from Georgia.

The 6-foot-4, 212-pound junior was suspended for the first four games of this season by the NCAA for selling his ’09 Independence Bowl jersey for $1,000. I’m not sure if that is an egregious-enough mistake for the Bengals to take him (they prefer huge red flags like the ones that were flying everywhere around Andre “The Bust” Smith when they foolishly decided to draft him two years ago) but they should definitely take a very close look at drafting Green.

In three years at Georgia, playing in the toughest conference in the nation (SEC), he’s piled up 158 receptions, 2,542 yards and 23 touchdowns. There is no question he will leave early after this season and the Bengals would be wise to snatch him up if he’s on the board when they draft. And we know Cincinnati will be drafting early; the only question is how high. Andrew Luck is the definite top-overall pick – so he will likely go to the Carolina Panthers. But hopefully for the Bengals’ sake Green is still available when they pick and they actually do something intelligent for a change and take him.

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Only two years after taking Andre Smith with the No. 6 overall pick of the draft, the Cincinnati Bengals will enter the 2011 offseason with offensive line at the top of the priority list.

The Bengals are a disaster up front, with the exception of left tackle Andrew Whitworth and right guard Bobbie Williams. The problem is that Williams, 34, likely only has one year left in his career; maybe two max.

That means there are holes at left guard, center and right tackle. I thought Kyle Cook was going to be a solid center, but he appears to have regressed this year.

Then at left guard and right tackle, the Bengals have a pair of former undrafted free agents: Nate Livings and Dennis Roland. They’re both from LSU and no one else in the NFL wanted them except the Bengals. And they’re not just on the roster, they’re starters.

Not that it’s Roland’s fault that Smith turned into a complete bust. (That one’s on the Bengals’ front office considering the litany of warning signs about Smith before the 2009 draft.)

Guys like Livings and Roland should be backups at best in the NFL and this gives you some idea of why the Bengals’ O-line is so bad. And I probably should have included Cook in the previous sentence as well.

So, if there's actually going to be an NFL season in 2011 (and I think they'll work out a deal and will avoid a lockout) look for the Bengals to add a few offensive linemen. I don't think they'll take another one in the top 6 of the draft, but they'll definitely draft a couple at some point and might also look to add one via free agency.

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Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto was named the 2010 National League Most Valuable Player in a runaway vote on Monday.

Votto, 27, received 31 of the 32 first-place votes and beat out the likes of Albert Pujols and Carlos Gonzalez for the hardware.

Votto led the Reds to the NL Central championship and their first trip to the playoffs in 15 years. He batted .324 with 38 home runs and 113 RBI’s. His average was second-best in the NL (behind Gonzalez) and he was third in both homers (behind Pujols and Adam Dunn) and RBI’s (behind Pujols and Gonzalez).

And get this: Votto made just $525,000 last season, making him not only the best player in the NL, but the best bargain in all of baseball. He is arbitration-eligble this offseason and will receive a hefty raise. And a well-deserved one.

Now the question is whether the Reds can keep Votto long-term, or if he will eventually chase the money and go to the highest bidder. Cincinnati doesn’t have to worry about him becoming a free agent for another three years, but the team would be wise to at least try and lock him with a long-term contract. It will cost a lot, but it would be worth it. Votto is simply the purest hitter to come through the Queen City in many years. And you don’t have to worry about him getting in trouble off the field.

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A reader of the site (“Deem0916”) wrote in and asked me an interesting question this morning: Is Carson Palmer’s arm shot?

I don’t think it’s completely shot, but he certainly hasn’t been nearly the same quarterback since suffering an elbow injury two years ago which shelved him for the rest of the season.

I don’t think this has anything to do with the knee injury that Palmer suffered in January of 2006 (the playoffs of the 2005 season) when he went down against the Steelers. Palmer came back with a big 2006 season, so I really don’t think the knee has anything to do with this.

To me, it’s clear that Palmer has never fully gotten over the elbow injury. He elected to not have surgery following the ‘08 season (which I thought was a good sign at the time) but he’s never been the same since. Maybe he needed surgery and made a poor choice. Or maybe he’s just lost it mentally.

Although, the problem seems to be more than just what is going on between his ears. Palmer simply does not have the same velocity on his throws that he displayed earlier in his career. His accuracy has also declined, which is hard to explain unless he does in fact have an injury that is still nagging him.
Either way, he seems pretty close to being done to me. Then again, the Bengals won’t be able to find anyone better at the quarterback spot, so I’m sure they’ll keep him for at least another year. And that’s probably the smart thing to do until they know they have a good replacement.

For fans wanting a QB change now, it isn’t going to happen. Not when the craptastic Jordan Palmer is the backup. You think Carson is playing bad? Just give Jordan a chance to see the field. He might set a new single-game interception record.

The other option is rookie Dan LeFevour from Central Michigan, although he is probably at least a year away from being able to help. He played strictly a spread offense in college (and was very effective running it) and is still learning how to be a pro-style QB that takes the majority of snaps under center. The Bengals might have something with LeFevour and if Palmer keeps on playing terribly, we might see the rookie before the year is done just so he can show what he can do.

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If there was any doubt, Chris Mortensen removed it Thursday night.

ESPN's NFL insider called Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis a "lame duck" on the air; strong words from a man that chooses them carefully. (Sometimes too carefully. Mort needs to let it fly a little more and quit worrying about offending someone if he says something negative.)

The news of Lewis' demise won't come as a huge surprise to Bengals fans who know he has no control of the locker room (see: Ochocinco, Chad) and is operating in the final year of his contract. It spoke volumes that owner Mike Brown didn't give Lewis an extension last year after winning the AFC North championship.

So, who will the Bengals turn to? Well, set your expectations extremely low and you might not be disappointed. That's the approach I'm taking.

First of all, there is no way a big-time coach on the market would come to Cincinnati. Guys like Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden -- proven coaches of that ilk. Brown blew it when Tom Coughlin basically begged him to be the Bengals' head coach in 2003 when the job went to Lewis. Coughlin went to the Giants a year later and has won a Super Bowl. What part about Coughlin's rein in Jacksonville didn't Brown like? Oh, that's right: Coughlin wants too much control. You know, of things like the locker room. Doesn't matter where he goes, that man wins. Nice going there, Mikey Boy. You chose ... poorly. (And to be clear, it didn't even come down to Coughlin vs. Lewis in 2003. Coughlin was eliminated after he had the gall to tell Brown his detailed plan to getting the Bengals back on the right track. The job came down to Lewis vs. Mike Mularkey. And Brown actually offered the job to Mularkey at one point, who wanted more time to think it over.)

I have a feeling the job might go to defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. I am hoping the Bengals will find a proven offensive coach like Gruden as the head coach who would then retain Zim as defensive coordinator, but again, I don't think someone like Gruden would take the job. (Plus, there might be an opportunity for him in Dallas.) So, I could see Brown "settling" on Zimmer once he finds it difficult to get a good coach to as much interview with his cheap ass. (Still no indoor practice facility, Mike? Really? Your father is probably ashamed of you and what you've done to his franchise. There is a reason you are the joke of every NFL meeting you attend.)

Whoever the new coach is will have an interesting situation at right tackle as Andre Smith will miss the rest of this season after breaking his left foot for the second time in as many years. So, the new coach will have Smith coming off injury, likely vastly overweight and it will be intriguing to see how it plays out. Could Smith get cut next year? It wouldn't shock me. It will also be interesting to see what happens at wide receiver. I would certainly like to see the team re-sign Terrell Owens to a one-year contract (with more money this time of course).

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Just when you think there might be a small chance Andre Smith won’t be a complete bust, stories like this from Bengals.com are published.

Every Bengal fan knows that Smith has struggled with weight (and being a good player in general). However, he’s also had to deal with a chronic foot injury.

“After getting carted off the field, it is believed to be the same foot he broke three days into his rookie season, an injury that prevented him playing full time until the last three games,” Bengals.com editor Geoff Hobson wrote about Wednesday’s practice. “The injury took Smith out of the first 10 games of last season and when he had surgery on it back in January it wiped out all the spring drills and training camp for him.”

So, enter Dennis Roland at right tackle for this week’s unwinnable game at Indianapolis who somehow is even worse than Smith. And seriously, what kind of schedule from hell is this? This season, the Bengals will have played the defending Super Bowl champions (Saints), defending Super Bowl runner-up (Colts), the Patriots, the Falcons, the Jets, as well as the Steelers and Ravens twice. And what do you want to bet one of those teams wins the Super Bowl this year?

I’m not sure if there is any way to define it, but I wonder if it’s the most-difficult schedule in NFL history. Even the games that looked “easy” coming into the season have been anything but (and probably will be anything but). I’m talking about the Browns, the Bucs and the Chiefs. OK, the Bengals do play the Bills, but other than that it’s a brutal slate.

That’s the penalty for being defending champs in your division, but shouldn’t there be a waiver for such treatment if you get your asses handed to you in the first round of the playoffs at home by a wildcard team?

Anyway, even with the tough schedule, there needs to be serious changes after this season. Since the Bengals will never hire a general manager from the outside (you know, one that would stay away from stupid picks like Andre Smith when there were warning signs all over the place – and this is not “hindsight is 20/20,” I said it at the time) there needs to be changes made to the coaching staff.

Definitely offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski needs to go, and I also think it’s time to pull the plug on Marvin Lewis. He’s in the final year of his contract and it will be interesting to see what Mike Brown decides to do. Lewis is by far the best coach Brown has hired, but Lewis is a bad coach (thanks go out to Dave Shula, Bruce Coslet and Dick LeBeau [who is a great defensive coordinator but not a head coach] for making that possible). Maybe Brown has finally realized that Lewis isn't very good and he can find better. Then again, maybe he will say that his team is only a year removed from winning the division and Lewis deserves another year since the schedule was so daunting this season. A lot will depend on how the team finishes this year, even though it really shouldn't matter how they play in meaningless games. knowing this team's history, they probably will finish somewhat strong, providing nothing more than fool’s gold while hurting their draft position. Some Bengals fans even have a term for it: “The Dead Cat Bounce.”

As for Chad Ochocinco, he had a well-publicized meltdown on Monday night in the loss to the Steelers and what else is new. It was clear he was far out of control and Lewis was never going to be able to reel him in when he exploded at halftime of the playoff loss to the Steelers five years ago (the game when Carson Palmer blew his knee out). There were reports Chad punched a coach, perhaps even Lewis. Who knows what really happened, but something did. And from that day it was clear Marvin was never going to be able to control Chad.

So, it wasn’t surprising in the least to see what happened Monday night. You haven’t been paying attention if any of that surprised you. Even Lewis blew it off after the game. Most coaches would have been fuming.

At least left tackle Andrew Whitworth put Chad in his place during the game. Basically told him, “Shut the hell up, go line up and play ball” while giving him a shove in the right direction. Whitworth is one of the few bright spots on that offensive line – both in terms of his play and his leadership.

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Here are my thoughts following the Cincinnati Bengals' latest disappointment, a 22-14 loss to the Miami Dolphins at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday.

The Bengals weren't going to make the playoffs even if they won ...

... But this one still hurts. Cincinnati started the game well, had the Dolphins on the ropes when they took a 14-6 lead, but allowed a mediocre team to come back and win the game by a somewhat comfortable margin.

It's just amazing how the Bengals have found ways to lose games this year. It's certainly the polar opposite of 2009. Even when the ball does bounce their way - like on Terrell Owens' second touchdown reception of the game to give the home team the aforementioned eight-point advantage - they are a good bet to eventually shoot themselves in the foot and pull defeat from the jaws of victory.

Oh well, like I said, even if they had won yesterday and were 3-4 right now instead of 2-5, they weren't going to make the playoffs. Have you seen the rest of their schedule? It's been daunting enough up to this point, but they still have to play defending Super Bowl champ New Orleans, defending Super Bowl runner-up Indianapolis, as well as Pittsburgh twice. And there are some other non-easy games mixed in there as well.

So, this team saw it's playoff hopes sail away when it lost to the Browns and Buccaneers in back-to-back weeks (and then followed it up by losing off their bye week to the Falcons, who are at least a solid team) but losing to the Dolphins at home still stung for some reason. It really shouldn't have though. We should already be angling for the best draft pick as possible. And maybe for a new coach. Which brings us to our next topic.

Is it time for Marvin to go?

It's a question that probably all Bengal fans are pondering right now: Is it time to fire head coach Marvin Lewis?

However, considering the fact that the Bengals made the playoffs last year as AFC North champions, I seriously doubt it will happen this year. He'll get at least one more year before owner/president/mindless asshat Mike Brown even thinks about pulling the plug. (Unless there is a major disaster of some sort down the stretch. Like if they finish 2-14 for example. But that's not going to happen.)

Let's cut to the chase here: Marvin Lewis is not a good head coach. I've said it for a long time and I would love for anyone to come up with a salient argument that combats my opinion. Just because he's clearly better than the trainwreck of head coaches that Brown has hired (since his father and NFL legend Paul Brown passed away in 1991 and he took over ownership of the team) doesn't make Lewis a good coach. It just makes him better than Dave Shula, Bruce Coslet and Dick LeBeau. The latter is a great defensive coordinator but has no business being a head coach. Sound familiar? That's Marvin Lewis to a T. Just completely over his head as a head coach.

Almost any time there's a chance for him to make a mistake in clock management, he will do so. The Bengals were leading the Dolphins 14-9 near the end of the first half and there was no possible way for the Dolphins to get the ball back in time to drive a kick a field goal. Unless they happened to be going against a Lewis-led team. Translation: It was 14-12 at halftime after the latest botching of clock management by Lewis. You just can't give away points like that in the NFL and expect to win. And it's been a common theme of his head coaching tenure.

Now, are the Bengals some great team this year? Hell no. They have their share of deficiencies and have been hit somewhat hard with injuries (although nothing crazy; just the typical things that happen during most football seasons).

But there is no question that they should at least be an average team, or perhaps even a good one. Seriously, does anyone think Bill Belichick would be 2-5 with this team? No, he would probably be 5-2. However, it's not fair to bring up the best coach in the NFL and compare Lewis to him. I mean, are you the best person in the world at your chosen profession?

But there are plenty others who would get a winning record out of this Bengals team even with the ridiculous schedule. Jeff Fisher, Andy Reid, Tom Coughlin, Mike Tomlin, Jack Del Rio, Mike Smith, Rex Ryan and Sean Peyton to name a few off the top of my head. So, let's not pretend like this is completely a talent issue or something. There are plenty of coaches that would be doing a better job than Lewis.

Although, it can't be forgotten that Lewis is strapped by working under the worst front office in the NFL. That simply cannot be ignored. Mike Brown could negatively affect the production of even the best head coach (not that a good head coach would ever agree to work for him).

So, it is time for Marvin to go? That can certainly be debated. But the bottom line is Brown won't fire him after this season. In Brown's deranged world, Lewis is a very good coach because he's better than the other guys Brown has hired. So, expect to see Marv get another year.

Pink-slip time for Bratkowski

However, it's definitely time for offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski to go. Enough is enough with this guy and there needs to be at least one major change made on the coaching staff after this disaster of a season. Bratkowski has actually been on the staff two years longer than Lewis because he was also LeBeau's offensive coordinator. Not only has he masterminded the regression of quarterback Carson Palmer, his play-calling is downright dreadful at times. The Bengals had a stretch during the Dolphins games when they had four-straight three-and-outs.

Brat is the king of calling for a 3-yard pass on third-and-5. Watch the Patriots or other good teams; they rarely do that. Occasionally a good team will call a crossing route or something to that effect and try and allow one of its playmakers to try and get the first down on their own, but Bratkowski tries to do it far too often. He's horrific and it's time for a new person to run the offense.

Not that Brown and the clowns that work for him would ever do it, but they should be knee-deep in a search for their new offensive coordinator as we speak. And I don't want to hear anything about promoting from within.

But it's not just the offense

For Halloween, the Bengals' defenders dressed up as players who are allergic to quarterbacks. Oh, never mind, that wasn't just for this game. It's been like that all season.

The pass rush has been non-existent this season and there are a myriad of reasons. Robert Geathers has never been the same since getting injured a few years ago, Antwan Odom is serving a suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs (and didn't look very good before that since he was coming off injury), the Bengals don't have any good linebackers that are pass-rushers, and coordinator Mike Zimmer's schemes have been too predictable and basic. I love Zimmer, but it's not fair to rip the rest of the coaching staff without pointing out that he's also not getting the job done. There is simply no excuse for the lack of pressure the Bengals are applying on quarterbacks this year - especially considering the fact that Zimmer is an aggressive coach.

Palmer still shaky

Just when you thought, "Alright, he looks pretty good again; maybe it's not his fault" after his performance against the Falcons, Palmer comes right back with a game where he could've had about 10 interceptions if the Dolphins' defensive backs didn't have stones for hands.

As it stands, Palmer was 17-of-38 for 156 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. One of the touchdowns should have been a pick (Owens' second TD) and Palmer was throwing into traffic all day. When he wasn't doing that, he was air-mailing his receivers. We are watching the demise of Carson Palmer happen right before our eyes. It disgusts me. I thought he was going to be a future Hall of Famer. Now he's barely a mediocre NFL quarterback. Truly amazing. Nice player development they have there with the Bengals. But Palmer also must take a lot of the blame for allowing his career to regress like this. Hopefully he gets it turned around, but it's not looking good. His accuracy and decision-making are atrocious at times and I never thought I would say that.

Smith starts, doesn't look terrible

One of the few bright spots of the Dolphins game from the Bengals' perspective was the fact that second-year right tackle Andre "Sir Bust A Lot" Smith started and was solid for the most part. Maybe he's not a bust after all. Still a bad pick, but not a complete bust. Or maybe I'm grasping for straws since there's very little to be positive about regarding this team.

Smith was the No. 6 overall pick of the 2009 draft and it looked like another bust for the Bengals. But maybe Smith can mold himself into a serviceable player.

Losing J.Jo hurt

Cornerback Johnathan Joseph missed his second straight game with a sprained ankle and that was a factor in the loss to Miami. The Dolphins were able to pick on Morgan Trent (who did have an interception, but didn't look good otherwise) and it wasn't Leon Hall's finest day at the office either. Pacman Jones is out for the season and rookie Brandon Ghee is just a special teams player for now, so it was Trent that got the start. Not good.

However, Joseph is expected to return for the Monday night game next week against the Steelers. He will be an unrestricted free agent after the season and hopefully the Bengals can work out a deal with him. I don't see him leaving since the team can franchise him at worst, but the bottom line is they need to get Joseph to sign a long-term contract. Cedric Benson will also be an UFA after this season and they'll also need him back. I like Bernard Scott, but who knows if he can hold up as the starter, and you need two good running backs in the NFL anyway. No question Benson needs re-signed after this season.

No Williams affects Bengals

One injury that doesn't get talked about much - but is one that I think is really hurting the team - is strong safety Roy Williams' knee ailment. He missed most of last season with a broken arm and he's once again been on the shelf most of this year with the knee. Williams would really bring a physical and nasty presence that this defense lacks.

Updated predicted record

I'm going with 6-10. I don't think they will completely tank the season and they'll win four more games. I went with 9-7 at the start of the season and that will certainly be off the mark by a long shot.

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Here are my thoughts following the Bengals' 39-32 loss at the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday:

Another rough day for Marv

Good head coaches in the NFL are nearly impossible to beat after bye weeks. Bill Belichick has an undefeated mark following byes. Other widely-respected coaches (such as Jeff Fisher) also have dominant career records in games after off weeks.

And then there is Marvin Lewis. The Bengals are now just 2-5-1 coming out of the bye under his "leadership." They won in 2003, lost from 2004-2007, tied with the Eagles in '08, and won last year.

Bengals came out unprepared and unenthusiastic as usual

The Falcons marched for 83 yards on the first possession of the game and faced just one third down along the way. They did basically anything they wanted at any time. Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan (who is good but nowhere close to great) was 4-of-4 for 71 yards and a touchdown on the opening drive.

Then the Bengals' offense took the field, got one first down and quickly punted the ball back to the Falcons.

Way to come out ready boys! Now that is the way a well-coached team responds off a bye week.

Then the Bengals were mounting a very nice drive  on their second possession, but didn't go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 2 and settled for a 19-yard Mike Nugent field goal. The Falcons had to be feeling good about that decision by the conservative Lewis.

Zimmer starting to disappoint

I had no problems with Bengals' defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer's comments about former Falcons coach and current Arkansas boss Bobby Petrino, but maybe he should have been watching more film of the Falcons (who are no offensive juggernaut no matter how the Bengals made them look today) instead of spouting off to the media about how Petrino is an asshat.

Following the Bengals' field goal to make it 7-3, Atlanta marched right down the field without much issue (until the Bengals finally stopped them on a 4^th-and-7 play) and kicked a field goal of their own to make it 10-3 early in the second quarter.

Then on their following possession, the Falcons had another easy drive and shredded Zim's defense, capped with a 43-yard touchdown from Ryan to Roddy White.

And if that wasn't embarrassing enough, the Falcons embarked on an 11-play, 83-yard touchdown drive to take a 24-3 at halftime.

Did I mention ... Way to come out ready boys!!! You guys took the whole "off week" a little bit too literally though. This is still the highest form of professional football, even though one wouldn't know it from watching the Bengals at times.

Nuge, Huber continue to be bright spots

Mike Nugent's kickoffs are great (and the kick coverage team was good against the Falcons, pinning them inside the 20 on their first three returns of the game). Nugent has also been very good on field goals this year (14-of-16) despite missing a 52-yarder today. His only other "miss" was a block that wasn't his fault. In other words, he's been a heck of a bargain for the Bengals and an immediate upgrade over Shayne Graham.

 

In addition, Kevin Huber is also a nice weapon at punter. I loved it at the time when they got him in the fifth round last year and he's really been impressive this year after a solid rookie campaign. He's averaging 44.6 yards per punt and that's about as much as you could hope for from a second-year NFL player.

Roddy torched Bengal DB's

As for White, he made Bengals' Leon Hall look like he was running in quicksand at times.  However, Hall responded with his team-leading fourth interception of the season in the third quarter and overall played a solid game as usual.

The Bengals missed Johnathan Joseph today who is on the shelf with an injury, but don't forget the Falcons were without their best corner: Dunta Robinson. White had six catches for 157 yards and a touchdown in the first 19 minutes of the game. That's staggering, especially when it's obvious to everyone he's the only deep threat on Atlanta's receiving corps.

White finished with 11 catches for 201 yards and two scores. Other than that he was silent.

Ced what?

Every time it looks like running back Cedric Benson is on his way to a big game, the Bengals fall behind and have to rely on the pass just to make the game respectable. Benson is one of the few bright spots on this team, but it's hard to commit to the running game when it's 17-3 before you blink.

Course, with Bob Bratkowski's yearly struggles in the play-calling department (and I think this is his last year as the offensive coordinator by the way) that puts the Bengals behind the 8-ball before they even take the field.

Benson had 12 carries for 57 yards in the first half, but the Bengals trailed 24-3 at halftime and had to go to the air to try and get back in the game after that. He finished with 20 carries for 70 yards (8 carries for 13 yards in the second half) Oh, and he also lost a key fumble when the Bengals were driving with a chance to tie it late.

Wow, halftime adjustments for a change

Well, better late than never. The Bengals came out in the third quarter and actually looked like many of us thought they would look at times offensively this year. They got a field goal on their first possession and backed it up with an explosive six-play, 88-yard touchdown drive to make the score 24-13. They did a very good job of getting back in the game as soon as the second half started. But where was that fire early in the contest when Atlanta took the game by control?

Ocho, T.O. are no sideshow (OK, at least not always)

It was a big day for reality TV stars Chad Ochocinco and Terrelle Owens - a could of guys who also play football. Make fun of them if you will for being divas (and you know I'm going to) but the bottom line is they are still very good NFL receivers. Ochocinco had 10 receptions for 108 and a touchdown against the Falcons, and Owens added nine catches for 88 yards and a TD.

They continue to produce and stay out of trouble. So far so good. Now if they could just play defense.

Speaking of Cincinnati WR's...

How about the coming-out-party for rookie Jordan Shipley who had six receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown?

He's been excellent all year and today was his best game to date. And it came after he had to sit out last week after suffering a vicious concussion. Wow the Bengals found a hell of a keeper in the third round. We always rip their bad picks (and there are plenty of them, right Andre Smith?) but Shipley was an absolute steal and kudos to the Bengals' front office for landing him.

Dumb to go for two in the third quarter

Always wait until the fourth, too much football left. It was 24-19 Falcons at the time with 1:38 left in third and I was hoping the Bengals would just kick the extra point. But the clueless Marvin Lewis would have none of it.

The best third quarter I can ever remember seeing the Bengals play

The Bengals dominating the third quarter to the tune of 22-0 was nothing short of astonishing. It was capped with the 59-yard fumble recovery for a TD from Pacman Jones to give them a 25-24 lead. (Which would have been 27 if they would have just kicked the extra points, which you should always do until the fourth quarter ... oh did I already mention that?)

I thought this game was over for sure at halftime at 24-3 Falcons. And while there is not an excuse for coming in unprepared and uninspired like they did, credit to them for at least manning up and coming out with something to prove after getting embarrassed in the first half.

Maybe this will get Carson on track

Fans have been down on Palmer and rightfully so. He's been ultra-sucky at times. But he finished 36-of-50 for 412 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions against a decent Atlanta defense and hopefully that's a sign that he's going to finish the year strong (and more importantly have a good year next year since the Bengals have ruined any playoff chances they have). Palmer isn't as great as we all thought he would be, but he still has the chance to be a very good NFL QB as he proved today.

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