For those of you that watched the game, you’re probably wondering where this has been all season. With all the injuries and suspensions, maybe the team has finally played together enough to actually play as a team.

There are lots of good things to talk about in this game. Offensively, they were almost perfect. Palmer was 32 of 38 for 283 yards and 3 touchdowns. His throws were on target and he was in the zone. He did have one interception but it was a tipped pass so not completely his fault. That 4 interception game last week was just not like him and he came out to prove something this week.

For all the people down on Rudi Johnson, he had 88 yards rushing and his first touchdown of the season. Rudi had 25 carries this week compared to 5 for DeDe Dorsey (42 yards rushing) and 4 for Kenny Watson, who had 17 yards rushing and a touchdown.

Chad Johnson caught 12 passes for 103 yards and 3 touchdowns, all on great plays. He faked out the defender on his second touchdown so badly, he was wide open in the end zone. Houshmandzadeh had 7 catches for 66 yards and for a rare game this season, did not have a touchdown reception.

Defensively, it was something we haven’t seen most of the season. They pressured Vince Young and tackled well. The Titans had 61 total rushing yards. Even when the game was pretty much in control, the Titans appeared to rush for a touchdown. It looked like Chris Brown’s knee was down and Marvin Lewis challenged the play. He could have just let it go since it wouldn’t have mattered but this defense needed it. The play was overturned and the defense stuffed the Titans on the next play and then batted down a pass in the end zone on fourth down to make a stand.

That stand was fantastic. I was yelling at home for them to challenge the touchdown. I’ll admit, I still almost expected the Titans to be able to punch it in but I wanted the defense to have the chance. They got their chance and made the most of it.

On special teams, they didn’t even look like the Bengals. Long punts, great tackling, where did this come from? Leon Hall even caught a punt to down it inside the 5 on one play.

It was just a great game to watch. I’m glad it was televised here. As a Bengals’ fan, I haven’t had that much to cheer for this season but today was fun. I hope the defense is turning the corner and will continue to play well. I just want to see them end the season strong.

Carson Palmer threw 4 interceptions, three of them to Antrel Rolle. Rolle returned two of them for touchdowns. He actually returned all three for touchdowns but one was called back because of a blocking penalty on the return.

For the Cardinals, Kurt Warner threw for 211 yards and 2 touchdowns. Edgerrin James ran for 52 yards and a touchdown. Larry Fitzgerald caught 8 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown and Anquan Boldin added 4 catches for 71 yards and a touchdown.

For the Bengals, Palmer threw for 329 yards, 2 touchdowns and the 4 interceptions. Kenny Watson rushed for 45 yards and Rudi Johnson added 25. Johnson also had a fumble. Houshmandzadeh caught 8 passes for 87 yards and yet another touchdown. Chad Johnson added 8 catches for 86 yards. Chad also had a fumble.

The loss drops the Bengals to 3-7. They were already out of the playoff hunt but this was a game they could have and probably should have won. It’s now all about building for next year but there’s not much to build on when you just keep beating yourself.

Ryan Parker has written several songs about the Bengals and his new one is about Travis Henry and Chris Henry. You can hear the song and see the video by clicking the link below.

 http://www.ryanparkersongs.com/

The Bengals placed Caleb Miller on injured reserve, ending his season.  He hasn’t played since the third game of the season but it’s yet another loss to the defense.

To fill his spot, the team signed Roy Manning off waivers from Jacksonville. Manning is a 3rd year player from Michigan.

Heck, the score could read Shayne Graham 21 - Ravens 7. Graham kicked seven field goals as the Bengals pick up a win against the Ravens.

The offense seemed to do ok but couldn’t get a touchdown. Palmer threw for 271 yards and no interceptions. Rudi Johnson ran for 46 yards which isn’t great but it’s better than last week. Hopefully he can keep building on that. Chris Henry caught 4 passes for 99 yards in his first action of the season and Chad Johnson played and also caught 4 passes for 73 yards.

Granted, the Ravens were without both starting cornerbacks but a win is a win. The Ravens offense was a bit sloppy and the team had six turnovers. Steve McNair was eventually pulled for Kyle Boller, which brought cheers from the crowd. But his first drive was ended with an interception from Leon Hall.

Sure, since the Bengals are pretty much out of anything, the win doesn’t really mean much but it’s always nice to beat a division rival (especially twice in a season). I’m hoping that with Henry back, the offense will pick up and the defense actually played ok today. If that keeps up, we might see a few more wins before the season is over.

There may be a lot of players missing from the game this weekend. For the Bengals, Willie Anderson, Ahmad Brooks and Caleb Miller are out. Reggie Kelly, Anthony Schlegel and John Thornton are all doubtful. For the Ravens, Samari Rolle is out and Chris McAlister, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs are all doubtful. Defensively, this could be a game of backups.

For the Bengals, the good news is that Chad Johnson looks like he’ll play and Chris Henry will get his first action of the season (stay out of trouble Chris!). Rudi Johnson is another week healthier and hopefully he and Kenny Watson can combine to do better than last week. It couldn’t really get much worse though, last week was horrible.

Offensively, both teams are fairly healthy. Todd Heap is probable so both teams could be without their starting tight ends. With the Ravens defense hurting and Chris Henry’s return, the offense could click more than it has the past few weeks.

The Bengals’ playoffs hopes are pretty much dead and the Ravens aren’t playing well either. But it’s always nice to sweep someone in your division, especially when it’s the Ravens. Why not make them as miserable as us huh? Like I said before, it’s all for pride now so I hope the team finishes the season strong and builds something for next year. Wow, I’m already saying “wait ’til next year”. I’m starting to feel like a Cubs fan.

Chris Henry was involved in an incident with a parking lot attendant over a $5 charge recently. The attendant claims that Henry parked his car in the lot and walked away without paying. When the attendant approached Henry, he claims that Henry got chest to chest with him, cursed at him and asked “Don’t you know who I am?” and then threw a $5 bill on the ground. Henry then left but later returned and security was called.

An NFL spokesman has said that this should not affect Henry’s playing time based on the information he has seen.

Let’s hope it doesn’t. With Chad Johnson somewhat injured, Henry is an even more important part of the Bengals’ offense now.

Linebacker Ahmad Brooks’ season ended when the team placed him on injured reserve. He hasn’t played since week 2 with a groin/abdominal injury.