My name Is Kevin Snyder. I am from Dayton, Ohio and I am 23 yaers old. As a youth I have played football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and am currently involved in auto racing. I do not have a degree in writing, but I can assure you that my passion for writing and sports are not limited by my achievements. I have grown to love all aspects of everything athletic growing up playing sports. My hobbies include writing and sports, hence my passion to become a sports writer. The Cincinnati Bengals won a close game on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, who had won 9 out of their last 10 meetings against the Bengals. NFL analysts finally found out if the Bengals have what it takes to "come from behind" and win, as they overcame a 10-0 deficit to win 31-23.
After a heart-breaking loss in Jacksonville last week, the Cincinnati Bengals faced their first test of trying to rebound after a close loss. Heading into Tennessee this week, many NFL analysts questioned the Bengals' ability to come from behind to secure a win, both in a single game and after a tough loss.
Playing the Tennessee Titans, Cincinnati entered the game with the worst record in the NFL for penalties against. If the Bengals were expected to win any close games this year, they knew they had to limit their own mistakes and not commit any bad penalties against themselves.
Well, Cincinnati did just that, as they limited their penalties to earn their first "come from behind" win of the season, beating Tennessee 31-23.
Cincinnati committed only four penalties throughout the entire game, only giving up 32 yards from the yellow flag. A much improved ratio from last week, when the Bengals committed 12 penalties in their first loss of the year.
With a much more disciplined performance, quarterback Carson Palmer was given more opportunities to make pivotal first downs, which are needed to win close football games. He was 27 of 33 for 272 yards and two touchdowns, tying the NFL record of playing in nine consecutive games with a QB rating of higher than 100.
Palmer remains the NFL leader in passer percentage, as he completed 81.8% of his passes against the Titans secondary, and still holds on to second in QB rating behind Ben Rothlisberger.
Running back Rudi Johnson ran for 80 of the Bengals' 119 yards rushing and is credited with the Bengals' last TD score. Johnson, with 544 yards rushing on the year, is on pace to rush for over 1,500 yards, which would break the Bengals' single season rushing record of 1,454, which he set in 2004.
While not going so far as to say that Chad Johnson was shut down in Jacksonville, as he only had 52 yards receiving last week, he proved once again that he is one of the best wide receivers in the game today. Johnson, whose performance included a spectacular leaping TD catch over Titan’s Pacman Jones, had 8 receptions for 135 yards, adding another "no" check-mark in the No. 85 locker in Cincinnati.
Kevin Walter, the Bengals' fourth wide out, accounted for 4 catches for 65 yards. He also had a pivotal role in the Bengals' second quarter touchdown drive with under two minutes to go in the first half to make the score 10-7 at halftime.
Chris Perry continues to prove himself as the Bengals' favorite third down running back as he accumulated 73 of Cincinnati's 387 total yards on offense and a receiving touchdown.
Cincinnati’s' defense started the first half uncharacteristically slow, just as they did last week against Jacksonville. They allowed over 80 yards rushing in the first half, as they focused on shutting down Tennessee's QB Steve McNair through the air.
In the second half, however, they stepped up as they did in their first four weeks, forcing two crucial turnovers, which resulted in a TD returned by rookie linebacker Odell Thurman, and a momentum stealing drive cut short by Kevin Keasviharn's interception in the last three minutes of the game, which killed all hopes for a Tennessee Titans comeback. Cincy remains the number one team in the NFL in turnovers, as they now have 20 on the year.
Cincinnati faces their toughest game of the year next week against Pittsburgh. With the Steelers starting quarterback, Ben Rothlisberger questionable for the game, the Bengals will be looking to take advantage of the opportunity.
Cincinnati's high powered offense will still be tested all four quarters against Pittsburgh's defense, and a hurt Rothlisberger makes a recipe for a close and intense battle, which will help determine which AFC North teams wants the division title more. It should be great game.