NFL Sneak Peek – Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals lost their first eight games last season, and suffered a lot of injuries along the way, including one to starting quarterback Carson Palmer. This team scored more than 21 points just three times en route to a 4-11-1 record (7-9 ATS) and only a tie against Philadelphia gave them third place in the AFC North all by their lonesome. What effect would a healthy Palmer have, and were the off-season additions enough to help this team compete seriously for a playoff spot?

Let’s take a look at the numbers:

BetOnline Sportsbook Odds

To Win AFC North

Pittsburgh Steelers -225

Baltimore Ravens +320

CINCINNATI BENGALS +800

Cleveland Browns +900

For the Bengals, last year was a story of injuries, as only five members of the club started all 16 games. Of course, the big injury loss was quarterback Carson Palmer, who made only four starts, throwing 129 passes. Truth be told though, the Bengals were pretty lousy with Palmer in the lineup as well, at least on the offensive side of the ball. Whether that changes this season will depend on several major factors.

One of them involves Cedric Benson, who was once the fourth pick in the draft, and who ran for 747 yards after getting tossed out of Chicago. Benson’s 3.5-yard average does not indicate that he can be the kind of "go-to" runner who can take significant pressure off Palmer. If he’s not effective, Kenny Watson is the alternative. Palmer, however, is expecting to get plenty of running help. He had this advice for fantasy team owners: "Draft Cedric Benson. He’s going to have an awesome year."

T.J. Houshmandzadeh left for Seattle as a free agent, so the Bengals had to go out and find a receiver, and they added Laveranues Coles, who certainly had his moments for the Jets, with a high of 1264 yards in 2002. Chad Ochocinco, who is coming off a shoulder injury, is planning on moving in with Palmer’s family, presumably as a way of developing more chemistry with the team leader. There is an interesting trio of tight ends, as they have Reggie Kelly, Ben Utecht and now Chase Coffman, who was taken out of Missouri with a third round pick.

Palmer may be looking for those tight ends on short routes with the time he’s likely to have. The offensive line doesn’t know each other right now. You could see three new starters, and one of them is a first-round draft choice (Andre Smith) who pulled a disappearing act at the NFL Scouting Combine. If Jonathan Luigs gets the nod at center, that gives Cincinnati two rookies starting on the interior.

This is not a team that has a long way to go on defense. Overall, Cincinnati’s stop unit ranked 12th in the NFL betting lines. Apparently the new defensive coordinator, Mike Zimmer, who was formerly an assistant in Atlanta and Dallas, had a very real effect. Coach Marvin Lewis cannot be pleased with the pass rush, which had just 17 sacks. The Bengals reached out with a third-round pick and got Michael Johnson of Georgia Tech, who is not necessarily an every-down possibility but could become an attractive pass rushing specialist in the pros. Tank Johnson was also signed as a free agent; he has always been known as somebody who can pressure the passer from his defensive tackle position.

Rey Maualuga, who was a middle linebacker at USC, is being moved to the outside, and it remains to be seen how he will adapt. He’s going there because Dhani Jones is a fixture in the middle. The secondary is pretty good, and it’s pretty young too, with Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall having been drafted over the last several seasons and manning the corner positions. The Bengals decided to give another shot to Roy Williams, a former Pro Bowl safety who was given his walking papers by the Cowboys. He’ll supply a veteran presence that could help take this group to a higher level.

The more and more you look at it, the more important somebody like Benson looms. If he performs, the Bengals might be able to take pressure off Palmer, play some ball control and minimize turnovers, and let their defense carry them a bit. Then they could possibly play catch-up with Baltimore and challenge for a wild card spot in the AFC.