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Monday, Oct. 26, 2009

Believe in these Bengals

DOUBTERS RECEIVE A MAJOR DISMANTLING

CINCINNATI — Admit it, you had your doubts.

So they stole one from the Steelers in Cincinnati. So they beat the Ravens in Baltimore. So they lost to the still-unbeaten Broncos on a fluke play at game's end.

So even with Cincinnati at 4-2 after last week's stubbed toe, admit it, you still were not quite convinced the Bengals were no longer Bungles.

After all, through six weeks, had the "Cardiac Cats," the team that couldn't win a game until it was the very last minute of the game, really ever dominated anyone?

"We always thought it," said Carson Palmer, the quarterback, when asked if he believed the Bengals could put together a dominating performance. "We just hadn't proved it."

A pause.

"Today, I think we proved it on both sides of the ball."

Uh, well, ask the Chicago Bears, who may still be peeling themselves off the Paul Brown Stadium turf after suffering a 45-10 demolishing at the hands of the bona fide Bengals.

"The Chicago Bears should never lose a football game like that," Lovie Smith, the head Bear, pronounced afterward.

But lose "like that" they did. From the jump, as a team, the Bengals played like a team with a chip on its shoulder.

First four possessions, the Bengals went 77, 80, 63 and 66 yards for a 28-0 lead.

Cedric Benson, the former Bear, had reached the 100-yard mark by the two-minute warning. He finished with a career-high 189 yards.

Palmer threw five touchdown passes on the day. Chad Ochocinco caught two of them. Cornerback Leon Hall picked off two Jay Cutler passes. Safety Cris Crocker got a third.

Talk about your massive nights. It was one of those rare late October early evenings when everything, absolutely everything, came together.

"Our first complete football game," said Marvin Lewis, the Bengals' coach.

"Blowouts like that don't happen against a good team," said Palmer. "And they're a good team."

Now, headed into their bye week, we can be certain that the Bengals are indeed a good team, a more than legitimate factor in not just the AFC North race, but the hunt for the conference crown.

"We had done some good things," said Ochocinco. "But as an offense, we needed to click."

Indeed, before Sunday, the deepest shadow of doubt hung over the Bengals' offense. Sunday, it clicked.

"Today we had all 11 on the same page," said offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth, "and it showed."

Palmer's passes were wickedly accurate. His pocket was nearly always clean. His receivers didn't drop balls. The line carved out space. And it would be easy to write that Benson ran through that space like a man possessed, but then the Chicago castoff has proved the doubters wrong practically from the first day he arrived at Paul Brown Stadium.

His team is now doing the same. Benson wasn't the only one with something to prove.

"Last Sunday, our guys got their noses rubbed in it a little and didn't like it," said Lewis of a doubt-casting 28-17 home loss to the Texans.

"In the long run," said Palmer, "I think that was a good thing to have happen."

After all, the doubters serve a purpose.

"The doubters are fun," said Benson. "I'd hate to get rid of all of them."

Same for that chip?

"I like my chip on my shoulder," said the running back. "I think I'm gonna keep it."

Reach John Clay at 859-231-3226 or 1-800-950-6397, ext. 3226, or jclay@herald-leader.com. Read his blog at Kentucky.com.