Bengals End Year on Three-Game Win Streak With 16-6 Win Over Chiefs

There had not been very many happy moments in the Queen City in 2008, but for the Bengals, they can hold their heads up high after Sundays 16-6 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs to end the season at 4-11-1.  The highlights include ending the season on a three-game winning streak, and with their win and the Browns loss to the Steelers, they end the year in third in the AFC North.

They also have a defense that played some of their best football in quite a long time in the last three victories.  They beat the Redskins 20-13, shutout the Browns 14-0, and now allowed just six points to a Chiefs team that put up 31 last week in a home loss to the Dolphins.

Sunday’s win once again was highlighted by the teams ability to stop the opposing offense, and the ability to get Cedric Benson going on their side of the ball.  Benson, who ran for a career high last week in Cleveland, rushed for 111 yards and the games only score.  The defense allowed the Chiefs to cross midfield only once in the first three quarters.

Benson, who is a free agent after the season, but may have found a home with the Bengals scored on a two-yard run and had his third 100-yard rushing game.  The defense limited KC to just 220 yards, 4-for-13 on third down, and 13 overall first downs.  Tyler Thigpen was 19-for-36 for 191 yards with one TD.  Larry Johnson had just 18 yards on 10 carries.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, who also may be in a new home next year, was 18-for-30 for 129 yards.  He led the offense though that held the ball for a whopping 37:39 to just 22:21 for KC.  The Bengals as a team had 329 yards of offense in the victory.

There has been grumblings of Marvin Lewis moving on from the Bengals, but the last three weeks, albeit against two bad teams and one not in the playoffs in the NFC, may have just brought him another season.  The same may not be said for Herm Edwards of the Chiefs, who has lost 23 of his last 25 games as head coach of the young Chiefs.