Cincinnati Bengals: Week Two Report Card

Defense: A

Athletes often talk about being "in the zone" when their performance reaches a level not yet conquered. If there is such a place, Antwan Odom was the king of it yesterday, sacking Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers five times. With two sacks last week, Odom is now just one away from his career-high total of eight.

Rookie linebacker Rey Maualuga was also credited with a sack yesterday, the first of his NFL career. The hit caused Rodgers to fumble the ball. Maualuga caused another fumble with a hit on Packers running back Ryan Grant that resulted in a turnover.

The Bengals' defense continues to impress me more and more. The aggressive style that coordinator Mike Zimmer has implemented is paying off. No longer are we seeing opposing running backs being tackled by safeties on a regular basis. They aren't getting that far. The defensive line and linebackers are fighting hard on every play.

Green Bay did score 24 points, but two touchdowns were the result of Charles Woodson interceptions. He returned one for a pick six and another to the Bengals' 11, setting up a touchdown.

Offense: B

It is hard to find fault with a team that goes to Lambeau Field and puts up 31 points.

Cedric Benson ran for 141 yards behind an offensive line that created holes. Benson showed agility and explosiveness that will be a tremendous asset shall it continue. The running game allowed the Bengals to control the clock, keeping the ball for nearly 34 minutes.

Chad Ochocinco made good on his promise to do the Lambeau Leap if he scored a touchdown. Ochocinco wisely found some Bengals fans conveniently sitting in the front row and chose them to share in the celebration. Whether or not they were planted there is up for debate.

Carson Palmer made two bad decisions on the passes that were picked off by Woodson. He did throw three touchdown passes, one each for Laveranues Coles, Chris Henry, and Ochocinco.

You cannot have offensive penalties in the red zone and expect to win on a consistent basis. However, despite the penalties, the Bengals were 4-for-4 in red zone efficiency yesterday.

Special Teams: B

Rookie Quan Cosby had punt returns of 60 and 32 yards. The 60-yard return was the longest by a Bengal since Peter Warrick returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown in 2003 against the Chiefs.

Punter Kevin Huber, another rookie, averaged 46.3 yards on four punts yesterday, including a 61-yarder that put the Packers on their own 15-yard line with 4:02 left in the game.

The only reason for not giving the special teams unit an A was because of the near heart attack they caused by not recovering Green Bay's onside kick with 44 seconds left in the game. The Packers were able to get to the Bengals' 10-yard line but ran out of time.