Key Takeaways from Bengals' Week 11 Loss to the Cardinals

In a much-anticipated matchup on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, the Arizona Cardinals exhibited tremendous resiliency in their 34-31 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, who had not suffered back-to-back losses since Weeks 9 and 10 of the 2013 regular season.

Led by quarterback Carson Palmer, the Cardinals outlasted the Bengals in a tough contest at home to improve to 8-2 this season. The Bengals, who lost to the Houston Texans last week, drop to 8-2, after opening the season with an undefeated 8-0 record.

Palmer, who struggled early in the game with two first-quarter interceptions, bounced back in Palmer-like fashion, finishing the night with an impressive 317 yards and four touchdowns.

ESPN Stats & Info showcased how crucial a healthy Palmer is to the success of this Arizona Cardinals team:

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Cardinals edge Bengals, 34-31. They've scored 336 points this season. They totaled 310 in 2014 pic.twitter.com/RoMMPlwnWj

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 23, 2015"

On the flip side, the Bengals’ record in prime-time games drops to 8-18 since 2003. And under head coach Marvin Lewis, their record in games that start at 7 p.m. ET or later on the road is now an abysmal 1-13, courtesy of NFL on ESPN:

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Bengals are now 1-13 under Marvin Lewis in games that start at 7 ET or later on the road. pic.twitter.com/H7Z3JNaNdJ

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) November 23, 2015"

Here are a few key takeaways from the Bengals/Cardinals Week 11 matchup:

Bengals Are Not Injury-Proof; Secondary Suffers

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

The Bengals were at one point enjoying one of the NFL’s healthiest seasons.

Not so much anymore.

Last month, ESPN ranked the NFL's most injured teams in the NFL from 1 to 32. The Bengals were ranked the 30th-most banged-up team or, in simpler terms, the third-healthiest.

But since those rankings were announced, the Bengals have suffered several significant injuries—specifically in their defensive secondary.

And as well as the Bengals defense outperformed the Cardinals offense in the game's first half, the Bengals just couldn’t compensate for the injuries they were dealt in the second half.

Already without top cornerback Adam Jones (foot), the team also lost backup corner Darqueze Dennard, and rotational safety Shawn Williams, as the Bengals announced on Twitter:

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INJURY UPDATE: Dennard reported w/ shoulder injury. Return is doubtful. Shawn Williams reported with ankle injury. Return is questionable.

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) November 23, 2015"

The good news is that even with a depleted secondary the Bengals still managed to keep the game close against the NFL's top offense.

The Bengals have the potential to make some real noise in the playoffs this year, but any chance of that moving forward will be heavily dependent upon their health.

Penalties, Penalties, Penalties

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

We all understand that penalty flags are a part of the game. But the Bengals really did themselves in this week with some boneheaded mistakes.

In total, the Bengals were flagged for 10 penalties for 108 yards. That is the most yards the Bengals have been flagged for so far this season, according to NFLPenalties.com.

It didn’t help that the flags came at some of the game's most critical junctures either. One erased a potential touchdown. One brought back an impressive 41-yard punt return.

But it was the final penalty levied against Cincinnati that killed it.

Defensive lineman Domata Peko was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for simulating the Cardinal’s snap count, which moved the ball half the distance to the goal, turning what would have been a 46-yard attempt into an “extra point style” 32-yard chip shot to win the game.

Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis was asked after the game about the flag on Peko (via Enquirer Sports), and it was pretty clear from his response that he wasn’t pleased with the call.

“Phantom call there at the end, kind of ridiculous,” Lewis said. “I don't see how they make that call at that point in the game.”

The Bengals’ opponent saw it a little differently.

“It was real obvious,” Palmer said. “The ref was right there. They obviously said the snap count, and that's a 15-yarder.”

Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald echoed what his quarterback said.

“They were very loud and demonstrative with their shifts. The line shifts like that, it sounded like a cadence,” Fitzgerald said. “I’m just glad they finally caught it later in the game.”

At the end of the day, penalties played a significant role in deciding the game's outcome. The Bengals need to be smarter and more disciplined in the future to prevent it from happening again.

Quarterbacks Ruled the Night

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

In an increasingly offensive-driven league, Carson Palmer and Andy Dalton both performed at high levels for their respective teams on Sunday night.

With only one game still remaining in Week 11, Palmer and Dalton are so far the only two quarterbacks to record over 300 passing yards.

If things stand put, this will be only the second time since 2010 that fewer than three quarterbacks failed to hit the 300-mark, according to the Football Database.

Despite throwing two picks early in the game, Palmer bounced back beautifully on four impressive touchdown passes to four different receivers. The NFL highlighted two of those scoring drives:

The first, to tight end Darren Fells, tied the game at seven:

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Best way for Carson Palmer to bounce back from back-to-back INTs? Loft a perfect 18-yard TD to Darren Fells #CINvsAZ https://t.co/vBaBVPUhG1

— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2015"

Another came off a deep ball to rookie wide receiver J.J. Nelson for a 64-yard score:

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Watch this 64-yard TD to J.J. Nelson and answer: Does anyone throw a better deep ball than Carson Palmer? #CINvsAZ https://t.co/UXj3HihByH

— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2015"

Bruce Arians, Cardinals head coach, praised his quarterback for rebounding the way he did.

“That’s the type of guy he is,” Arians said. “He can have rough moments, shake them off and just come on back. He’s like a really good pitcher who can’t find the plate, and then all of a sudden, he gets in a groove.”

Dalton was equally imposing on the other side of the ball, ending the game with 315 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Given the circumstances, Dalton’s performance may have actually been the better of the two. His offensive line allowed four sacks;he was harassed by blitzes most of the night.

Nevertheless, he hung in there and gave his team a chance to win the game down the stretch.

Dalton has received a bad rap in the past for his performances under the bright lights, primarily in prime-time games and in the postseason, but if he can deliver this type of performance in the playoffs, the Bengals will undoubtedly be considered legit title contenders.