Palmer Leads Bengals to Crucial Victory Over Division Rival Pittsburgh

            It seemed like another ordinary day for Cincinnati fans. 64,000 fans filled Paul Brown Stadium to watch their beloved Bengals take on the reigning Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Unfortunately for the devoted fans, Cincinnati was continuing the trend of being walked on by any team with an ounce of talent. After the first quarter, the Steelers had taken a ten point lead. The Bengals explosive offense had put up a whopping -10 yards total. That’s right folks, the Bengals could not manage ONE positive yard in fifteen minutes of professional football. This beating continued throughout the rest of the first half. By some strange form of luck, the Bengals mustered a field goal as time expired in the first half.

            Something strange happened in the Cincinnati locker room at half-time. Whatever it was, the Bengals came out of the tunnel extremely motivated to play professional football. In the third quarter the Bengals only gave up seven points, while scoring six off of an interception returned for a touchdown by Jonathan Joseph. Unfortunately for the Bengals, they still trailed 20-9.

            The fourth quarter is where things really got interesting. The Bengals defense allowed no points in the final period. Carson Palmer led his team on a scoring drive capped off by a touchdown run by running back Cedric Benson. Trailing 20-15, Carson Palmer and the offense got the ball back with about seven minutes left in regulation. With precision accuracy, Palmer led his team down the field while managing the clock beautifully. The offense faced two fourth downs on that drive, and unlike the Bengals of old, they converted both. With :14 left on the clock, Palmer threw over the middle to receiver Andre Caldwell to score the winning touchdown.

            The Bengals and their long suffering fans escaped with a special victory that day. The team had not beaten the Steelers in Cincinnati in eight years. Winning a game like that is very significant because it shows that for once, something might have changed within the organization. Fans of the team know that in the last twenty years, any time a Bengal team was faced with a similar predicament they failed to deliver. This victory represents what fans pray is a change in the culture of the Cincinnati Bengals. For now, all the Bengal faithful can do is take it week by week, and believe in now.