Bengals' Cedric Benson Gets the Best Kind of Revenge There Is...A Win

Cedric Benson said that revenge was not on his mind. Sure, the Chicago Bears dropped him like honors math after three seasons last year, but the former first-round pick played it cool all week.

Then on Sunday, he let the hammer drop.

Benson wasn’t the only reason that the Bengals romped 45-10 on Sunday, but he was the galvanizing force.

Much like the tragic death of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s wife Vikki several weeks ago, the Bengals seem to thrive on emotion and Benson gave them plenty to use.

The fourth-overall pick in the 2005 draft, Benson was a bust from the moment he stepped on the field in Chicago.

He was a loner. He didn’t get along with teammates. He fumbled the ball.

And, oh yeah, he also got arrested twice on DUI charges.

Last week, Benson said that he thought the Bears blackballed him after the release, telling teams that the disgruntled running back wasn’t worth the time.

It wasn’t true—Bears coach Lovie Smith apparently gave Marvin Lewis a ringing endorsement—but perception is reality and Benson obviously believed it.

But while Benson said that revenge wasn’t on his mind, his play said otherwise. He repeatedly sliced open the soft Bear defensive line and tore the heart out of Chicago. With the Bears so worried about Benson, quarterback Carson Palmer had a field day, surgically dissecting the secondary and turning the game into a rout.

The damage wasn’t limited to just the offense. The Bengal D forced four turnovers, turned Matt Forte into a useless bystander and hit Jay Cutler all day long. It was a performance reminiscent of the first five games of the season and showed that this Cincinnati defense is the real deal.

Of course, the Bengals were helped out considerably. The Bears did not appear to be ready to play and Cutler continues to make too many mistakes with the ball to be considered one of the league’s top quarterbacks. On defense, Chicago appeared to be lost as the Bengals receivers—particularly Chad Ochocinco—did whatever they pleased.

But at the heart of it all was Benson, the soft-spoken Texas country boy who just wants the ball and wants to help his team win.

Just over a year ago, Benson was rescued off the scrap heap by the Bengals and it turned out to be the greatest free agent signing in franchise history. With his 189 yards Sunday, he vaulted past Minnesota superstar Adrian Peterson to No. 1 on the league’s rushing list.

“I continue to be as graceful as I can be,” Benson said in the postgame press conference. “I’m not shoving anything in anybody’s face. Like I say, it wasn’t a revenge day for me. I just wanted to take advantage of the opportunities.”

Take advantage he has. If he—and his team—continue to play this way, they have even bigger opportunities down the road.