Cincinnati Bengals: Seven Good Things From Game 2 vs. Baltimore Ravens
The Cincinnati Bengals won their first game by beating the Baltimore Ravens 15-10.
They did not score a touchdown. Carson Palmer has had better games. Palmer and Terrell Owens have to get together. The passing game overall was a tad sloppy. There were inaccurate passes by Palmer and dropped passes by the wide receivers.
Instead of focusing on the bad, here are seven good things to take away from the game.
1. Mike Nugent
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Mike Nugent drilled five field goals against the Ravens. That was good for a career high. Nugent's kicks were right down the middle.
Nugent also had three kickoffs for touchbacks. The Bengals have struggled on kickoff coverage making those touchbacks a big factor in the game.
If he can stay healthy, Mike Nugent could be a weapon for the Bengals.
2. Interceptions
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Four of Joe Flacco's passes went to Bengals. Adam “Pacman” Jones, Leon Hall, Brandon Johnson, and Chinedum Ndukwe had the picks. Jones’ pick was the first of the season for the Bengals.
The Bengals secondary has to be respected in the league right now. This game may make teams hesitant to pass against them.
3. Bounce Back
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Last year, the Bengals dropped their first game of the season against the Broncos. They showed that they could come back from a loss.
Once again, they bounced back from a bad opener with a win against a good team.
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4. T.J. Houshmandzadeh
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It would not have been fun to watch a big game from ex-Bengal T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
Houshmandzadeh was targeted six times and had no catches to show for it.
5. Johnson and Atkins
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The Bengals hit him often but were only able to sack Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco once. Geno Atkins and Michael Johnson came up with the sack.
Hopefully, Atkins will get more snaps as he gets more comfortable. Both of these guys should be a big part of the Bengals' future.
6. Jordan Shipley
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Jordan Shipley ended up being targeted six times and had five receptions for 42 yards. The only ball Shipley missed was where he got popped as the ball was hitting his hands.
Carson Palmer has confidence in throwing to Shipley. He has great hands and simply catches it and turns up field. Shipley plays like a veteran and needs to be targeted even more.
Shipley will be a key part of the Bengals' offense this year.
7. Right Where We Thought
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When looking at the schedule, most people expected the Bengals to be 1-1 after two games.
If they can continue to get better and not play down to the competition they could be 4-1 going into the bye week. The next three opponents should not be looked down on but are winnable games.
The path to a ten-win season is right in front of them.
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