Is There Any Hope For The Cincinnati Bengals Offense This Season?

When Ryan Fitzpatrick took the Cincinnati Bengals offense 66 yards and capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run before halftime to cut the New York Jets' lead to three points, I actually thought the Bengals had a chance pull off their first victory of the season.

I guess I spoke a little too soon.

Despite three turnovers from Brett Favre, the Bengals fell to the Jets 26-14 to dropping to 0-6 this season.

Carson Palmer sat for the second time in three games, nursing a sore right elbow that could keep him out once again this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

When you look at the Bengals squad on paper, they have the potential to be one of the best teams in the NFL.

Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh all have the potential to become pro-bowlers when healthy.

So how is a team with an offense like the Bengals at 0-6?

I'm just as confused as everybody else.

Before the game even started, everybody knew the Bengals at least had a shot to defeat a Jets squad that surrendered over 500 yards in offense to the Arizona Cardinals a few weeks ago.

Once again, I guess I was wrong.

I know it's not fair to say all of this since Carson Palmer wasn't in the game, but that is no excuse when you have enough solid weapons on offense to at least put up a decent performance.

The Bengals's offense on Sunday looked flat-out awful. Ryan Fitzpatrick should be happy he has a degree from Harvard because he is obviously not made to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.

I have seen some quarterbacks scramble when no receivers are open. I have seen quarterbacks in high school games who know it is common sense to tuck in the ball when you the thought of running the ball comes to mind.

There were a few plays from Sunday's game where I wasn't sure what Fitzpatrick was thinking when he was scrambling around. Luckily, he only fumbled the ball once.

Overall, the Bengals offense produced 152 yards in the air and 37 yards on the ground. No offense to the Jet fans out there, but we all know their defense clearly isn't one of best in the NFL. The numbers on offense the Bengals produced is what most fans would expect against the Ravens or Steelers.

The worst part about Sunday's offensive performance? You know it's a rough game when your starting quarterback, who isn't known for running the ball, out-rushes your starting running back.

It's one thing if you have a Vince Young or Michael Vick at quarterback. However, we all know that Fitzpatrick is no quarterback you expect to run the ball numerous times throughout the game.

The fact that Fitzpatrick ran for 23 yards off 6 carries and Chris Perry rushed for 14 yards off of 11 carries is just sad.

One of the dumbest moves the Bengals did this off season was release Rudi Johnson. I understand he may have struggled lately because of injuries, but look at his numbers before the 2007 season.

Johnson ran for over 1,300 yards in three straight seasons, and in each of those seasons, he scored 12 touchdowns.

I understand the Bengals were worried about his injury history, but by the time they decided to put Johnson on the trade block, it was too late.

When they put Johnson on the trade block in August requesting a wide receiver, most teams probably laughed. Most teams were probably thinking either:

A. I drafted the running back I needed back in April. 

B. I signed the running back I needed through free agency.

-OR-

C. Rudi Johnson sounds great, but there is no way I am giving up one of my receivers for him.

The Bengals' decision to release Rudi Johnson and make Chris Perry their starting running back was one of the biggest mistakes the organization has made this year. Their offensive numbers prove it.

If the Bengals can't gain over 200 yards of offense against the New York Jets, who knows what to expect for the remainder of the season.

For fans sake, let's hope that Carson's elbow heals quicker than expected. If worst comes to worst, maybe his brother will be able to lead the Bengals to a win or two this season since Fitzpatrick doesn't look like he can.