The Cincinnati Bengals play the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome at 1:00 today.  Carson Palmer, the running backs and the defense all need to be at the top of their game.

Palmer and Chad Ochocinco have to do their  job and hook-up a ton of times.  The o-line has to allow Palmer to get comfortable in the pocket and so he can take over the game.  Palmer absolutely can not throw any interceptions or else the Vikings will definitely capitalize.

Cedric Benson, Larry Johnson and Brian Leonard have to blow right through the Minnesota defense.  The Bengals O-line better open up some holes because the running backs  are going to take advantage of any holes they can find.  The backfield will wear out the Vikings defense by the end of the day.

The Bengals defense have to beat up Peterson and force Favre to make bad decisions and take advantage of it when he does. Cincinnati's defense can't worry only about Adrian Peterson and Brett Favre.  Cincinnati got lucky because Percy Harvin is not playing for Minnesota this week.  With Harvin out, the Bengals dodged a bullet on special teams and on offense because Harvis is a threat on kick returns and he is one of Farve's favorite wide receivers, too.  Cincinnati's defensive backs are going to have at least one pick this week because the D-line is going to kill him before, after and while he is throwing the ball.  The Bengals linebackers are going to blow-up Peterson, too.  They just can't forget to hit him in his legs.

The Bengals can not be a one-dimensional team on offense.  They have to be a three-dimensional team - passing success, running power and special teams speed will put points up on the board.  The Vikings lost to the Steelers and the Bengals sure as heck beat the Steelers so I'm confident the Bengals are going to win today.

Go Bengals!  Who Dey!

The Bengals won the battle of Ohio on Sunday by beating Cleveland 16-7. The Bengals swept the AFC North for the first time ever.  Cincinnati didn’t play their best against the Browns but a win is a win.  Larry Johnson, Carson Palmer, and defense all stood out to me on Sunday.

Marvin Lewis made a smart move playing Larry Johnson more.  L. J. ran the ball great.  He had 107 yards with only 22 carries and his average was 4.9 yards a carry.  L. J. is really improving the Bengals offense while Cedric Benson is out with a hip problem.

Carson Palmer ran the offense pretty well.  The tackle by Robert Gathers right before the half was really dirty.  I was afraid that Palmer was hurt.  It was a stupid move on Gathers’ part.  All Palmer was doing was trying to run out-of-bounds to end the half.  When Gathers horse collared Palmer the 15 yard penalty put Cincinnati in field goal range.  Shayne Graham nailed his kick from 53 yards and put three more point on the board before the half.

Palmer moved the ball around well.  But he really needs to step up and take control during these last few games.  Palmer is a one of the top ten quarterbacks in the league and I want to see him dominate the game like I know he can.

Cincinnati’s defense played strong.  But the defensive line has to put more pressure on the quarterback.  The Bengals defensive backs really disrupted Brady Quinn and his wide receivers.  The defense played a huge part in the win by not allowing the Browns to get into a groove the whole game.

The Bengals are in great shape thanks to a Steelers loss against the Ravens on Sunday night.  With a record of 8-3, Cincinnati needs to beat the Chiefs, Lions, Chargers and Jets to have a chance for a bye in week one of the play-offs!

Go Bengals!  Who Dey!