Bengals improving going into showdown with Cleveland

By Neal Coolong  |   Tuesday, September 23, 2008  |  Comments( 2 )

Cincinnati Bengals
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Cincinnati right guard Bobbie Williams made an optimistic observation about the state of the Bengals' offensive line in Tuesday's edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

"There's nothing but upside."

After allowing nine sacks in three games, and leaving quarterback Carson Palmer with a broken nose, a sprained ankle and bruise across his forehead, the Bengals are 0-3 after a tough overtime loss at the Giants. On the ground, they are currently 25th in the NFL, averaging 86.7 yards per game - just 3.3 yards per carry.

Commentary: The Bengals improved greatly from bad losses in Weeks 1 and 2, but they let Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer slip behind their secondary for a big completion which set up John Carney's game-winning field goal in overtime Sunday. The Bengals had 102 yards rushing as a team in Week 3, and just 88 in a Week 1 loss to Tennessee and 70 in a Week 2 defeat at Baltimore.

Running back Chris Perry has scored a touchdown in each of his past two games, and he's improved his rushing total from 42 in Week 1 to 64 in Week 2 to 74 in Week 3. His average has gone from 2.2 yards per carry to 3.7. After three fumbles in his first two games, he did not put the ball on the ground against the Giants.

The upside to which Williams is referring to is that the Bengals have faced three of the league's strongest run defenses, and there is marked improvement in their ground game. Granted, Cincinnati is still on the bottom looking up at AFC North leader Baltimore (2-0), but with Cleveland and its 25th-ranked rush 'D' on the docket for Week 4, it could be a breakout game for the Bengals' ground unit.

Fan Pulse: The Cincinnati Bengals Message Board">Cincinnati Bengals Message Board is discussing the Week 3 performances of left tackle Levi Jones and center Eric Ghiaciuc.

Fantasy Football Impact: The Bengals' ground game has shown some improvement in recent games, and Perry has scored twice in the team's last two games. Cincinnati will be able to throw the ball with success against Cleveland as well, so this is a favorable week for Cincinnati offensive players.

Injury Watch Cornerback Jonathon Joseph and tight end Ben Utecht did not play for Cincinnati in Week 3.

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About Neal Coolong

Neal Coolong is a freelance sports writer with contributions to Scout.com, AOL and Steelers Live. He lives with his fiance in St. Paul, Minn., and saves every dime (that she knows about) for their wedding next June. He's already made the prediction that the Steelers 2007 draft class will be one ...
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