The Cincinnati Bengals, who face the Washington Redskins on Sunday at FedEx Field, hoped they wouldn't be climbing uphill again this season. They hoped they could build on the success of last season, when they went 8-8 and nearly made the playoffs under rookie head coach Marvin Lewis.
But then Lewis made the difficult choice in the offseason of replacing veteran Jon Kitna as his starting quarterback with Carson Palmer, the first overall choice in last year's draft, and he and the Bengals knew they'd have to live with some ups and downs to serve, they hoped, the long-term best interests of a franchise that hasn't had a winning season since 1990.
It indeed has been a struggle, as Palmer's inexperience has shown regularly and the defense has been a major problem area -- troubling since Lewis was the coordinator for highly successful defenses with the Baltimore Ravens and the Redskins. The Bengals reach the halfway point of their season with the same record -- 3-5 -- they had after eight games last season before reeling off four straight victories to climb into postseason contention.
Things went more the way the Bengals envisioned Sunday, when they overwhelmed the Dallas Cowboys, 26-3, at Paul Brown Stadium. Palmer ran for one touchdown and threw for another. He wasn't sacked in a game for the first time this season and completed 21 of 32 passes for 212 yards. The Bengals stuck to a conservative offensive approach, limiting Palmer's downfield throws, but he mixed in a 76-yard touchdown to tight end Matt Schobel. Tailback Rudi Johnson ran for 95 yards. Wideout Chad Johnson contributed eight catches, and the Bengals rolled up 239 of their 328 yards of total offense in the second half. Right tackle Willie Anderson made his 72nd straight start against the advice of doctors, who told him that he should undergo surgery on an ailing right knee.
Even more encouraging was the play of a defense that forced five Dallas turnovers and allowed the fewest points that the Bengals have given up in a game since Nov. 3, 2002, in a 38-3 triumph at Houston. Madieu Williams, a rookie defensive back from the University of Maryland, led the way with nine tackles and an interception.
-- By Mark Maske
