Bengals to Shock the Football World…Again

Dan Mohrmann

The Pittsburgh Steelers had the AFC North locked up for the 2006 season. The health of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer is still a question mark going into the season and with the clamping down on touchdown celebrations, Chad Johnson might not be as motivated to score as frequently.

All the Steelers had to do was hang on to their key players and keep everyone healthy and not only would they celebrate a division title, but they might be celebrating back-to-back Super Bowl wins. Then almost as quickly as Jerome Bettis retired, Antwaan Randel El signed with the Washington Redskins rather than re-up with the Steelers. As long as the Steelers stayed healthy they still should have been able to contend and probably win the division. Then Ben Roethlisberger found himself in a motorcycle accident and suddenly he is a question mark going into training camp.

Suddenly the balance of power has shifted back to the Bengals, who have managed to keep the core of their team together, and despite the injury to Palmer the entire team remains healthy. And if Palmer can come back and be as effective as he was prior to his injury, the Steelers may find themselves playing catch-up once again.

In two years as the starter for the Bengals, Palmer has racked up a QB rating of 90.2, including a 101.1 rating in 2005. He has thrown 50 touchdowns to his 30 interceptions and has even rushed in a couple of touchdowns. Palmer is still adjusting to life as an NFL starter and can only learn and get better with every snap he takes.

When Palmer gets back he should be able to connect with his favorite target in wide receiver Chad Johnson. In the two years Johnson has caught passes from Palmer, he has averaged 1353 receiving yards per season, with nine touchdowns. The only question with Johnson is if he can contain himself to the NFL’s new celebration guidelines. It won’t do any good for the Bengals to have Johnson signing a check to pay a fine every week, or even find himself suspended if he goes too far.

With all this talk about the offense for the Bengals, the league has to wonder how the defense will hold up. Last season the Bengals’ secondary was one of the best in the NFL. They were able to pull down 31 interceptions to their opponents 14. Cornerback Deltha O’Neal is the glue holding that unit together. He pulled down about a third of those 31 interceptions, racking up 103 yards on those pickoffs.

There might be a lot of “ifs” surrounding the Bengals, but in the event those ifs payoff, the team could be close to unstoppable. With a huge hole that Randel El left the Steelers and the questionable health of Big Ben, the Bengals have to be the favorite to take the AFC North again. It’s a solid bet that these one-time chumps have morphed into eventual champs.