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Y! MyWebJets do just enough to keep Bengals winless
Monday, October 13, 2008
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It was close for a while, but the Cincinnati Bengals righted themselves and stayed steady on the course to imperfection.
Six losses down. Ten to go. Can they go 0-16? The dream is still alive.
The New York Jets were unimpressive 26-14 winners over the bewitched, bothered and bewildered Bengals in front of 78,161 spectators at The Meadowlands on Sunday, Oct. 12.
While the Jets improved to 3-2, the Bengals (0-6) joined the Detroit Lions (0-5) as the only remaining winless squads in the 32-team NFL.
"The disappointment of the loss starts with not getting anything going offensively," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. "We're not moving the ball effectively enough. I didn't think we did a very good job of getting the running game established at all."
Playing without quarterback Carson Palmer (inflamed right elbow) and kicker Shayne Graham (strained right groin), the Bengals' offense crossed midfield only twice, gained 171 yards on 59 plays (a 2.9 average) and had the ball for only 24 minutes, 42 seconds.
The Bengals' longest play from scrimmage was Ryan Fitzpatrick's 16-yard pass to Chad Ocho Cinco. Meanwhile, New York's average start on 11 drives was the Jets' 46-yard line.
Go ahead and pinch your nose.
Cincinnati jumped ahead 7-0 with its second defensive touchdown of the year. Antwan Odom sacked Jets quarterback Brett Favre and strong safety Chinedum Ndukwe scooped up the fumble and raced 15 yards into the end zone.
"I'm thinking: this is our time to get a 'W,' " Ndukwe said. "Unfortunately, we didn't. Now we've just hopefully got to get a 'W' against Pittsburgh at home."
Palmer didn't travel home with the team. He'll be examined today by elbow specialist Dr. David Altchek, the New York Mets team physician, for a second opinion.
"I'm not trying to shut anything down," Palmer said. "If they tell me to sit, I'll sit. If they give me clearance, it doesn't matter whether we're 9-6 or 0-15. If they clear me, I'm going to play."
Star of the game
Jets tailback Thomas Jones gained 65 yards on 17 carries (3.8) and scored three TDs — two rushing and one receiving.
Goat of the game
Bengals tailback Chris Perry ran 11 times for 14 yards (1.3) and had a potential first-down pass go through his hands. He's on the verge of getting benched in favor of Cedric Benson.
Turning point
Trailing 10-7, Fitzpatrick fumbled on a sack by Jets safety Hank Poteat that linebacker Calvin Pace recovered at the Bengals' 24. Three plays later, Jones burst into the end zone from seven yards out for a 17-7 lead at 7:57 of the second quarter.
Quote machine
"I'm really happy, obviously, with the second half, especially defensively. We did a nice job of not allowing any points. It started with being able to stop the run." — Jets head coach Eric Mangini.
Next game
Who: Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1)
at Cincinnati Bengals (0-6)
When: 1 p.m. Sunday
TV: WHIO Channel 7 (CBS)
Radio: WTUE-FM (104.7)
