Bengals fall prey to Brady's bunch

Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer is sacked by a wave of Patriots defenders in the first half.  The New England Patriots put on display last night everything the Bengals are not.  The Patriots are seasoned and smart. They seldom make mistakes. They play as a team.  The Bengals do none of those things right now.

Cincinnati's failings were put on display in front of the nation in a 34-13 loss in Paul Brown Stadium.  "I'm just as upset, obviously, as I could be," said coach Marvin Lewis, who from the media room could be heard screaming at his team.  With the season one-fourth completed, the Bengals (1-3) find themselves alone in last place in the AFC North and bordering on disarray.

In the House That Corey Dillon Built - and discarded his shoulder pads - the Patriots made themselves at home against the Cincinnati Bengals for the second straight season, and it was one of Dillon's replacements in the Patriots backfield, Sammy Morris, who was the best Ohio player.

Morris was filling in for Laurence Maroney, who helped the Patriots gash the Bengals for a season-high 236 rushing yards on 41 carries last year but was a last-minute no-go with a groin injury this time.  Morris responded with his second career 100-yard game, finishing with 117 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries to lead a Patriots rushing attack that had 173 yards on 34 carries and ground the Bengals into submission with a 34-13 victory last night.  "We've got a lot of good players on this team," said linebacker Tedy Bruschi. "Pick a positional group. When somebody goes down, somebody has been able to go in and contribute - offensive line, defensive line, defensive backs. That's who we are and we expect it from each other."

Brady leads a precision offense to an easy victory; Cincinnati suffers third straight loss.

Too much Tom Brady. Too much Randy Moss. Too much Sammy Morris.  Too bad for the Cincinnati Bengals.  The New England Patriots, showing the precision that has earned them three Super Bowl rings this decade, put on a textbook performance in a 34-13 victory over the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on Monday night.

A Bengals' record crowd of 66,113 saw Brady throw three TD passes — two to Moss on plays covering 7 and 14 yards — and Morris score on a 7-yard dash as New England (4-0) hit the season quarter pole in perfect stride.  In stark contrast to the sprinting Patriots are the staggering Bengals (1-3), who will drag a three-game losing streak into Kansas City on Oct. 14. They won't lose on Sunday because they get a bye, which is how their season is going ... bye, bye.

Johnathan Joseph probably knew the Randy Moss jump ball was coming. He's seen it in practice.  "We have Chris Henry here on our team who is similar to Randy Moss," the Bengals second-year cornerback said of Henry, who is suspended for the Bengals' first eight games.  "Going up against Chris, a guy who's 6-(foot)-4 and can run, catch it over both shoulders, go up and jump and get it. It just helps a lot to prepare for that in practice."

Well, a perfect throw and catch can beat good coverage.  Joseph closely guarded the 6-4 Moss, stationed in the front corner of the end zone. Moss turned around, jumped high, twisted, caught the ball and got his feet in for a 7-yard touchdown.  Moss won that battle Monday night at Paul Brown Stadium in what became a 34-13 Patriots victory.  Moss had three catches for 30 yards in the first half and finished with nine for 102 yards and two scores. It was a different Moss than the Bengals saw at PBS last year with the Raiders, when he had two grabs for 28 yards.

Three reasons for optimism:     

• The Bengals are 4-0 in prime-time home games under coach Marvin Lewis. In 2004, they beat Miami (16-13) and Denver (23-10). In   2006,  they victimized Baltimore (13-7). In the 2007 Monday night opener, they defeated the Ravens, 27-20. 
• They are 6-0 wearing orange jerseys - 3-0 with black pants and 3-0 with white pants. They'll wear orange on white tonight.  
• Fueled by the crowd and the national TV spotlight, all three units seem to play with more intensity at night. The fear of failure, and   embarrassment, provides plenty of motivation.

Three reasons for pessimism

• The Patriots have a rock-solid offensive line, led by left tackle Matt Light - the Purdue star from Greenville High School - who keeps quarterback Tom Brady's uniform clean and opens holes for tailbacks Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk and Sammy Morris.  
• New England's defense is loaded with veteran leadership, a quality that's missing in Cincinnati.  
• The Patriots don't get rattled. They play with great poise and discipline in all phases. That's why they have three Super Bowl rings this decade.

 Chick Ludwig Growlzone.com Cinncinnati Bengals News