Bengals' starters have forgettable night vs. Saints

Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer fumbles as he is hit by the Saints' Antwan Lake, left, and Charles Grant in the second quarter.Exhibition games have the shelf life of an Etch A Sketch drawing.  Once the season starts, no one remembers how a team does in August. Good thing for the Bengals. Their 27-19 loss to the New Orleans Saints in their home opener before 65,227 fans in Paul Brown Stadium was a forgettable affair.  "We didn't play well -- on either side of the ball," defensive tackle John Thornton said. "We're not a finished product yet."

Cincinnati's offense failed to score a touchdown in eight first-half possessions, four with Carson Palmer at quarterback.  Palmer was only 5 of 11 for 41 yards. He overthrew an open Tab Perry on what would have been a touchdown and fumbled to set up a Saints touchdown.  The Bengals' defense allowed the Saints to carve them up in the one possession that quarterback Drew Brees played.

The tone was set on the opening possession when the Bengals couldn't get a first down despite getting 9 yards on their first play.  New Orleans took over and breezed through the defense. Brees completed all six of his passes for 55 yards. The Bengals failed to force the Saints into a third-down situation before Deuce McAllister scored on an 8-yard run.  The Bengals got their only score under Palmer by going 47 yards in 13 plays before settling for a 51-yard field goal by Shayne Graham.  But Westerville South graduate Lance Moore returned the ensuing kickoff 47 yards to set up a 48-yard Olindo Mare field goal that made it 10-3.

The downward spiral continued on the next possession. Charles Grant pushed through a collapsing pocket to knock the ball free from Palmer. The Saints recovered at the Cincinnati 22 and scored to make it 17-3.  For Palmer, the play brought back memories of last season. For all of his stellar passing, Palmer fumbled 15 times in 2006.  The Bengals had the final three scores of the half, but none was cause for celebration. Cincinnati had possessions that started on the New Orleans 33- and 3-yard lines following fumble recoveries. Each time the Bengals managed only a field goal under quarterback Doug Johnson.

The Bengals had to settle for another Graham field at the end of the half after tight end Daniel Coats dropped a tipped pass in the end zone and Bennie Brazell allowed a nice Johnson pass to bounce off his chest.  Former Ohio State standout Antonio Pittman scored a 1-yard touchdown for New Orleans on the first play of the fourth quarter to increase the Saints' lead to 24-12. Pittman gained 17 yards on six carries.

One mitigating factor in the Bengals' poor performance was the absence of 20 of their players, including starting offensive tackles Willie Anderson (foot) and Levi Jones (knee), cornerback Johnathan Joseph (knee), fullback Jeremi Johnson (hamstring) and tight end Reggie Kelly (personal reasons).

Anderson was on the sidelines and has had the protective boot on his right foot removed.

Columbus Dispatch

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