Bengals Sweep Away Skepticism
Clifton Brown - SportingNews.com
Nov 16, 2009
PITTSBURGH -- Nobody is laughing at the Bengals anymore, and their defense is no joke.
Few teams contain the Steelers like the Bengals did Sunday. Pittsburgh was held without a touchdown, Ben Roethlisberger completed just one of his last nine passes, Pittsburgh was 3 for 15 on third-down conversions, and no Steelers' running back rushed for more than 36 yards.
After defeating the Steelers, 18-12, the Bengals (7-2) are the team to beat in the AFC North, having swept the season series from both Pittsburgh (6-3) and Baltimore (4-4). The Bengals are not going anywhere because they have a defense capable of containing anybody. They have surrendered just one touchdown in their past two games, shutting down the Ravens, 17-7, and now the Steelers.
Believe what you see. The Bengals are a threat not only to win the division but to do some damage in January.
"This was the statement game for us," Bengals safety Chris Crocker said. "We had already beaten Baltimore twice. We beat Pittsburgh twice, and everybody's looking from behind."
Quarterback Carson Palmer is the face of the Bengals' franchise, and wide receiver Chad Ochocinco is the mouth. But toughness has become the Bengals' true identity.
"If there's one word you're going to define us with, it's physical," Palmer said. "We physically push people around. It's a group of guys who play physically hard, they have high motors, they don't stop until the whistle has been blown."
Give credit to coordinator Mike Zimmer and coach Marvin Lewis for formulating sound defensive game plans, and give credit to the players for executing. The Bengals sacked Roethlisberger four times and pressured him relentlessly. Pittsburgh's running game was shut down, and when Roethlisberger tried to throw, his receivers were often blanketed.
You would be hard-pressed to find a better cornerback pair in the NFL than the Bengals' Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph.
"It's a great honor to be looked at that way, but you have to go out each week and live up to it," Joseph "It's like having a red dot on your back. You're getting all the recognition and the pub. Now you have to live up to it."
Not surprisingly, Ochocinco took some credit for the emergence of Hall and Joseph because they have to defend him daily in practice and he gives them pointers. Ochocinco compared himself to Freddie Roach, the trainer for boxing champion Manny Pacquiao.
"I'm their Freddie Roach," Ochocinco said.
Ochocinco admits that he enjoyed standing on the sideline, watching his defense work. "The defense was awesome. It was beautiful today."
Yet, the postgame atmosphere in the Bengals' locker room was more corporate than crazy. In fact, some of the players were as quiet as the Steelers' fans filing out of Heinz Field. Bengals veterans insist they will remain humble, knowing they have seven games left and their goals have not been accomplished.
"It's one thing to be happy; it's another thing to go overboard," middle linebacker Dhani Jones said. "This was a necessary win, but you have to move on. Tonight you have your night. Tomorrow, you try to get better because it's a long season."
This season could last longer than usual for the Bengals, who have not won a playoff game since January 1991. Right now, they are the boss in the AFC North. And their defense is good enough to keep them there.
Clifton Brown is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at cliftonbrown@sportingnews.com.
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