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Cincinnati Bengals

And now, for something different ...

By Scott Priestle, CNATI.com Posted September 27, 2009 11:36 PM ET

Chris Crocker has never played on a winning team in his six NFL seasons, and more than a few folks have suggested it won't happen while he is a member of the Bengals. Steelers receiver Hines Ward said so more than a few times Sunday.

So when the final whistle blew on a 23-20 Cincinnati win, Crocker sought out Ward for a one-sided, R-rated conversation.

"We're not the same old Bengals," he said later. "We're not. If you can't see that, you're blind."

Crocker and his teammates stated their case in dramatic fashion, rallying from a 13-point deficit to beat the team that has bullied them for more than a decade.

The Steelers had won the previous eight meetings in Paul Brown Stadium and 10 of the previous 11, and they built an early lead Sunday with a familiar formula of stifling defense, power running and an elusive, big-play quarterback. After halftime, the roles seemed to reverse.

The Cincinnati defense scored as many touchdowns as it allowed in the second half: one. It surrendered only 19 yards in the fourth quarter, while Carson Palmer led the offense on two touchdown drives that gained 139 yards.

It was the second time in three weeks that Palmer led a TD drive in the final minutes to put the Bengals ahead. If not for a wacky, 87-yard touchdown on a tipped throw in the waning seconds of the opener, the final drive Sunday would have been the second last-minute, game-winning touchdown Palmer engineered, and the Bengals would be unbeaten. If nothing else, there should be no doubt they are mature enough to overcome heartbreak and frustration.

"Our football team is just very professional," Palmer said. "We have some individuals who bring some extra flair to the game that's a lot of fun. But we've got a lot of guys who love to work, who love to practice, who love to study, who are just professional, and guys who just want to go out and execute their job and it doesn't matter who gets the credit. It doesn't matter who gets patted on the back or who scores the winning touchdown or whatever the case is. They enjoy playing the game and enjoy working together. I think that's the type of character we have on this team."

Coach Marvin Lewis has said similar things since last season. When the Bengals were 1-11-1, he praised players' willingness to work and said he was confident a winning foundation was being laid, even if few folks outside Paul Brown Stadium saw beyond the record.

"They're a bunch of castoffs, you know? They're grinders. They're football players," Lewis said Sunday. "When you bring together a group of guys who understand what the team is all about, that's the fun of it, that's the joy of it. Had we not won the football game today, I would have gone in and said the exact same thing.

"That's the fun of where we are right now as a football team. Every time we come in this building, we leave better than we came in, and if we keep doing that, things will be good."

Cornerback Johnathan Joseph described Sunday's win as "another of those steppingstones we have to step on to get where we want to be." But it was more than that, because it came against the Steelers. Backup safety Chinedum Ndukwe no doubt spoke for many in Cincinnati when he said, "There's no love-hate with the Steelers; it's all hate."

Crocker was upset by what he considered inappropriate behavior on the part of some Pittsburgh players, whom he said danced and trash-talked throughout the first three quarters.

"They definitely won't underestimate us any more," Crocker said.

The Cincinnati defense, which allowed pass plays of 41 and 51 yards and running plays of 24 and 27 in the first half, began the comeback early in the second half when Joseph returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown. The Bengals blitzed, which forced Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to throw the ball quicker than the play was originally designed; Joseph recognized as much but receiver Santonio Holmes did not, so only Joseph was in position to make the catch.

"You could feel a little momentum change," Palmer said.

Roethlisberger led the Steelers on another touchdown drive later in the quarter, pushing the Pittsburgh lead back to two scores at 20-9. But the Steelers gained only 19 yards on their final two drives combined. The entire Bengals defensive line -- Antwan Odom, Robert Geathers, Pat Sims and Michael Johnson -- combined to sack Roethlisberger on a third-and-6 with 5:54 remaining, forcing a punt and giving Palmer and the Cincinnati offense time to take the lead.

The Bengals then drove 71 yards in 16 plays, converting a pair of fourth-down plays. Palmer and second-year receiver Andre Caldwell connected on a four-yard touchdown pass for a 23-20 lead with 14 seconds remaining.

When Roethlisberger's final, desperate pass attempt fell incomplete and the clock read :00, Bengals players and coaches poured onto the field in celebration. Suddenly, they did not seem like the same old Bengals.

"Until about a week ago, that was probably the consensus," Ndukwe said. "But I think the Green Bay game showed how good we are, and then to come back today just confirms it. It's a different feel, a different team, different guys."

 

Categories: Cincinnati Bengals, Featured Stories, News

Tags: Bengals, Carson Palmer, Chinedum Ndukwe, Chris Crocker, Johnathan Joseph, Marvin Lewis, Steelers