Is One Bounce Gonna Break the Season?
Throughout ESPN and the major sports networks, the 87-yard pass that was tipped by the Bengals Leon Hall from Jay Cutler to Brandon Stokley has been shown all week. What remains to be seen is how that play will change Cincinnati’s season. The last few years have not gone well for the orange and black, and this year had a hopeful outlook, starting out with playing Denver in Week 1, looking to roll. The offense sputtered, only scored 7 points, on their final drive, amassing 2 interceptions, 3 sacks, and only 307 yards of total offense. “We had a lot of penalties that hurt us. We had some mental errors. We had some really good plays. We had certain players make really good plays. We moved the ball effectively, but just not into the end zone,” QB Carson Palmer said of the offense after the 12-7 loss.
A game like this for any team is crushing, especially for a team that is playing their first game with their starting quarterback (Palmer) back in the lineup since Week 5 of 2008. I have a hard time thinking this team will overcome something like this right away. The schedule is not easy, going to Green Bay this week, and Pittsburgh next. However, they get their first real chance to win in Week 5– against the Browns. The belief inside the clubhouse is different however. “We’re going to recover from this. It’s a long season and this is only the first one. We’ve got to learn a lesson from this and move forward,” defensive lineman Domata Peko said. Palmer also had some encouraging words. “We are 0-1, and we still have 15-plus games to play. That’s the positive. We fought, and we scored when we had to in the end.”
