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Chick Ludwig covers the Cincinnati Bengals. He also writes about his other passions: college football, basketball and golf.Home > Blogs > Chick Ludwig At Large > Archives > 2008 > November > 21 > Entry
Easy-peasy Japanesy: Steelers win, 27-10
TYPICAL STEELERS FOOTBALL:
BUILD LEAD, HOG THE BALL
AS BENGALS DIE SLOW DEATH
Neither wind nor snow nor bitter cold was going to stop the Pittsburgh Steelers from making their appointed rounds.
They dispatched the Bengals quickly and easily, 27-10, in front of 59,854 spectators at Heinz Field by using a methodical, ball-hog mentality to push their record to 8-3 and send the Bengals reeling to their ninth loss in 11 games.
And wide receiver Chad Ocho Cinco wasn’t here to play in the game or witness it in person.
He was deactivated for violating an undisclosed team rule and sent back to Cincinnati on a morning flight, while Jerome Simpson was flown in to take his place.
Brad Johansen, the radio play-by-play “Voice of the Bengals,” said on WCKY-AM that Ocho Cinco told him that he overslept for an 8:30 p.m. meeting Wednesday.
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported that Ocho Cinco was 45 minutes late to the meeting and “He and coach Marvin Lewis then got into a verbal disagreement.”
“Chad is very disappointed that he’s not playing, but he respects coach Lewis and the team’s decision,” agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN. “He’s not going to make this a controversy or a circus. We’re going to keep this in-house between ourself and the team. He’s got five more games to go. This is unfortunate that he’s not playing. Chad lives to play.”
The Bengals struck for a 7-0 lead on Ryan Fitzpatrick’s 10-yard TD pass to Glenn Holt at 3:08 of the first quarter. It was the first reception of the season for Holt, who split out to the right and ran a square-in, beating cornerback Fernando Bryant on the play.
But Holt dropped an easy catch on third down and Kyle Larson’s 30-yard punt gave Pittsburgh the ball — and the momentum — at its 46.
Hines Ward’s 37-yard reception on a deep crossing route set up Heath Miller’s 3-yard TD catch from Ben Roethlisberger to tie the score at 10:16 of the second quarter.
And it was all Steelers the rest of the way.
Roethlisberger scored on an 8-yard run and Gary Russell’s first career TD came on a 2-yard run as the Steelers smashed the Bengals in the second half, 17-3, and capped the victory with a Troy Polamalu interception at Pittsburgh’s 2-yard line in the final minute.
“That’s their game,” Bengals quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said. “They try to make sure that you’re uncomfortable back there. And with their rush, and how hard they come sometimes, it’s uncomfortable. You’ve just got to make (quick) decisions and get the ball out.”
Star of the game
Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes caught five passes for 84 yards (16.8) with a long gain of 27. But he suffered a blow to the head on a hit from safety Chris Rocker in the third quarter
Goat of the game
Bengals wide receiver Chad Ocho Cinco’s deactivation ends his streak of 113 consecutive games played. However, his streak of 102 straight games with at least one reception remains alive
Turning point
As usual, the third quarter. Bengals were outscored, 10-0, in that 15-minute stretch. They’ve scored 20 points in the third quarter in 11 games.
Chad’s future
What does the future hold for Bengals wide receiver Chad Ocho Cinco in Cincinnati?
His agent isn’t sure.
Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN that Ocho Cinco’s fate is in Bengals owner Mike Brown’s hands.
“We know we’re not going to bully our way out of Cincinnati,” Rosenhaus said. “It’s going to be Mike Brown’s way or no way at all. It’s going to be up to Mike Brown. He’s going to decide whether or not Chad’s going to be with the team in the future and we’re going to basically take a low-key approach to that.”
One-two punch
Talk about a one-two punch, Steelers linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley love to knock opponents out.
Harrison (12) and Woodley (9.5) have totaled 21.5 sacks so far this season.
They can challenge Chris Doleman (21) and Keith Millard (18) of the 1989 Vikings as the only teammates in history with 15 or more sacks in a season.
You’ve got to pick your poison with those two,” Steelers defensive end Aaron Smith said. “The pressure they bring can be unbelievable.”
Steelers No. 1
Pittsburgh owns the NFL’s No. 1 defense, yielding an average of 237.6 yards a game. The Steelers are tied with Philadelphia for a league-high 36 sacks.
“We play solid defense here,” Harrison said. “We try to stop the run and make them one-dimensional so they have to pass.”
Ageless coach
Dick LeBeau, the Steelers’ 71-year-old defensive coordinator and former head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, was honored by the NFL prior to Thursday night’s game for 50 years of service to the league as a player and coach.
LeBeau, a native of London, Ohio, spent 14 years (1959-72) as a cornerback with the Detroit Lions before entering the coaching ranks. He was the Bengals head coach from 2000-03.
Game inactives
Ocho Cinco was joined on the inactive list by safety Chinedum Ndukwe, linebacker Eric Henderson, guards Scott Kooistra and Andrew Whitworth, left tackle Levi Jones and right end Antwan Odom. Carson Palmer was the designated No. 3 quarterback.
Quick hitters
T.J. Houshmandzadeh was aiming for his ninth straight game with six-plus catches. He leads the NFL (2007-08) with 185 receptions.
For his career, tailback Cedric Benson averages 76.6 rush yards per game when he has 20-plus carries.
Since ’2003, the Bengals are 22-6-1 (.776) when their defense has at least two interceptions.
Linebacker Dhani Jones leads team with 96 tackles and Glenn Holt ranks first in the AFC with 933 kickoff return yards.
Permalink | Comments (18) | Post your comment | Categories: Bengals
Comments
By VietVet
November 21, 2008 7:15 AM | Link to this
Get rid of him if you can. A cancer on the team. Too much mouth and not enough catching the ball. He’s just not worth the trouble of dealing with the nonsense. He isn’t that productive. Could he be doing all of this to provoke them into trading him? He wanted out of Cincy earlier. Perhaps still does.Has never grown up.By william
November 21, 2008 7:45 AM | Link to this
Chad Johnson is just another problem child on this Bengals roster!By Brian
November 21, 2008 8:04 AM | Link to this
Chad had a hard time recovering from an all-night Cosby Show marathon hosted by Rudy Huxtable.By Robert
November 21, 2008 8:37 AM | Link to this
Chick, So much for your prediction of a Bengals win. You couldn’t forsee Chad’s meltdown or the seemingly glass-fragile team losing so many people when you made your prediction. I still think you’re wildly optimistic about this team too often.By James E. Kauffman
November 21, 2008 9:25 AM | Link to this
If there is a Bengal player who could start for any N.F.L. team please let me know who that might be.By Joe
November 21, 2008 11:23 AM | Link to this
I’m not sure what game Chick was watching but the Steelers did not manhandle and destroy the Bengals as “quickly” as reported. It was a close game then the Bengals had to settle for 3 pts inside the 10. And still they were in it after that.By Jerry G.
November 21, 2008 11:24 AM | Link to this
Do any editors read these stories to make sure they are a fair representatation of what actually happened? I’m a Steelers fan and I thought the story unfairly and inaccurately made it sound like a blowout. It wasn’t. I was there.By Jerry G.
November 21, 2008 11:25 AM | Link to this
Do any editors read these stories to make sure they are a fair representatation of what actually happened? I’m a Steelers fan and I thought the story unfairly and inaccurately made it sound like a blowout. It wasn’t. I was there.By Roho Radio
November 21, 2008 12:40 PM | Link to this
James E. Kauffman……I can only think of one…TJ Houshmanzadeh. Palmer I would mention, also, but he’s not starting for anybody this year.By Brian
November 21, 2008 12:46 PM | Link to this
Define “close.” Just because the Steelers didn’t seem to take the same sadistic joy in mauling the Bengals they usually do doesn’t mean the outcome was ever in doubt. The game was like watching a cat toy with a wounded mouse before getting around to killing it.By Jonny boy
November 21, 2008 1:41 PM | Link to this
We should just trade off all the talented players (Chad, Carson, TJ, etc.) so they have a chance of being successful in the NFL, otherwise, they’re just going to waste their career in Cincinnati. I like Chad, but I hope he gets traded because he deserves a chance to play w/ a better team. Everyone does actually… Man, it would be nice if we could just start up a new team, like the Browns did a few years ago.By Cody
November 21, 2008 2:56 PM | Link to this
The Bengals have officially killed my love for football. I’m truly embarrassed to be a Bengals fan.By Mark
November 21, 2008 3:05 PM | Link to this
1) NFL should only give owners what they pay players out of the TV money. That way owners might be more proactive at putting a winner on the field. 2) Fitzpatrick is not a NFL quarterback, please either sign someone or give the other Palmer a chance. I’d like to know if we need two QB’s next year or one. 3) If you see 7 guys on the D-line, shouldn’t you have blockers on each one ? It looked like the Bengals has 7 offensive guys to Pitt’s 14. 4) Sell the team, if you do not plan on putting a winner on the field. Let the fans find new teams to root for, or at least be an owner and hire a competent general manager and get the F&^% out of the way.By Yardbird
November 21, 2008 4:51 PM | Link to this
No other team will tolerate a receiver such as Johnson who only runs to the sideline or will try and catch a pass in the zone.By NickM
November 21, 2008 8:49 PM | Link to this
Hey chick, what the hell happened to your prediction about the Bungals being so much better than the Browns this season? How does that foot taste? The Bungals are pathetic. At leastill get to see the Browns on 7 next season due to blackouts from bandwagon Bungel fans. Nice goin Natti. Maybe next year. (Yea right)By Randy
November 22, 2008 12:01 AM | Link to this
I was shocked. I didn’t know the Bengals have team rules. Marvin missed a missed a great opportunity to handle Chad. I would have played Chad against the Steelers and thrown him the ball about 20 times. Then they could have carried him back to his room to finish his nap.By Randy
November 22, 2008 12:06 AM | Link to this
One last thing, has any Steeler ever been injured while playing against the Bengals? Is the ambulance only on stand-by for Bengal players?By boxter
November 22, 2008 6:14 AM | Link to this
The Bengals & the media thought it was cute when they were 8-8, so why is’t it cute now? You can’t change the rules in him. Once you spoil the kid, it’s hard to change them. They have what they deserve.