DaytonDailyNews.com

GEORGETOWN, Ky. — The Bengals offense had its moments with quarterbacks Carson Palmer, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jordan Palmer throwing TD passes to Antonio Chatman, Jerome Simpson and Matt Sherry.

But the night belonged to the defense.

Coordinator Mike Zimmer's aggressive unit scored a 44-27 victory over the offense in the Bengals' intrasquad scrimmage in front of 7,100 spectators at Toyota Stadium on Friday night, Aug. 1.

"They're fast, physical, quick," Carson Palmer said about the defense. "Up front, they fill gaps quickly. They're fast on the back side, and they can cover you one-on-one whenever they want. I'm excited to watch 'em play and can't wait until the season to see what they can do."

Defensive tackle Michael Myers sacked Fitzpatrick twice, and cornerback Simeon Castille sacked Jordan Palmer once. Safety Kyries Hebert delivered crunching hits on James Johnson and Ben Utecht. And safety Corey Lynch intercepted Jordan Palmer in the end zone on the final play of the night — the only turnover.

Outside linebacker Brandon Johnson? He made everybody forget about first-round holdout Keith Rivers. Of Johnson's four tackles, two stood out. He blew up Andre Caldwell for a 7-yard loss on an end-around, then hammered fullback Daniel Coats on a middle screen.

"I'm just here to play my best," Johnson said. "I'm grateful for the reps. They could easily give them to somebody else, but they chose to give them to me. I'm trying to make the most of every chance I get."

Simpson beat Deltha O'Neal down the right sideline for a 43-yard TD on a fly pattern that featured a diving catch of Fitzpatrick's spiral and a slide into the end zone.

Chatman's TD was a 21-yarder on a corner route against Leon Hall, who offered blanket coverage.

Tailback Chris Perry rushed for a team-high 33 yards and caught three passes for 17 more. He got loose on a 14-yard sweep but never reached the end zone.

"Overall, they did what I asked," Zimmer said. "I said, 'If you make a mistake, make it full speed and play hard.' We surrounded the ball real well and played physical."

Contact this reporter at

(937) 225-2253 or

cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Next for Bengals

What: Black-Orange Mock Game

When: 1-2:30 p.m.

Admission: Free.

Parking: $15 per car.