Week 1 Game Recap: Cincinnati Bengals 23, Kansas City Chiefs 10

What you need to know

Cincinnati Bengals

Carson Palmer returned to the field for a game that counted, and while he wasn’t as electric as in the preseason, he played well enough to give owners hope that he is past his knee troubles. Palmer was unable to find the end zone, but after shaking off some early rust he demonstrated his ability to drive the offense downfield and led the team on two separate second quarter touchdown drives.

Rudi Johnson fought for 96 tough yards, including a 22 yard touchdown run in the second quarter. He appeared very strong to the hole, and turned up solid stats on a day when Kansas City played well defending the run.

Chad Johnson was minimally involved in the passing game. He could have scored had it not been for a poor pass by Carson Palmer, and made a phenomenal grab reaching back across his body, but his production was limited due to the fact that Cincinnati threw the ball just 19 times.

Kansas City Chiefs

QB Trent Green was laid out on a crushing hit from Robert Geathers, and Green remained on the ground for several minutes. Green was unconscious and it was reported he had suffered a head trauma (concussion). Afterwards, it was reported that Green had feeling in all of his extremities but had no recollection of the play. Damon Huard replaced Green in the third quarter. Both quarterbacks were under constant pressure and were sacked a total of seven times. It would appear that the fears about the Chiefs’ pass protection were indeed warranted, and this team is going to have a lot of problems with a shaky offensive line and immobile quarterbacks behind it.

The Chiefs’ offense as a whole didn’t really resemble the one we’ve grown accustomed to the past several years. There were no deep passes attempted (defined as passes thrown more than 25 yards in the air) and there was a generally conservative look to the Kansas City offense. A perfect case in point was on a first quarter drive. The Chiefs moved the ball from their own 22 to the Cincinnati 16 with three passes and four runs. After two short Larry Johnson runs set up a third and five at the Cincinnati 11, head coach Herm Edwards opted to run a draw to Johnson that went for no gain.

Despite failing to reach 100 rushing yards for the first time in ten games, and despite failing to score a touchdown, Larry Johnson still managed to turn in a productive game. He ran hard for 68 yards and added another 80 through the air, mostly on short screens late in the game.

TE Tony Gonzalez had a big opening week, leading all players with ten catches and 81 yards. Most of his production came after Green had left the game.

What you ought to know

QB Carson Palmer, Pass: 13 - 19 - 127 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - -1 - 0

Palmer didn’t play exceptionally well, and was fortunate to be bailed out of some costly errors, but he showed signs that he’s ready to turn it loose soon. He was unable to find the end zone, with the closest he came being an underthrown incompletion to Chad Johnson early in the contest. Palmer was visibly frustrated by his own pass, and soon after led the Bengals on scoring drives that resulted in rushing touchdowns. On one of those drives, he completed a pass to Kenny Watson that was taken down to the three yard line. Palmer was able to take a hit and recover from it, which is always important to note with players returning from injury. Perhaps most importantly, he never seemed to shy away from contact. Getting those reps in the preseason and getting the hits ouf of the way seems to have done wonders for his in-season confidence. Of course, the news wasn’t perfect on Palmer. Aside from the near touchdown that went awry, there was some miscommunication on a pass intended for Chad Johnson later on. Palmer also fumbled twice, losing one (though both of those could at least be partially blamed on the rain, which picked up considerably during that point in the game). Palmer was also fortunate in that at least three passes could have been intercepted, but weren’t. Kawika Mitchell tipped a ball in the air that fell incomplete, and Patrick Surtain had his hands on a pass but dropped it incomplete. Finally, Surtain was just out of bounds on another potential interception late in the game. The score of the game as Cincinnati led by 14 at the half also played a part in Palmer’s light stat line, as he completed just three of six passes in the entire second half.

RB Rudi Johnson, Rush: 28 - 96 - 1, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets)

Johnson owners were delighted when he was able to break a 22 yard touchdown run on a third and one situation early in the game. Once he got past the first few defenders, there was no one in the way between Johnson and the end zone. Johnson owners were a bit less delighted on the next Bengals’ possession when Johnson caught a seven yard pass, ran for 16, ran for three, and then watched as Kenny Watson vultured the touchdown run from him. Still, all-in-all, Johnson had a very productive game. On a day when the typically explosive offenses were in neutral for much of the afternoon, Johnson totaled over 100 yards and a touchdown. He left with 3:39 remaining in the contest, and the result of the game pretty much sealed away.

RB Kenny Watson, Rush: 2 - 7 - 1, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets)

Watson only carried the ball twice, but made the most of his very limited opportunities. On his lone reception of the game, he gained eight yards to take the ball down to the three yard line. Surprisingly, he remained in the game and got a carry on the next play, taking the ball in for just his second career rushing touchdown in 34 career games.

WR Chad Johnson, Rush: 2 - 14 - 0, Rec: 5 - 48 - 0 (7 targets)

After making a remarkable, body-twisting snag of an errant pass for seven yards early on, Johnson seemed poised to add the Chiefs to his long list of victims. Soon after that catch, Johnson was the target of a Carson Palmer pass in the end zone. Johnson was open on the play and had beaten his defender to the inside, but Palmer badly underthrew the pass and it fell at Johnson’s feet. That was the closest Johnson would come to scoring, and actually saw very little action as the game progressed, to the point where he didn’t see a single pass come in his direction in the second half.

WR Tab Perry, Rec: 2 - 44 - 0 (2 targets)

Perry, alongside Chris Henry and Kelly Washington, tried to make up for the loss of T.J. Houshmandzadeh, with decent results. Perry was the best of the lot, snagging his only two targets for a total of 44 yards.

WR Chris Henry, Rec: 1 - -5 - 0 (3 targets)

Henry caught just one ball, a screen pass that lost five yards. His performance may have just been a product of the Bengals’ overall offensive rhythm, which never really got into the aerial show mode we grew accustomed to last year.

WR Kelley Washington, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (2 targets)

Washington caught just one pass for a minimal gain, and was not a big factor in the passing game despite T.J. Houshmandzadeh’s absence. Kelly caught one pass, but dropped a potential first down reception over the middle. There was fairly heavy rainfall at the time of the drop, and that could have factored in.

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh

Houshmandzadeh was listed as questionable for the game and did not dress.

TE Reggie Kelly, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (2 targets)

Kelly is not a very active member of the Cincinnati passing game, and did not see any increased action today, even with T.J. Houshmandzadeh sidelined.

TE Tony Stewart, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets)

Stewart caught Carson Palmer’s first pass of the game for a seven yard reception, but was not thrown to again for the remainder of the game.

PK Shayne Graham 3 - 3 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points

Graham connected on all three field goal attempts, from 37, 42, and 36 yards out.

CIN Rush Defense

The Bengals did a fantastic job of containing the Chiefs’ run game. Obviously, with a talent like Larry Johnson, there are going to be times when he simply gets his yards. But holding one of the league’s elite runners to 68 yards on 17 carries is a very good job. Another factor working in Cincinnati’s favor was the score. By halftime, they had a 14 point advantage, and the Chiefs never really established the running game in the second half.

CIN Pass Defense

After knocking Trent Green from the contest late in the third quarter, the job of defending the Kansas City passing game grew much easier. It’s true that backup Damon Huard led the Chiefs on their only scoring drive of the afternoon, but with a large lead the Bengals were able to play it a bit more conservatively on the defensive side. Prior to the Green injury, the Bengals had the veteran QB running around in circles trying to avoid the constant pressure being applied by Justin Smith (three sacks) and Robert Geathers (two sacks). In all, Kansas City quarterbacks were sacked seven times, an astounding total for a team whose offensive line has been its strength the last few seasons. Cincinnati’s only turnover of the game was more a product of right place, right time as Madieu Williams cradled a pass that deflected off of WR Samie Parker and into his arms. Deltha O’Neal also nearly intercepted Trent Green late in the first half, but WR Eddie Kennison knocked the pass away.

QB Damon Huard, Pass: 12 - 20 - 140 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 8 - 0

Nearly every pass attempted by Huard was a safe, short look or a dump-off to either Tony Gonzalez or Larry Johnson. Huard took very few shots downfield, and really seemed to lock in on those two players. His stat line looks decent enough, and he did lead the Chiefs on their only touchdown drive of the game, but looks can be deceiving. That drive was all about Tony Gonzalez getting open and making plays, because Huard wasn’t the one doing it. His first pass attempt was nearly intercepted, and even the touchdown grab by Gonzalez was more a terrific catch by him than a great throw by Huard.

QB Trent Green, Pass: 11 - 15 - 90 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 4 - 21 - 0

Green left with what looked to be a serious head injury late in the third quarter. Green was scrambling away from pressure, and went into a slide along the right sideline. While in mid-slide, DE Robert Geathers lowered a shoulder into Green that sent his head towards the turf. Green’s head bounced violently off the ground, though he is fortunate that it was raining heavily at the time which may have at least somewhat cushioned the blow. Green was immobilized and taken off the field on a stretcher, and failed to give the fans an obligatory thumbs up while being carted off. It was later reported that Green had feeling in all of his extremities, but that he did not remember the actual play at all. It is pretty much assumed that Green suffered some type of concussion, though the severity of it is unknown. His status for Week 2 will be updated throughout the week. As for Green’s play in the game, as noted above he was scrambling away from pressure during the play on which he was injured. That is very telling, because Green appeared to be running from pressure all day long. The Kansas City pass protection was atrocious, and Green had very little time to decide where to go with the football. He actually showed pretty good mobility, especially for a 36-year-old QB with his injury history. Even the interception wasn’t his fault, as the pass went off the hands of Samie Parker and into the waiting arms of Madieu Williams. The heavy rain also likely contributed to the interception, and the ball was likely very slick. Green was also victimized by penalties on two separate plays by Samie Parker that cost Green 19 more passing yards than he finished up with.

RB Larry Johnson, Rush: 17 - 68 - 0, Rec: 5 - 80 - 0 (7 targets)

Johnson didn’t look any different from the back who took the fantasy world by storm last season. He consistently broke through the Bengals’ first line of defense and moved the pile for the extra yardage. He was shifty when in traffic, and powerful when he needed to be. Unfortunately for Johnson, the blocking for him isn’t what it normally has been, and all that fighting didn’t result in much productivity. Additionally, the Chiefs never really established the running game as a focal point in the offense. Johnson finished with just 17 carries, with the majority of them coming early on. Rather than run the football, Johnson became much more active in the passing game, especially when Damon Huard took over late in the contest. The vast majority of Huard’s passes were dump-offs and screens over the middle to Johnson and Tony Gonzalez, which would help explain why 13 of Huard’s 20 passes went to those two players.

WR Dante Hall, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0, Rec: 5 - 31 - 0 (7 targets)

Hall was more active than we’re used to seeing in the passing game, and led all Chiefs’ wide receivers in passing targets. He did little with the opportunity, with none of his receptions going for more than eight yards. In fact, his largest contribution to the game was a negative one, as he muffed a punt return late in the first quarter that helped set up the Bengals’ first score of the game.

WR Samie Parker, Rec: 2 - 24 - 0 (5 targets)

Parker lost ten receiving yards on a catch that was negated due to offensive pass interference. It should be noted that the interference call was on Parker himself, and he wouldn’t have caught the ball otherwise.

WR Eddie Kennison, Rush: 1 - 9 - 0, Rec: 1 - 14 - 0 (5 targets)

Kennison was almost invisible for the Chiefs, especially once Trent Green left the game. The vast majority of Damon Huard’s pass attempts were short, safe passes; not exactly the type of completions Kennison, a deep threat, is known for. He was so inactive in the passing game that his best play of the day was clearly one on which he stopped a potential interception by swatting the ball away from Cincinnati CB Deltha O’Neal. Kennison lost nine yards receiving on a play that was called back due to offensive pass interference on WR Samie Parker.

TE Tony Gonzalez, Rec: 10 - 81 - 1 (12 targets)

Gonzalez extended his streak of 85 consecutive games with a reception, the longest in Chiefs’ history. More importantly than that, however, is that Gonzalez caught not just one, but 11 passes, in the game. Fears about Gonzalez staying in to help with the blocking were unfounded. After Green’s exit, Damon Huard threw to Gonzalez more than any other player. Up until the point when Green left with the injury late in the third quarter, Gonzalez had caught five passes for 26 yards and no touchdowns. With Huard in there for just over one quarter of play, Gonzalez caught six passes for 55 yards and a score. It seemed to be a plan for Huard to look to both Tony Gonzalez and Larry Johnson for short passes and let them do most of the heavy lifting. In other words, the Chiefs didn’t appear willing to let Huard do too much. On the touchdown reception, Gonzalez picked the ball out of the air and made a fine play in the end zone. Gonzalez has mentioned that the Chiefs have promised him more red zone looks this season. Whether that will hold true remains to be seen, but they certainly delivered today.

PK Lawrence Tynes 1 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points

Tynes connected on a 29 yard field goal, but later missed wide right from 51 yards out.

KC Rush Defense

The Chiefs allowed Cincinnati only 3.4 yards per carry for the game, with 22 of those yards coming on one run by Rudi Johnson. Johnson certainly had to fight for his yardage in this game, and nothing came easy. There were few running lanes, and the ones that were there closed up fairly quickly. Jared Allen was particularly active, with an impressive seven tackles from his DL position.

KC Pass Defense

While it would appear on paper that the Chiefs held the Bengals in check through the air, the reality of it is that the game dictated that Cincinnati call off the dogs fairly early. Carson Palmer threw just six passes after halftime, completing three. Additionally, Palmer misfired on a potential touchdown to Chad Johnson early in the game and the team was without its second best receiver in T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The Chiefs got minimal pressure on Palmer, sacking him once and forcing a fumble. But the Cincinnati passing game never really appeared to be in distress or unable to move the football. The Chiefs very nearly came up with several turnovers, but were unable to capitalize on any of them. LB Kawika Mitchell tipped a pass in the air that fell incomplete early on. And CB Patrick Surtain had two separate opportunities to intercept Palmer, once simply dropping the ball and the other time he was unable to remain inbounds.