Week 9 QB projections • CIN Stats
QB Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals
HT: 6-5, WT: 230, Born: 12-27-1979, College: Southern California, Drafted: Round 1, Pick 1
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Stats and Week 9 Projection
| WK | OPP | RES | CMP | ATT | PYD | Y/A | PTD | INT | RSH | YD | Y/R | TD | FPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | vs HOU | L, 17-28 | 23 | 35 | 259 | 7.4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 16 |
| 7 | vs CHI | W, 45-10 | 20 | 24 | 233 | 9.7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | |
| SEASON TOTAL | 140 | 227 | 1608 | 7.1 | 13 | 7 | 13 | 44 | 3.4 | 1 | 142 | ||
| 9 | vs BAL | PROJ | 21 | 32 | 239 | 7.5 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 0.1 | 19 |
Week 9 Injury Status and Other News
He was not listed on Friday's official injury report. Opinion (from Bob Henry's sleeper report): Going into Sunday's game against the Broncos, the Ravens allowed three consecutive games of 250+ passing yards and two straight games where an opposing RB ran for 100+ yards against them. What has come of the vaunted Ravens defense? The last time these two teams met, the Bengals pulled out an upset win as Carson Palmer threw for 271 yards and a TD (with an interception and 18 yards rushing as "bonuses"). The Bengals are coming off the bye. They're playing at home, the Ravens are coming off a big win and there is a lot riding on this game in the AFC North. After a sputtering start to the season, Palmer has now reeled off four straight games of 230+ yards with 9 TDs and 3 INTs in that stretch, which has been enough to lift him into contention among the top 12 or so fantasy QBs year to date.
Week 9 Matchup Info
vs Baltimore Ravens (Good matchup) - Carson Palmer piled up 18/31 for 271 yards, one TD and one interception passing in the course of the Bengals' 17-14 victory over Baltimore back in week five. Chad Ochocinco (7/94/0) and Chris Henry (3/92/0) both came within spitting distance of 100 yards receiving that day, while Andre Caldwell was the hero of the hour with 2/33/1 receiving, catching the game-winning TD at :22 in the fourth quarter (a 20-yard TD strike). Since the last game vs. Baltimore, Palmer has thrown six TDs vs. one interception (with 43/59 for 492 yards), including his phenomenal five-TD effort vs. Chicago 20/24 for 233 yards (with zero interceptions). Entering the bye week, all three of Palmer's primary receivers were flush with TDs - Chad Ochocinco had 11 targets for 10/118/2 in the win over Chicago; Laveranues Coles snagged 2/37/1 out of four chances; and Chris Henry pulled down 2/26/1 on three looks. TE J. P. Foschi handled the other TD vs. Chicago, with one target for 1/3/1 receiving.The Ravens' pass D limited Kyle Orton to 23/37 for 134 net yards, zero TDs and zero interceptions last week - they didn't force any turnovers, but the longest play they allowed all day was a 23-yard flare to TE Daniel Graham. However, back in week six Brett Favre bombed these guys for 21/29 for 259 net yards, three TDs and zero interceptions in a 33-31 victory over Baltimore. Currently, the Ravens average 226.1 net yards allowed per game, with nine passing TDs handed over vs. seven interceptions forced and 16 sacks so far (tied for 18th in the NFL in this category). Yes, this unit played well last week, but they haven't been consistently shutting down their opponents. We'll see how real the good showing against Denver (with an extra week of rest and preparation) was when the Bengals host the Ravens this week.
Palmer is coming out of a bye week and he's got the hot hand (and home field advantage). We're interested to see which Baltimore D shows up this week - before the fact, we give a slight edge to the home team in this divisional rematch.
Game Summaries
Week 1 vs DEN - Carson Palmer looked rusty after missing most of the preseason due to an ankle injury. He started the game well and was effectively using big play weapons like Chad Ochocinco and Chris Henry in the first half. Palmer was aided by Cedric Benson and the ground game which helped keep the Broncos defense true, but too often their drives were de-railed by dropped passes, mainly from Laveranues Coles. The second half opened up with Palmer working out of the shotgun, but again the first drive stalled when Coles dropped another pass on 3rd and 7. The next drive the Broncos defense really turned up the heat, and sacked Palmer two times in a row. This seemed to get to Palmer, and he started throwing awkwardly and even moved his base foot as he threw one time, which led to a sailing (and incomplete) pass. In the fourth-quarter things started to get back on track for Palmer. He was again working out of the shotgun, and using Ochocinco and Andre Caldwell on short passes where they could use their run after the catch ability. Cedric Benson scored a touchdown with less than one minute to go, and the game seemed to be at hand. Then Brandon Stokley caught the "Immaculate Deflection" and the Bengals looked like the Bungles once again.Week 2 at GB - Palmer looked more comfortable in the pocket this week and again showed that arm strength isn't an issue. All three of his touchdown passes were well designed plays that Palmer executed perfectly. He hit Laverneaus Coles on a great play action fake, connected with Chris Henry in the back of the end zone after an audible to reset his pass protection and hit Chad Ochocinco in stride on a slant. However, Palmer was more inconsistent than his numbers against the Packers would suggest. His accuracy was off at times and a terrible decision on a second and long throw was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. As he did last week against Denver, Palmer improved as the game progressed.
Week 3 vs PIT - Palmer was better than his numbers suggest. He chose to throw the ball away early rather than force passes into coverage and the Steeler defense also knocked down eight passes. Both factored heavily into his relatively unimpressive completion percentage and yardage totals. Although the offense sputtered early, Palmer was on target throughout the second half and led the Bengals on two fourth quarter touchdown drives. Palmer's ability to avoid sacks and crippling interceptions, two issues that have hurt the offense during the first two weeks, is further evidence of his growing comfort in the pocket.
Week 4 at CLE - Palmer had a solid statistical effort in Cleveland and spread the ball around to eight different receivers. He was inconsistent, however, missing on timing routes and having his receivers make a different read on the defensive back than he did at times, leading to a just over 50% completion rate. The Browns held the downfield passing game in check by using lots of Cover-2, and Palmer mostly checked down to underneath routes, making only one poor decision on a deep sideline route that was easily intercepted. Palmer did look more mobile than he has in recent seasons, rolling out to avoid the pass rush and showing some acceleration on a fifteen yard scramble on a fourth down play in overtime.
Week 5 at BAL - Palmer led his team to another strong comeback win, this time on the road against a stout Baltimore defense. Palmer moved well in the pocket and helped his offensive line keep the Raven pressure from shutting down the passing game. Aside from a couple of dropped balls and passes he intentionally threw away, Palmer was very accurate, even when challenging the Raven defense downfield. Palmer did make one big mistake when he failed to locate Ed Reed jumping a hook route, resulting in an interception Reed returned for a touchdown.
Week 6 vs HOU - Palmer had a tremendous first half, showing a strong arm and pinpoint accuracy on 13 of 19 passing for 182 yards and a touchdown. He was again fluid in avoiding the pass rush. The second half was a different story. Dropped passes, near-misses and three-and-out drives kept the Bengals from extending drives and making big plays. Palmer's lone interception came on a forced throw into zone coverage late in the fourth quarter.
Week 7 vs CHI - Palmer put on a show in the red zone in the first half. His first four touchdown passes were to four different receivers. He came out firing on the first drive, hitting downfield passes to Chad Ochocinco and Chris Henry, and finishing the drive with a touchdown pass to Henry while rolling out. Palmer drove the Bengals down the field and notched his fifth touchdown pass for good measure in the second half.
