My Chad Ochocinco Blog

One of the two NFL wild card playoff matchups to be played this weekend will be the New York Jets visiting the Cincinnati Bengals. This will be an interesting game on many levels, and odds makers have a tight spread pegged, as the Bengals are projected to win by a mere 2 1/2 points.

Why is the spread so tight when the Bengals clearly looked like the better team through the course of the season. Are we to believe that the Jets, who many believe shouldn't have even made the playoffs, can cruise through this matchup to beat Cincinnati on their own turf?

Well, one factor that needs to be acknowledged is the health of star wide receiver Chad Ochocinco. The revival of Ochocinco (formerly known as Chad Johnson) is believed by many to be a key factor in the bounce back year that Cincy enjoyed.

After a disappointing 2008, Chad was back in full effect in 2009, posting 1,047 receiving yards and 9 touchdown catches. He was the team's best receiver by far.

Unfortunately, he hurt his knee during last Sunday's matchup at New York against the Jets while the teams were warming up. The injury has been called a bruise, and it clearly affected him on Sunday. In fact, he wasn't even able to play.

The good news is that he practiced fully this week and appears to be ready to play. The chemistry between Ochocinco and quarterback Carson Palmer could very well be a major factor in the team's success against the Jets on Saturday.

With a 6-2 home record, Cincinnati is just about as strong as any football team in the league at home. This bodes well for the franchise. They've also had a rough last few seasons, so you can be sure that the fans will be full of energy and fully behind their team on Saturday.

The key to the team's success will be the ability to penetrate the dangerous Jets defense. If Carson Palmer is on top of his game, anything is possible.

Visit Nathan Gero's new blog about sconce lighting at http://sconcelighting.org.

In 2009, the Cincinnati Bengals shocked the football world by winning the AFC North. Much of their success was due to an aggressive and complex style of defense that made it difficult for opposing offenses to play comfortably. On the other side of the ball, the Bengals finished with the top ranked rushing offense in the NFL. Surprisingly, the Bengals' biggest weakness in 2009 was something that had been their only strength for several years - the passing game.

The Bengals' aerial attack struggled on all fronts a year ago. Chad Ochocinco was their only receiver who could win one-on-one matchups consistently. However, he could be taken away by a top-ranked corner or the use of a second defender. This often left no other options for Carson Palmer. To make things worse, defenses continually attacked a Bengals offensive line that was great at run blocking but flat out bad in pass protection. With little time to throw, and no one to throw to, Palmer had to force a lot of passes, take a lot of sacks, and ultimately his game suffered.

How did the Bengals approach their 2010 offseason? They addressed their two biggest weaknesses (receiving depth and pass protection) by getting more pass-catching threats. They acquired free agent Antonio Bryant, an under-the-radar receiver who can win one-on-one matchups consistently with his athleticism if healthy. They drafted Jermaine Gresham, a very good pass catching tight end and a huge target in the middle of the field - the type of player the Bengals haven't had at the tight end position in several years. Additionally, they drafted a slot receiver in Jordan Shipley who has the ability to give NFL defenses major headaches on horizontal pass routes. Finally, the Bengals signed Terrell Owens, another dangerous and explosive play-making receiver. So what do we know about the Bengals now? We know that they have five receivers who all bring something different to the table. They now have five receivers who can each win one-on-one matchups. Most importantly, they now have multiple options in the passing game.

As a result, the Bengals didn't need to make any major improvements to their O-line this offseason. They did so indirectly. Think about it, with five receivers who can win one-on-one matchups consistently, defenses will be less inclined to blitz as much. They'll be less inclined to bring as many defenders and leave their corners and safeties alone in one-on-one coverage. This will take a tremendous amount of pressure off of the Bengals' offensive line. And make no mistake about Carson Palmer - if he is finally given time to throw, he will put the ball in the right place. Palmer is as good at reading coverage and throwing with anticipation as any quarterback in the league. He'll take advantage of his revamped receiving corps. If blitzed, he'll find the right one-on-one matchup to exploit - and there should almost always be one with all of the new options he has now.

The Bengals' success is not a foregone conclusion. Several questions linger. How soon can the new players familiarize themselves with a new offensive system? How quickly can they get on the same page as Carson Palmer in terms of rhythm and timing? Can they avoid injuries? And will T.O. be on his best behavior? We'll know the answer to all of these questions in about six months. But as of right now, the Bengals look like a team capable of playing deep into January - and potentially early February.

For more sports news visit http://www.BigSportsBalls.com

The Bears travel to Cincinnati in hope of getting their first quality road win of the season. The Bengals and the Bears both had their winning streaks come to an end, but only one team will redeem itself from last week.

Bears on Offense
Chicago needs to set the tone early in Cincy, and by Chicago, I mean Jay Cutler. Cutler has carried the offense on his back, and for a QB with few playmakers to work with, he's clearly playing well enough for a contract extension. The Bears average only 89.8 rushing yards a game no thanks to Matt Forte, who, with just 1 touchdown on 3.4 yards a carry, has made fumbling his "forte", coughing up the ball 3 times in 5 games. The Bears need Forte to step up against a much-improved Cincy run D. If he can make the Bengals account for him, it will take pressure off Cutler and free up lanes for the Bears' passing attack. Cutler and co. need to be aggressive and go after the Bengals' secondary, who gave up nearly 400 passing yards last week and made Texan QB Matt Schaub look like Dan Marino. The Bears' receiving corps (which lacks a dominant threat) has to find ways to get open and Cutler should deliver. Cincy's top pass rusher- DE Antwan Odom- went down last week with a torn Achilles. Odom's absence may limit the Bengals' ability to rattle Cutler, who has had 7 picks in 3 away games this season. 
 
Bengals on Offense 
Despite getting manhandled at home by the Texans last week, the Bengals are looking good these days. Carson Palmer is taking charge of an offense full of weapons, starring future H.O.F.er Chad Ochocinco. Ocho is having a solid year; somehow, he's been able to incorporate his shenanigans into a routine and still be an impact player. This week, Ocho called out Chicago CB Charles Tillman on Twitter, suggesting that Tillman can't guard him. Well you know what, Ocho's probably right about that. Palmer needs to feed his bigheaded receiver the ball and look for Andre Caldwell, who has become a good 2nd option. Cedric Benson is putting up career numbers- he's 3rd in rushing with 531 yards. Cincy needs to give Benson at least 25 touches to get maximum mileage out of him. And I'd be careless not to mention the added fuel driving Benson this week- he's facing the team that released him just last year, a team he claims spread dirt about him after his release. Even though Benson maintains that Sunday's game is not about revenge, his play on the field might tell you otherwise. One group that will definitely feel Benson's wrath is Chicago's Urlacher-less LBs, who just lost Pisa Tinoisamoa for the season. 
 
Cutler and the Bears will put up a fight despite injuries and lack of road success. But Chicago doesn't have an answer for the Bengal playmakers, who will be the difference in the game. Look for Cincy to patch up their D and Palmer and the boys to get back to playing winning football.
 
Prediction
Cincinnati 27
Chicago 20

I am currently a senior at Fordham University and studying Economics. I am helping to work on a new sports prediction website called http://superpredictors.com I write articles and provide analysis for the site. I live in New York City.