Bengals Get Some Breaks, Outlast Ravens

Football Betting Lines

09/11/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The offense of the Baltimore Ravens tried its best to give Cincinnati a win in its opener Monday night.

When that failed, the officials effectively tried to gift wrap the victory for them.

That didn't work either, but when Ravens tight end Todd Heap failed to hold a rocket of a pass from backup quarterback Kyle Boller in the waning moments, the Bengals had finally been coerced into accepting a 27-20 win that helped kick off their season at 1-0.

Despite committing five turnovers in the game's first three-plus quarters, Baltimore found itself clinging to a 20-19 lead after Ed Reed returned a punt 63 yards for a surprisingly easy touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

The Bengals rebounded, cashing in that fifth turnover, an interception by end Robert Geathers, into a touchdown pass from Carson Palmer to T.J. Houshmandzadeh to give Marvin Lewis' club the lead back.

That score would ultimately prove the game-winner, but not before some high drama kept the contest from reaching overtime.

After Boller relieved an injured Steve McNair, what looked like a one-yard touchdown pass to Heap on fourth-down at the 1:54 mark was negated by a highly questionable offensive pass interference penalty on the tight end.

Baltimore was bailed out in part by an equally suspect defensive holding call against Madieu Williams on the next play, but the Ravens got no further than the Cincinnati 2-yard line before Boller's next pass to Heap ended up resting harmlessly in the hands of defensive tackle Michael Myers in the end zone.

And so it was that the Bengals kicked off 2007 with a win, not that it came as easy as perhaps it should have given the circumstances.

"We'll take it," said Palmer, who connected on 20-of-32 passes for 194 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the night. "Any time you get an ugly win, or a pretty win - a win is a win against that team, against that defense...[Our defense] kept giving us opportunities. You feel bad because we didn't take advantage of all the opportunities. But we did enough, I guess, to get a win."

Though star receivers Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson both scored touchdowns to help fuel the win, it was indeed the work of the defense that ultimately won the game for Cincinnati.

Newcomers to the lineup were essential to the operation, with ex-Broncos tackle Michael Myers (three tackles, 1 INT), ex-Redskins linebacker Lemar Mashall (three quarterback hurries, 1 forced fumble) and new starting middle linebacker Brooks (6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble) all making a tangible impact in the victory.

Geathers, who had a monster game with the interception, a sack, a forced fumble, and a recovery, also justified his presence on the first-team.

"We did some good things on defense, and we did some good things on offense, noted Lewis. "The biggest disappointment was that we weren't consistent.

"We made a lot of plays tonight. Our defense played well."

HURTS

The Bengals looked to come away from Monday's game without much in the way of new injuries, though some banged-up members of the team were unable to participate at all against Baltimore.

Tackle Levi Jones (knee) was active but did not play versus the Ravens, with Andrew Whitworth taking his spot in the lineup and doing a solid job. The Bengals allowed just one sack against Baltimore, and shut ends Terrell Suggs and Trevor Pryce out of that category altogether.

Strong side linebacker Rashad Jeanty (leg) was inactive for the contest, and is expected to miss another month. Marshall should continue to start in place of Jeanty following Monday's strong performance.

Cornerback Johnathan Joseph (foot) played against the Ravens, making two tackles, but gave up his starting job to rookie Leon Hall due to the limitations of his injury. Hall, the club's first-round draft choice out of Michigan, was credited with four tackles and two pass deflections in the triumph.

Finally, kicker Shayne Graham (hip) was able to play after re-aggravating his injury early on Monday night. Graham was not available for a point-after that followed Cincinnati's first touchdown (punter Kyle Larson's try was blocked), but returned to kick a field goal of 40 yards and an extra point.

CLASS OF THE DIVISION?

The Bengals have now won five of their last six meetings with the Ravens, including three straight in Cincinnati, and are 6-3 against Baltimore under Lewis, the Ravens' former defensive coordinator.

The Ravens and Bengals will meet at M&T Bank Stadium on Nov. 11th, which will be a short week for Baltimore following a scheduled trip to Pittsburgh on the preceding Monday night. Cincinnati plays the Buffalo Bills the week before it heads to Charm City.

NEXT UP: ANOTHER RIVALRY

The first installment of the Battle of Ohio is scheduled for this Sunday in Cleveland, with the Bengals looking to continue their recent string of dominance against their in-state rival.

Cincinnati leads the all-time series with Cleveland, 34-33, breaking a deadlock in the series with a 30-0 thrashing of the Browns on the road in Week 12 of last season. The Bengals, who were also 34-17 home winners over the Browns in Week 2 of '06, have now won five straight in the series. Cleveland's last win in the series was a 34-17 triumph at home in 2004.

Lewis is 6-2 against the Browns in his career, including 3-1 in games held in Cleveland.