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An injury to his throwing elbow will keep Bengals QB Carson Palmer out of the starting lineup for Sunday's game at the Jets.
Head coach Marvin Lewis announced the move after the Bengals' Friday practice and said the move was necessary to prevent the injury from being a season-long concern.
"We're trying to get it not a week-to-week thing," Lewis said, according to the team's official Web site. "We want to get the thing calmed down so it doesn't give him any irritation or problems at all."
With Palmer out, Ryan Fitzpatrick will get his second start of the season. Fitzpatrick filled in for Palmer in Week Four and threw three interceptions in a 20-12 loss to Cleveland. This will be his fifth career start.
The PFW spin
Palmer played in Week Five, completing 23-of-39 passes for 217 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. However, he indicated his arm wasn't as strong as it usually was, and it was clear by the middle of this week that his status for Sunday's game was in doubt.
The Bengals insist this is a situation where the injury isn't serious, and the hope is rest will be just what Palmer needs. The problem is that the Bengals' bye isn't until Week 10, not Week Eight as originally scheduled; recall that the team's Nov. 9 game vs. Houston was rescheduled for Oct. 26 in the wake of Hurricane Ike.
So if Palmer is to get time off in the short term, it will come at the expense of lost practice and game time.
Fitzpatrick could very well be sharper in his second '08 start, and he is going up against the league's 31st-ranked pass defense. But he will have to improve to give the Bengals a chance to notch their first win of the season.
Beyond Week Six, though, the focus will be on Palmer's health and whether he will be allowed play through the pain — or whether a longer absence from the field will be order.
Those heavily dependent on Palmer may consider picking up Fitzpatrick, but the former Harvard star is unlikely to be started in many leagues this week even with the favorable matchup vs. the Jets. WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who caught 6-50-0 in Fitzpatrick's only start, should remain in most lineups, as should WR Chad Ocho Cinco, who caught Fitzpatrick's lone TD pass of the season.
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