Feb. 12, 2008

Overview: The Bengals won their season opener in ideal fashion: They took down the defending division champion, Baltimore, and they did it by forcing six turnovers and putting up 27 points on one of the league’s finest defenses. But that was as good as it got for Cincinnati. The next week, the defense surrendered 51 points to the Browns, and the Bengals never really recovered from that jolt. Cincinnati finished 7-9 in Marvin Lewis’ fifth season, one that may be best remembered by the lack of progress on both sides of the ball.  

Biggest surprise: Rookie S Chinedum Ndukwe was the third-to-last player selected in the 2007 draft, but he performed as though he deserved to be drafted much earlier. Ndukwe earned an important role in the team’s “sub” packages and is the favorite to become the starting strong safety next season. Ndukwe and fellow rookie S Marvin White could comprise the Bengals’ last line of defense for years to come.

Biggest disappointment: It has to be the defense, which couldn’t consistently stop either the run or the pass. Defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan took the fall for the defense’s woes, but Lewis brought in the bulk of the talent on hand. On offense, the biggest problem was the running game, which again was below-average. What’s more, QB Carson Palmer suffered through his worst season since 2004, his first as a starter.

Offseason outlook: Lewis has said Johnson, who’s indicated he’s not entirely happy with his situation, won’t be traded. This will keep the core of the passing game together. Now it’s up to Palmer, Johnson and Houshmandzadeh to recapture the chemistry the trio had in past seasons. New defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is the latest to try to turn around the defense. With 12 unrestricted free agents, there could be some significant roster turnover, especially on defense.