2006 Cincinnati Bengals Preview

2006 preview of the Cincinnati Bengals football team from Maddux Sports. Don't forget Maddux's expert advice once the NFL Season rolls around for Winning NFL Picks and be sure to bookmark the free NFL spreads feed covering 16 quality sportsbooks up to the minute odds for your convenience.

Last season, the Bengals won their division with an 11-5 record but saw it all evaporate when star quarterback Carson Palmer (509 ATT, 345 COMP, 3,836 YDS, 32 TDs, 12 INT) was injured in their playoff game against Pittsburgh. They lost the QB and the game.

When the season starts, Palmer will have had about 8 months to recover from knee surgery. But things could be dicey for him, which means newly acquired backup Anthony Wright may see some action. Wright has only played 19 NFL games in eight seasons, but he’s a sound backup.

There’s extremely good news up front—the entire offensive line, which only allowed 21 sacks last season, is back. Right tackle Willie Anderson is a three-time Pro Bowler who can fend off the league’s best pass rushers.

Wide receivers Chad Johnson (97 REC, 1,432 YDS, 14.8 AVG, 9 TDs) and T.J Houshmandzadeh (78 REC, 956 YDS, 12.3 AVG, 7 TDs) make an awesome duo that can help any quarterback. Running back Rudi Johnson (337 ATT, 1.458 YDS, 4.3 AVG, 12 TDs) continues to be a tough, hardnosed ground gainer and the team’s primary rusher.

While last year’s 6th best offense appears to be sound, the defense, which was ranked 28th, appears somewhat improved. Last season, the Bengals led the league in interceptions with 31 but finished 28th in sacks with merely 28. The addition of Buffalo tackle Sam Adams could be a big plus.

The linebacking unit has some experience but is still young and prone to mistakes. In the secondary, corner Tory James gave up too many big plays. Draftee Joseph Johnathan and back up Keiwan Ratliff will be vying for that job. Pro Bowl corner Deltha O’Neal, who scooped 10 interceptions in 2005, returns, as does dependable safety Madieu Williams, who missed most of 2005 with an injury.

2006 Cincinnati Bengals Predictions

The Bengals play Pittsburgh on the road and New England at home in weeks 3 and 4. If they can give those two teams a game, this club will be able to mix it up with anyone.

Cincinnati has questions on defense that will need to be answered and are cause for concern, in addition with the status of Palmer still unknown, we can't justify putting the Bengals any higher than 3rd in the AFC North at this time.

For more info on the Bengals AFC North division rivals check out the Browns, Steelers, and Ravens team previews from the MadduxSports.com experts.

For more info and news on the 2006 Cincinnati pro football team visit the Bengals team page at NFL.com.