You can’t draw too much from the first game of the preseason, but we’re going to try anyway. (You also can’t come up with new intros to running segments after a long day.) Here’s what we think we learned about the Bengals during their 16-7 loss to the Cowboys.
1. Pacman Jones has some work to do. He started on Sunday night (because of injury), but Tony Romo repeatedly targeted his ex-teammate with success.
2. Cincinnati’s offensive line played very poorly. Carson Palmer threw five passes for 18 yards; J.T. O’Sullivan threw 11 passes for 33 yards and a pick. It looked like the ’09 Bengals passing attack, with even worse pass protection.
3. Palmer made sure to make T.O. feel like a “No. 1" receiver. The Bengals targeted Owens four times in limited action, with T.O. catching 2 passes for 18 yards. Owens looked strong, but didn’t go deep.
4. There has to be some level of concern about the Bengals backup quarterbacks. O’Sullivan was poor, and third-stringer Jordan Palmer threw two awful interceptions.
5. No one really stood out in the Bengals receiver battle. Jordan Shipley had a very nice punt return. Jerome Simpson got behind the defense once, but O’Sullivan missed him. Matt Jones led Bengals receivers with 42 yards, boosting his meager roster spot hopes.
6. Michael Johnson’s transition to linebacker is going just fine, thank you. The converted defensive end racked up two sacks, occasionally playing with his hand on the ground.
