No one saw this one coming. Oh, they knew that they'd have a better effort than they showed against the Houston Texas the previous Sunday but they didn't figure anything like this would result.
Carson Palmer talked Monday about how since training camp, everyone on the offensive units, thought they'd have this kind of success consistently. When it didn't happen and the heavy lifting fell to the defense, they started to retreat into their thoughts about why things weren't clicking.
The Bears came in flat. That was abundantly clear. While the Bengals were as precise, as sharp, as focused and as effective as they've been in several seasons.
There is no reason to believe they would have been any less efficient against a team that was prepared. Chad Ochocinco noted in the aftermath of Sunday's 45-10 win, that there were no Cincinnati turnovers, very few penalties, 3 to be exact for 20 yards and few of the dropped passes that have marked previous games.
The urgency and purposefulness of their offensive effort Sunday was what was most noticeable to most observers. They got plays in, got them called, got to the line, made adjustments and pulled the trigger with a crispness that raised the bar for the rest of the season.
Marvin Lewis summed it up Monday as succinctly when he said, "So all in all, it was the best football game we've played to date for four quarters and it was good to see us finish the game somewhat uneventfully."
The team has Tuesday off, practices Wednesday and then takes off the next 4 days to salve their injuries, savor what they've accomplished so far and set their sights on a rematch with the Baltimore Ravens November 8th.
