The Cincinnati Bengals finally won over the Pittsburgh Steelers this time with a score of 23-20 during their match last Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium. This win gives the Bengals with a 2-1 advantage for the early part of the preseason.
This victory over the Steelers is just one of the surprises that the Bengals had shown so far. After eight years of being humbled in their own stadium, the team finally made it against their opponent that defeated them consecutively for these past years. The fans and players are even anticipating for more surprises to come from the team.
Eight years had passed since Cincinnati last defeated Pittsburgh. This gives extra boost in the confidence of their players. They also pronounced through this game that they are a competitive team as Andre Caldwell has mentioned.
Marvin Lewis, the coach of Cincinnati Bengals, admitted that the surprises performed by the team had something to do with their quarterback playing again this season. Carson Palmer is back with Bengals after missing many games during the previous season because of his elbow injury.
During the game with Steelers, Palmer made a 16-play touchdown which ended with the winning pass to Caldwell with only 14 seconds left. The clutch drive serves as the reminder that the Bengals are at its best with Palmer around.
With their game against Denver, Palmer made a 91-yard touchdown which gave the team a 7-6 lead with only 38 seconds left. But still, the Broncos, with Brandon Stokley, made a touchdown before the game ended which led to a 12-7 score in favor Denver.
With the plays that the Bengals showed during their previous matches, they made a lot of improvements compared to their performance last season with only four wins. They really have great improvements by the time they finally defeated Pittsburgh. Reggie Kelly, one of the Bengals, said that he is thrilled for his teammates.
The Bengals will play with Cleveland on Sunday and will be followed by a match with the leading Ravens in Baltimore. The Bengals, after that, would need to play against Pittsburgh and Baltimore in a back-to-back game by November.
