Roddy White lifts
Atlanta Falcons pass Cincinnati Bengals
It looks like the Cincinnati Bengals are heading back to the drawing board after losing another close game. With each week that passes by, it appears that there is always one player from the opposing team
who simply dominates the Bengals and makes them look like a very ordinary ball club. Atlanta’s Roddy White was that player this week, hauling in 11 passes for 201 yards as the Falcons defeated the Bengals 39-32 on Sunday at the Georgia Dome.
"Roddy has been the best player on our football team," said Falcons coach Mike Smith. "That was a wonderful game."
The Falcons grabbed a commanding 24-3 halftime lead after White’s efforts, but the rest of the team were not as productive. Tony Gonzalez caught only two passes for 27 yards and their other star receiver
Michael Jenkins had three catches for just 25 yards.
Cincinnati started to double cover White and the Falcons’ high-octane offence came out flat in the second half. The Bengals offence finally put long scoring drives together and scored three touchdowns
in the third quarter.
Sensing a need to get his offence back in gear, Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan connected with White an 11-yard pass for his second touchdown. "I was upset," White said about Atlanta’s inability to put
drives together in the third quarter. "I just wanted to go out there and have my quarterback keep throwing the ball my way."
Following White’s touchdown, the Falcons successfully converted a two-point conversion to put them up 32-25 late in the game.
Bengals’ Chad Ochocinco caught an eight-yard touchdown pass with less than two minutes remaining on the clock, to give his team a final chance at completing the comeback. But the Falcons sealed the win
after they recovered an on-side kick.
Atlanta was without the services of cornerback Dunta Robinson and rookie linebacker Sean Weatherspoon and their defensive unit did struggle in their absence.
Ochocinco and Terrell Owens combined for 19 receptions for a total of 196 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Perhaps the most important statistic is that Palmer played mistake-free football on Sunday and
did not turn the ball over. Owens scored on a 19-yard scoring toss from quarterback Carson Palmer.
Palmer has been on the hot seat during the past couple of weeks and finally played to his potential completing 36 of 50 passes for 412 yards and three touchdowns.
Cincinnati is a desperate team because Pittsburgh and Baltimore are starting to take control of the AFC North. The Bengals cannot afford to fall further behind and must find a way to consistently play
at a high level.
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