Ochocinco Leaps, Bengals Topple Packers

NFL News - September 20th, 2009 - Written by John

Chad Ochocinco did the Lambeau Leap and the Cincinnati Bengals leaped over Green Bay, 31-24, on Sunday.

A week after a gut-punching loss to the Broncos on a tipped pass that was housed by Brandon Stokley with 11 seconds remaining, the Bengals managed to hang on. Ochocinco had 91 yards in the air and scored Cincinnati's go-ahead touchdown on a 13-yard pass to pick up their first win of the year.

This one had it's own bit of drama, though. After the Bengals took a 31-21 lead, Aaron Rodgers was able to march his team to a field goal. The Packers then ignited the crowd when they recovered an onside kick to keep their chances alive and took it down to the 10-yard line. But Green Bay was called for a false start and the remaining time on the clock was rolled off due to the penalty, enabling the Bengals to hold on.

Despite the score, Cincinnati did have a good defensive effort. Antwan Odom, a second round pick in the 2004 draft, had a game-high five sacks and his team had two fumble recoveries to disrupt multiple Packers' drives. Aaron Rodgers had 261 yards passing but wasn't able connect with superstar Greg Jennings in the entire game.

Carson Palmer was much better than his Week One performance, throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for another. He found momentum when his team needed it the most just before halftime, rebounding from a pick-six by Charles Woodson. After the interception, Palmer drove the Bengals down to Green Bay's five and hit a wide open Chris Henry along the baseline.

In the third quarter, Palmer then hit Ochocinco for what would be the game winner, Ochocinco looked for penalty flags to make sure the score was legit, then leaped into a small gathering of Bengals fans along the boards.

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