The Cincinnati Bengals are the highest-scoring team in the AFC. The Bears are the fourth-highest scoring team in the NFC. No need to rub your eyes this early in the season. It’s the NFL.
Q. Will this be a high-scoring game?
A Probably 17-13 in favor of the better defense.
Q. How can the Bengals be favored?
A Nobody believes in the Bears yet, and the Bengals have won five in a row against NFC teams.
Q. How good is Carson Palmer?
A The way he’s playing and the way Daunte Culpepper and Brett Favre are playing, the Bears might not see a better quarterback all season, unless Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger stays hot.
Q. What about Michael Vick?
A Palmer can’t run, but he’s playing quarterback better than Vick.
Q. Speaking of running, can the Bengals stop the run?
A So far, no. But so far, they haven’t had to worry about it because they have been ahead.
Q. Will the Bears run?
A They have so far. The Bengals will have to worry plenty.
Q. Who is this Chad Johnson guy?
A Legit. Big-time receiver with a big-time mouth, but because the Bengals haven’t had a winning season since he was 12 he’s still a relatively humble, happy and harmless talker, as Pro Bowl receivers go. The guy is having fun.
Q. Didn’t Johnson and Palmer drive to a Colts game in Indianapolis once just to watch how Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison worked?
A They did, and they enjoyed the experience.
Q. What did they learn?
A Mainly that they will be able to agree on pass patterns before they agree on radio stations.
Q. Do the Bengals still wear those funny-looking striped helmets?
A Yes, but at 2-0, nothing about the Bengals looks as funny as it used to look.
