2008 Cincinnati Bengals season

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2008 Cincinnati Bengals season
Paul Brown Stadium
Results
Record4–11–1
Division place3rd AFC North
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersNone
Uniform

The 2008 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 39th season in the National Football League (NFL), the 41st overall, and the 6th under head coach Marvin Lewis. The team finished the season with 4 wins, 11 losses, and 1 tie, and missed the playoffs for the 3rd consecutive year.

Offseason

Coaching changes

This season marked head coach Marvin Lewis's sixth year with the Bengals. His offensive coordinator, Bob Bratkowski, remained with the team, but his defensive coordinator from 2007 to 2008, Chuck Bresnahan, was not retained. He was replaced by Mike Zimmer and Jeff FitzGerald replaced Ricky Hunley as linebacker coach.

Season theme

Typically Lewis has had a theme for the upcoming season for the team to rally around. For the 2008 season it was "Now"[1]

Departures

The Bengals visit the New York Giants at Giants Stadium, September 21
  • Safety signed with the Minnesota Vikings
    .
  • Justin Smith, Defensive end signed with the San Francisco 49ers.
  • Landon Johnson, Linebacker signed with the Carolina Panthers.
  • Willie Anderson, the long time Offensive Lineman was released and signed by the division rival Baltimore Ravens.
  • Rudi Johnson was released and signed by the Detroit Lions.
  • Ahmad Brooks, Linebacker, who was allegedly involved in an assault for punching a woman in the face late April, was released before the season began.
  • David Pollack, who was injured during his second season in the NFL with the Bengals and suffered paralysis, declined to return to football and officially retired.
  • Chris Henry was released from the team on the same day a press release in the local paper announced his alleged involvement in an assault occurring within Cincinnati. A few weeks after Marvin Lewis made the public declaration that Henry would never play for the Bengals again he was re-signed. He was ineligible to play the first 4 regular season games as punishment for his involvement with criminal charges against him which were dropped before his reinstatement.
  • Odell Thurman, a linebacker suspended for two consecutive years, was declared eligible to return to the NFL. He was then waived in May when Lewis cited that they had not seen enough of Odell to evaluate him properly. Less than a month later Odell was indefinitely suspended from the NFL for violating their substance abuse policy.

Signings

NFL Draft

The Bengals gained an additional four picks for compensation of losing certain players.

2008 Cincinnati Bengals draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 9 Keith Rivers  Linebacker USC
2 46 Jerome Simpson  Wide receiver Coastal Carolina
3 77 Pat Sims  Defensive tackle Auburn
3 97 Andre Caldwell  Wide receiver Florida
compensatory selection
4 112 Anthony Collins 
Offensive tackle
Kansas
5 145 Jason Shirley  Defensive tackle Fresno State
6 177 Corey Lynch 
Safety
Appalachian State
6 207 Matt Sherry  Tight end Villanova compensatory selection
7 244 Angelo Craig  Defensive end Cincinnati compensatory selection
7 246 Mario Urrutia  Wide receiver Louisville compensatory selection
      Made roster  

[2]

Roster

2008 Cincinnati Bengals final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists
  • 69
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 83
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 64
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 27
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 91
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 50
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 52
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 28
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 22
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 75
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 47
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 55
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 92
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 65
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 88
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 26
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 77
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
53 active, 17 inactive, 8 practice squad

Schedule

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 11 Green Bay Packers W 20–17 1–0 Lambeau Field Recap
2 August 17 Detroit Lions L 10–27 1–1
Paul Brown Stadium
Recap
3 August 23 New Orleans Saints L 0–13 1–2 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
4 August 28 Indianapolis Colts W 27–7 2–2 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap

Regular season

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 7 at Baltimore Ravens L 10–17 0–1 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
2 September 14 Tennessee Titans L 7–24 0–2
Paul Brown Stadium
Recap
3 September 21 at New York Giants L 23–26 (OT) 0–3 Giants Stadium Recap
4 September 28 Cleveland Browns L 12–20 0–4 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
5 October 5 at Dallas Cowboys L 22–31 0–5 Texas Stadium Recap
6 October 12 at New York Jets L 14–26 0–6 Giants Stadium Recap
7 October 19 Pittsburgh Steelers L 10–38 0–7 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
8[A] October 26 at Houston Texans L 6–35 0–8
Reliant Stadium
Recap
9 November 2 Jacksonville Jaguars W 21–19 1–8 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
10 Bye[A]
11 November 16 Philadelphia Eagles T 13–13 (OT) 1–8–1 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
12 November 20 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 10–27 1–9–1
Heinz Field
Recap
13 November 30 Baltimore Ravens L 3–34 1–10–1 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
14 December 7 at Indianapolis Colts L 3–35 1–11–1 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
15 December 14 Washington Redskins W 20–13 2–11–1 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
16 December 21 at Cleveland Browns W 14–0 3–11–1 Cleveland Browns Stadium Recap
17 December 28 Kansas City Chiefs W 16–6 4–11–1 Paul Brown Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

AFC North
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(2) Pittsburgh Steelers 12 4 0 .750 6–0 10–2 347 223 W1
(6) Baltimore Ravens 11 5 0 .688 4–2 8–4 385 244 W2
Cincinnati Bengals 4 11 1 .281 1–5 3–9 204 364 W3
Cleveland Browns 4 12 0 .250 1–5 3–9 232 350 L6

Regular season results

Week 1: at Baltimore Ravens

Period 1 2 34Total
Bengals 0 3 0710
Ravens 7 3 7017

at

Baltimore, Maryland

Starter, Dexter Jackson, was inactive due to injury.

The Bengals began their 2008 campaign on the road against their AFC North foe, the

Mark Clayton turned a double reverse play into a 42-yard TD run. In the second quarter, the Bengals continued to struggle as kicker Matt Stover gave Baltimore a 21-yard field goal. Cincinnati would reply as kicker Shayne Graham nailed a 43-yard field goal. However, in the third quarter, the Bengals continued to show their dismal defense as Ravens QB Joe Flacco got a 38-yard TD run. In the fourth quarter, the Bengals tried to rally as CB Johnathan Joseph
returned a fumble 65 yards for a touchdown. However, Baltimore's defense stiffened and held on for the win.

With the loss, Cincinnati began their season at 0–1. It became the team's first regular season opening loss since 2004.

Week 2: vs. Tennessee Titans

Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 0 14 3724
Bengals 0 7 007

at

Cincinnati, Ohio

Starter Dexter Jackson was inactive for the game due to injury.

Hoping to rebound from their divisional road loss to the Ravens, the Bengals played their Week 2 home opener against the Tennessee Titans. At the beginning of the game the winds were marked at 20 mph (32 km/h) and picked up intensity as the game continued, with gusts to hurricane force at times due to the passage of the remnants of Hurricane Ike. After a scoreless first quarter, Cincinnati trailed as Titans RB LenDale White got a 1-yard TD run. The Bengals would respond with RB Chris Perry getting his first career TD on a 13-yard run. However, Tennessee would begin its domination with QB Kerry Collins completing an 11-yard TD pass to WR Justin Gage. In the third quarter, Cincinnati continued to struggle as kicker Rob Bironas nailed a 34-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Titans sealed the win with LB Keith Bulluck blocking and recovering a punt within Cincy's endzone for a touchdown.

During the game, the wind was such a factor that it aided the Titan's punter who, with a quick 1-step drop, kicked a punt travelling 70 yards past scrimmage before hitting the ground. It appeared to contribute to difficulties with short passes and long snaps.

With the loss, the Bengals fell to 0–2. It became the team's first 0-2 start since 2003.

Week 3: at New York Giants

Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Bengals 3 10 010023
Giants 0 10 310326

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Starters Ben Utecht, Johnathan Joseph, & Dexter Jackson, were inactive for the game due to injuries.

Trying to snap their two-game losing skid, the Bengals flew to Giants Stadium for a Week 3 matchup with the defending Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants. In the first quarter, Cincinnati scratched first with kicker Shayne Graham getting a 22-yard field goal. In the second quarter, the Giants responded with RB Brandon Jacobs getting a 1-yard TD run. The Bengals would strike back with RB Chris Perry getting a 25-yard TD run. New York tied the game with kicker John Carney getting a 24-yard field goal, yet Cincinnati would close out the half with Graham's 30-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, the Giants would tie the game with Carney kicking a 46-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, New York would take the lead with Carney's 26-yard field goal. The Bengals would reclaim its lead with QB Carson Palmer completing a 17-yard TD pass to WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The Giants responded with QB Eli Manning completing a 4-yard TD pass to TE Kevin Boss, yet Cincinnati tied the game with Graham's 21-yard field goal. However, in overtime, New York came out on top as Carney nailing the game-winning 22-yard field goal.

With the loss, the Bengals fell to 0–3 as they prepared to face the Cleveland Browns the next game who were also 0–3. This was the team's first 0-3 start since 2003.

  • Cincinnati on defense in week 3
    Cincinnati on defense in week 3
  • Eli Manning in the shotgun
    Eli Manning in the shotgun
  • Manning passing against Cincinnati
    Manning passing against Cincinnati
  • New York huddle against Cincinnati
    New York huddle against Cincinnati
  • The Bengals on offense at New York
    The Bengals on offense at New York
  • The Giants offensive line
    The Giants offensive line
  • A New York 2nd down play
    A New York 2nd down play
  • Carson Palmer is sacked
    Carson Palmer is sacked

Week 4: vs. Cleveland Browns

Period 1 2 34Total
Browns 3 0 01720
Bengals 0 6 0612

at

Cincinnati, Ohio

Still searching for their first win, the Bengals went home for a Week 4 AFC North duel with the

Battle of Ohio. With QB Carson Palmer out with a sore right elbow, back-up QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
was named the starter.

In the first quarter, Cincinnati trailed early as Browns kicker

Chad Ocho Cinco
, yet the Browns pulled away with Dawson nailing a 29-yard field goal.

With yet another loss, the Bengals fell to 0–4 for the first time since 2002, while the Browns improved to 1–3.

Week 5: at Dallas Cowboys

Period 1 2 34Total
Bengals 0 6 7922
Cowboys 10 7 01431

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

Still searching for their first win, the Bengals flew to Texas Stadium for a Week 5 interconference duel with the Dallas Cowboys. In the first quarter, Cincinnati trailed early as Cowboys kicker Nick Folk got a 30-yard field goal, along with RB Felix Jones getting a 33-yard TD run. In the second quarter, Dallas increased its lead as QB Tony Romo completed a 4-yard TD pass to TE Jason Witten. The Bengals would end the half with kicker Shayne Graham getting a 41-yard and a 31-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, Cincinnati tried to rally as QB Carson Palmer completed an 18-yard TD pass to WR T. J. Houshmandzadeh. In the fourth quarter, the Bengals got closer as Graham got a 40-yard field goal, yet the Cowboys answered with Romo completing a 57-yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens. Cincinnati tried to come back as Palmer completed a 10-yard TD pass to Houshmandzadeh (with a failed 2-point conversion), but Dallas pulled away with Romo completing a 15-yard TD pass to WR Patrick Crayton.

With the loss, the Bengals fell to 0–5.

Week 6: at New York Jets

Period 1 2 34Total
Bengals 7 7 0014
Jets 7 10 3626

at The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, New Jersey