The Bengals won their Week 3 matchup against the Carolina Panthers thanks again to stellar defense while the offense struggled at various stages of the game. Their 20-7 victory against rookie QB Jimmy Clausen and company put Cincinnati in a tie for second in their division. While the end result was very positive, the game cast a number of questions about the team that will need to be answered throughout the remainder of the season:
1) Is Carson Palmer the same quarterback he was during the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 season?
Palmer was considered one of the elite NFL quarterbacks in the 2005 and 2006 seasons, compiling 60 touchdown passes while throwing only 25 interceptions. Even after coming back from ACL surgery after the 2006 playoffs, he looked in command as the Bengals passer. Since then, however, Palmer has been shaky, throwing a league-high 20 picks in 2007 and missing most of 2008 wih an elbow injury. To his credit, Palmer has never attributed any of his poor play to his injuries; however, something has to be said for his inconsistency at the quarterback position in the past several seasons. It is possible that his throwing arm is damaged to a greater extent than is generally acknowledged. If so, this presents a huge problem to a Bengals team strong in defense but struggling to find its offensive footing; if not, then Palmer simply has to find his way and lead his offense to the endzone the way he did earlier in his career.
In all likelihood, the remainder of this season will tell the true tale: is Palmer still a healthy, immensely talented quarterback with a cannon arm ready to unleash its devastation against opposing defenses, or is he damaged goods?

2) Can the offensive line give Cedric Benson a chance to regain his 2009-10 glory?
Benson was one of the premier running backs in the AFC last year. The UT grad accumulated over 1200 yards last season and was a vital part of the Bengals offense. This year, however, he has a mere 202 yards on 65 carries (just 3.1 yards per attempt with his longest carry being 13 yards). Though the offense is still trying to use him as a workhorse, the line is not giving him much help, causing Benson to be initially hit behind or at the initial line of scrimmage. As talented as he is, the Bengals tailback can't do everything on his own; he needs an offensive line that can push the defense around and give him a barrier behind which to run. If Benson can't rush effectively, the Bengals can't distract defenses from what should be a formidable passing attack, and they will have trouble dominating the play clock and keeping opposing offenses off the field. The offensive line's ability to give Benson a chance to break big runs this season will in large part determine the success of their offense.

3) Is Marvin Lewis truly a great NFL coach? Many factors point to yes: Lewis has a 58-56 record with the Bengals, after following some of their most disappointing coaches in team history in the early and mid-nineties. He has taken them to two playoff appearances in the past five seasons, a better record than any coach since Sam Wyche in the 1980's. Players and opposing coaches have great respect for Lewis as a person and a coach.
However, several signs point in the other direction: the Bengals are notorious for sloppiness and foolosh mistakes (take the botched extra point attempt in Week 16 of 2008 against Denver for example, a season in which the 8-8 Bengals missed a playoff berth by 1 game). The team's tendency to play down to less talented opponents is another sign of a problem, as in their Week 11 performance against the lowly Oakland Raiders last year where turnovers and poor play resulted in a shocking upset. Finally, the Bengals tend to get outplayed in the second half, particularly in the opening of the third quarter. This has been true in each of their last two games. In both, they led at the half, and in both, their opponents scored very early in the third quarter, in the Ravens' case to take the lead and in the Panthers' case to come closer to gaining the lead. Lewis will need to have the Bengals firing on all cylinders and truly assert himself as a great coach in this league for them to reach their potential.

This week's matchup pairs Cincinncati against division rival Cleveland away from Paul Brown Stadium. Regardless of the teams' records or rosters, these divisional games are nearly always hard-fought and more competitive than they would seem on paper, and the Bengals will most likely have a fight on their hands.

So all hands on deck. Palmer needs to regain his confidence and lead his offense down the field. Owens and Ochocinco need to come out of the shadows and make big plays. The offensive and defensive lines need to be aggressive and refuse to get pushed around. This could be a big year for the Bengals, and they've won 8 straight against divisional opponents dating back to 2008-09. The key to the remainder of a great season starts here.