KEYS TO RECOVERY:

1) Be more dominant on both sides of the line- rush the quarterback and give Cedric Benson room to run

2) Field position- improvement needed on kickoff returns and moving the chains

3) Minimize mistakes (eliminate turnovers and big plays from Patriots)

3rd Quarter: The worst possible start to the second half commences as Tate returns the opening kick 97 yards for a touchdown, putting New England up 31-3. He was untouched.

The Patriots play a noticeably softer defense, allowing Cincinnati to move the ball consistently downfield for the first time in the game. A 12-play, 80-yard drive is capped by Jermaine Gresham's first career NFL touchdown reception from 1 yard out. The score is now 31-10.

With a 21-point deficit, there is no margin for error, and the Bengals force a punt after a big holding penalty on New England negates a first-down reception by Alge Crumpler.

With 2:30 left in the third, the Bengals face 3rd and 5 on the New England 40 in an obvious 4-down situation. A mental error by Ochocinco on a reception causes him to be tackled short of the first down marker, but the offense converts a 4th and 1 to continue the drive. The following play, Ochocinco makes up for his mistake earlier by catching a 28-yard toss from Palmer for a touchdown, his 63rd with the Bengals. With less than a minute remaining in the quarter, the Bengals are within two scores of New England. The quarter closes at 31-17 Patriots.

4th Quarter: The ensuing kickoff lands the Patriots inside their own twenty, with the momentum evidently in Cincinnati's corner. But two big third conversions help New England sustain a 7-minute scoring drive ending in Tom Brady's third touchdown of the game. With the score now 38-17, the game seems out of reach for Marvin Lewis' squad.

The Bengals fight back despite poor play from the offensive line, and Cedric Benson scores his first touchdown of the season on a 1-yard run with 4 minutes left. The onside kick attempt fails to go 10 yards and the Patriots take over in Bengals territory. The clock runs out on them.

FINAL SCORE: New England 38, Cincinnati 24.

As in any new endeavor, this blog faced initial technical difficulties, resulting in the inability to write live postings during the game. This problem should be resolved by next week, but for the present, here is the analysis of the Bengals Week 1 performance:

1st Quarter: The Bengals receive the opening kick and are throwing off the bat, with Carson Palmer going to new WR Terrell Owens on the first two plays from scrimmage out of a three-wide set. After being forced to punt, the Bengals have a defensive breakdown on a pass from Brady resulting in a 45-yard completion to Aaron Hernandez. A touchdown pass to Wes Welker puts the Patriots up 7-0.

Poor special teams on kickoff returns hurts Cincinnati, and the Bengals are forced to punt after a three-and-out. After allowing the Patriots into the Red Zone, the Bengals defense forces them into a field goal.

On the ensuing possession, Cedric Benson fumbles inside his own 30 and New England recovers as the first quarter closes. It would have been hard to conceive a worse start for Cincinnati.

2nd Quarter: Strong defensive (including a huge hit from Jonathan Joseph against Patriots wideout Brandon Tate) and a penalty against New England result in a missed field goal, but uninspired offense by Cincinnati results in another punt. The Bengals are being dominated on both sides of the line, a discouraging prospect for Cinci fans.

Cincinnati continues to fail to pressure Patriots QB Tom Brady, who marches New England down the field, completing a 4-yard touchdown strike to Wes Welker to finish their third scoring drive. The score is now 17-0 with just under nine minutes left in the half.

The Bengals respond with a no-huddle offense that they'd rehearsed in the pre-season. After watching Cincinnati convert a third-and-three, Patriots coach Bill Belichick calls a time-out to stop any momentum they might be gaining, a testament to how well-coached the Pats are.

Following the time-out, Palmer throws an interception to New England linebacker Gary Guyton that is returned 59 yards to a touchdown, making the score 24-0 at the 5:38 mark. At this point in the game the Bengals have 0 net rushing yards.

Cincinnati gets a drive going with the clock running down in the first half and kicker Mike Nugent nails a 54-yard field goal to put his team on the board with just over a minute remaining. The halftime score: 24-3 New England.

WEEK 1

THE DATE: September 12, 2010: Week 1

THE GAME: Cincinnati at New England

THE BLOGGER LOCATION: Bagpipes Pub, Austin, TX

THE SET-UP: The Bengals and Patriots last met in 2006 at Paul Brown Stadium. After settling for field goals on two long first-quarter scoring drives, the Bengals were outscored 34-7 in the remainder of the game in a telling home-field loss. Both New England and Cincinnati won their divisions last season but were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. This year finds both teams hoping to return to the postseason while battling very competitive divisions.

This blog will be dedicated to the 2010-2011 Cincinnati Bengals football season, following the team on a week-by-week basis over the next seventeen weeks, and hopefully through the playoffs.

THE RECAP:

Last season Cincinnati made the postseason for the second time since 1991. Despite a first-round playoff to the New York Jets, the season was a huge step forward for the team. Newly-acquired Cedric Benson shined in the backfield, the the defensive unit became one of the NFL's best. The Bengals dominated the AFC North with punishing, physical play, sweeping the division for the first time in franchise history.

THE 2010-2011 SEASON:

The Bengals return nearly the entire squad from last season. Although the release of wideout Antonio Bryant provided some disappointment, wide receiver Terrell Owens and tight end Jermaine Gresham will open up the passing game, giving QB Carson Palmer more weapons to use against opposing defenses.

The defense boasts perhaps the best cornerback duo in the NFL; Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph are both excellent cover corners and have the ability to play very physical football. Linebacker Rey Maualuga is healthy and will continue to be a play-maker as he was in his rookie season. If they can improve their pass rush, the Bengals defense will again be close to the top in the league and will keep them in games against even the toughest opponents.

After a 3-2 finish in five preseason games, Week 1 finds Cincinnati heading to Gillette Stadium to play the New England Patriots. This blog will follow the game and provide analysis as the Bengals begin their new season.

Who dey.