CINCINNATI – With Kyle Boller fumbling and stumbling, the Bengals had it easy – almost too easy.
Carson Palmer took advantage of Baltimore’s generous turnovers by throwing three touchdown passes Sunday, leading Cincinnati to a 42-29 victory and a sweep of the last-place Ravens.
Baltimore couldn’t hold onto the ball or slow an offense that nearly kept up with Peyton Manning a week earlier. Cincinnati led 34-0 late in the third quarter before a couple of turnovers and soft defense got the Ravens going.
Boller threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, helping Cincinnati (8-3) move a half-game ahead of Pittsburgh in the AFC North. The Steelers play Monday night in Indianapolis.
The Bengals and Steelers will then meet in Pittsburgh a week later with the division title on the line.
The Ravens (3-8) kept the division knotted by upsetting Pittsburgh a week earlier. Their depleted defense didn’t have a chance against a Bengals offense that’s on a roll – 79 points in the last two games.
Only a late-game letdown by the Bengals made this one close.
T.J Houshmandzadeh caught nine passes for 147 yards, and Chad Johnson celebrated his 54-yard touchdown catch by turning the end zone into his personal putting green. He uprooted the end zone pylon putted the football across the rain-slickened artificial turf.
Rudi Johnson also ran for 114 yards and a pair of touchdowns against one of the NFL’s most feared defenses when it’s healthy. These days, it’s not.
Dolphins 33, Raiders 21
OAKLAND, Calif. – Jason Taylor and Miami’s smothering defense put relentless pressure on Kerry Collins to give the Dolphins a much-needed morale boost.
Taylor had three of Miami’s seven sacks, including a key safety, quarterback Gus Frerotte threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns, and the Dolphins snapped a three-game losing streak with a 33-21 victory over the struggling Oakland Raiders.
Ricky Williams broke open for a 34-yard touchdown run with 3:50 to play, and Vonnie Holliday also had three sacks to give Miami its sixth straight regular-season victory over the Raiders.
One week after an embarrassing 22-0 defeat to Cleveland, Taylor and company answered first-year coach Nick Saban’s call for more spirited play from a Dolphins team (4-7) that had lost six of seven games since starting the season winning two of three.
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