The 2006 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 37th season in the National Football League (NFL), 39th overall, and 4th under head coach Marvin Lewis. It began with the team trying to improve on their 11–5 record from 2005, defending their AFC North Division Championship title. They also attempted to progress further through the playoffs than they did in the 2005 season, having lost to Pittsburgh in the first round after the loss of star quarterback Carson Palmer to injury in the second play of the game. However, the team failed to improve on their 11–5 record, finishing at 8–8, and missing the playoffs.
Off season
NFL draft
Personnel moves Offseason personnel moves Date Transaction Position Name Status From Jan 10 Signed S Tony Bua Practice Squad Feb 1 Signed WR P.K. Sam Free Agent From New England Feb 7 Signed QB Doug Johnson Free Agent From Tennessee Feb 13 Signed LB Rashad Jeanty Free Agent From Edmonton/CFL Mar 10 Terminated Contract DE Duane Clemons Mar 13 Signed S Dexter Jackson Unrestricted Free Agent From Tampa Bay Mar 21 Signed WR Antonio Chatman Unrestricted Free Agent From Green Bay Mar 31 Terminated Contract S Kim Herring Apr 3 Signed DT Sam Adams Unrestricted Free Agent From Buffalo Apr 21 Signed QB Anthony Wright Unrestricted Free Agent From Baltimore
Carson Palmer's rehab Exceeding expectations, Carson Palmer was able to play on his reconstructed ligaments in only 8 months. There was a minor controversy when it appeared that Marvin Lewis wanted Carson Palmer to play in the preseason earlier than Carson said. The controversy was dismissed by Lewis as miscommunication and sensationalism by the media. Carson's fame was boosted by a favorable interview with Sports Illustrated which documented his recovery progress.
Legal troubles During the 2006 off season and season, nine different Bengals players were either arrested or suspended. The sports media wrote extensively on the legal woes and character questions of some of the Bengals players. The media also commonly noted that the 2006 Bengals had more arrests than wins. Chris Henry: marijuana charges, pulling a gun on a group in Orlando, speeding and drunk driving, providing alcohol to minors, over the course of several months in four different incidents. Odell Thurman: suspended for the first four games of the 2006–2007 regular season due to a drug-test related suspension. Odell stated this was due to his skipping a test, not failing one, and chalked it up to being immature. In addition to Thurmans's drug-related suspension, he was arrested for drunk driving early Monday morning after the Bengals' victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Thurman was scheduled to be in court on October 2, 2006. Frostee Rucker: two counts of spousal abuse, and vandalism (the alleged incident occurred prior to Cincinnati drafting him). A.J. Nicholson: charged with burglary; he was previously arrested twice on suspicion of alcohol-related offenses (the alleged incident occurred prior to Cincinnati drafting him). Matthias Askew: subdued by a taser after refusing to move his allegedly illegally parked car (Askew was cut from the team during the preseason games. He is currently seeking legal action against the officers responsible for his being tasered in a lawsuit worth $50 million after the charges were proven unfounded). Eric Steinbach: charged with boating under the influence. Reggie McNeal: charged with resisting arrest and drug possession (December 3, 2006) Deltha O'Neal: charged with driving while intoxicated following a traffic stop (December 9, 2006).
Lawsuit Dismissed A lawsuit introduced by a county commissioner charging the Bengals' organization with making a deal in bad faith between the organization and county taxpayers was dismissed, largely unconsidered.
Personnel
Roster
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 10 at Kansas City Chiefs W 23–10 1–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 2 Cleveland Browns W 34–17 2–0 Paul Brown Stadium Recap 3 September 24 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 28–20 3–0 Heinz Field Recap 4 October 1 New England Patriots L 13–38 3–1 Paul Brown Stadium Recap 5 Bye 6 October 15 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 13–14 3–2 Raymond James Stadium Recap 7 October 22 Carolina Panthers W 17–14 4–2 Paul Brown Stadium Recap 8 October 29 Atlanta Falcons L 27–29 4–3 Paul Brown Stadium Recap 9 November 5 at Baltimore Ravens L 20–26 4–4 M&T Bank Stadium Recap 10 November 12 San Diego Chargers L 41–49 4–5 Paul Brown Stadium Recap 11 November 19 at New Orleans Saints W 31–16 5–5 Louisiana Superdome Recap 12 November 26 at Cleveland Browns W 30–0 6–5 Cleveland Browns Stadium Recap 13 Baltimore Ravens W 13–7 7–5 Paul Brown Stadium Recap 14 December 10 Oakland Raiders W 27–10 8–5 Paul Brown Stadium Recap 15 December 18 at Indianapolis Colts L 16–34 8–6 RCA Dome Recap 16 December 24at Denver Broncos L 23–24 8–7 Invesco Field at Mile High Recap 17 December 31 Pittsburgh Steelers L 17–23 8–8 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
Note: Intra-divisional opponents are in bold text
Week 1: at Kansas City Chiefs
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
The Bengals opened the regular season on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 10. The Chiefs scored first with a 29-yard field goal by kicker Lawrence Tynes. In the second quarter, the Bengals scored 17 straight points. Bengal kicker Shayne Graham tied the game up with a 37-yard field goal, Rudi Johnson ran 22 yards for a touchdown, and Kenny Watson ran 8 yards for another touchdown, making the score 17–3 at halftime. After both sides failed to score in the third quarter, which was marked by Chief quarterback Trent Green being injured and leaving the game, Graham made the score 20–3 with a 42-yard field goal. A Chiefs' comeback fell short, as they could only score on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Chief back-up quarterback Damon Huard to tight end Tony Gonzalez. A 36-yard field goal by Graham would be the final score of the game, leaving the Bengals 1–0.
Week 2: vs. Cleveland Browns
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
The Bengals began Round 1 of 2006's Battle of Ohio in the Week 2 home-opener against the Cleveland Browns. Cincinnati scored first on a 22-yard TD pass to wide receiver Kelley Washington from Carson Palmer. The Browns responded with a 30-yard FG by kicker Phil Dawson. The Bengals extended their lead with an 8-yard TD pass to wide receiver Chad Johnson. In the second quarter, kicker Shayne Graham made a 37-yard field goal as time ran out to give Cincinnati a 17–3 halftime lead. In the fourth quarter, Graham would give the Bengals a 37-yard field goal, and the Browns responded with a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Reuben Droughns. Two touchdown runs by Bengal running back Rudi Johnson put the game out of reach. The Browns scored one more touchdown with quarterback Charlie Frye's 2-yard run, but it was not enough as the Bengals improved to 2–0.
Several Bengals were injured during this game. David Pollack, a 2nd year linebacker, suffered a non-paralyzing broken neck (fracturing his C6 vertebra), and would miss the rest of the season. Safety Dexter Jackson suffered a severe ankle sprain. Center Rich Braham also suffered a leg injury, and was expected to be out for some weeks. Wide receiver, Chad Johnson appeared dinged up too. On his 8-yard touchdown reception, he appeared to have an injured shoulder (made noticeable by his unenthusiastic post-score celebratory dance). Even though he continued to play, he appeared to be in pain. Later in the game, during a Browns interception, he was blocked by a Brown's safety, which gave him a concussion. Special team starter, Tab Perry, injured his hip, and missed a number of games.
Week 3: at Pittsburgh Steelers
at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Bengals maintained a shared lead in the AFC North (3–0, 2–0) by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 28–20 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The game was marred by sloppy play by both teams, but Cincinnati benefitted greatly by creating 5 Steeler turnovers and blocking a Jeff Reed field goal attempt.
Running back Willie Parker scored for Pittsburgh, with a touchdown on their first drive of the game. Following a Deshea Townsend interception of Carson Palmer, the Steelers drove into the redzone, but a Ben Roethlisberger pass was intercepted by safety Madieu Williams in the end zone, and returned to the three-yard line. A 97-yard Bengal drive was capped by a 16-yard touchdown pass from Palmer to Chris Henry. Following a blocked field goal by John Thornton, Palmer and Henry would connect for another touchdown late in the second quarter, which gave Cincinnati a 14–7 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, Pittsburgh built momentum, scoring a field goal on their first drive. An Ike Taylor interception of Palmer, set up the Steelers on the Bengals' 7-yard line. Willie Parker scored 4 plays later, giving the Steelers a 17–14 lead. After the touchdown, both offenses stalled. The next seven drives ended in either punts or turnovers.
With 8 minutes left in the game, the Bengals were forced to punt. A muffed return by Ricardo Colclough, and recovery by Tony Stewart, gave the Bengals the ball on the Steelers' 9-yard line. Palmer threw a touchdown to T. J. Houshmandzadeh on the first play from scrimmage, giving the Bengals a 21–17 lead. The Bengal defense forced a fumble on the next Steeler drive, giving the Bengals the ball on the Steeler 30-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Palmer again connected with Houshmandzadeh for a touchdown, extending the Bengal lead to 28–17. On the next possession, the Steeler offense drove to the Bengals' 18 and added another Jeff Reed field goal. After forcing a Bengal punt, the Steelers took possession on their own 11-yard line, with 2:42 left in the game. Roethlisberger drove the Steelers down to the Bengals' 16-yard line, but his pass intended for Nate Washington in the end zone, was intercepted by Kevin Kaesviharn.
The Bengal win improved their record to 3–0. However, the Bengals allowed 6 sacks, gave up 3 turnovers and were unable to involve either of the "Johnsons" as a significant part of their offense. The Bengals looked to improve in week 4 at home against the Patriots.
After The Game Odell Thurman was arrested for a DUI with teammates Chris Henry and Reggie McNeal in the vehicle. Odell had just entered the 3rd game of a 4-game suspension for violating the NFL's drug policy, and the NFL suspended him for the remainder of the season.
Week 4: vs. New England Patriots
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
The Bengals quarterback protection was an issue, as Carson Palmer was sacked four times during this game. Last year, Palmer was better protected, having been sacked 21 times for the entire year. Entering this game, he has been sacked 16 times. For the offense and defense the running game proved problematic. Rudi Johnson failed to gain 50 yards on the ground while the Patriots' running backs, former Bengal Corey Dillon and rookie RB Laurence Maroney, combined for 192 rushing yards. Caleb Miller started in the right linebacker position and led the Bengals in tackles during the game.
The passing offense for the Bengals was largely unsuccessful. Although wide receiver T. J. Houshmandzadeh gained 95 yards, his starting counterpart, Chad Johnson, could not gain more than 65. Wideout Chris Henry was deactivated for the game for what was believed to be a disciplinary measure by Head Coach Marvin Lewis for his involvement in Odell Thurman's DUI incident.