BENGALS BEAT PATS IN NFL PRESEASON SNOOZE FEST

When the biggest play of a NFL football game is an extra point, there’s a good chance it was a dull contest.  Such was the case on Thursday night in rainy Foxboro, Massachusetts as the Cincinnati Bengals edged the New England Patriots by a 7-6 score.  The big play of the game?  A point after touchdown by the Bengals backup kicker, none other than wide receiver Chad Ochocinco.
 
There wasn’t much drama in the game from a wagering standpoint either, with all thirteen points coming in the first half.  This easily put the game UNDER the posted total of 36, and the outright victory by the Bengals gave them the pointspread cover as +6’ road underdogs.  New England and Cincinnati have each split their two NFL preseason games against the pointspread, with the Patriots splitting their OV/UN result as well.  The Bengals have gone UNDER in both of their exhibition contests.

After the game, the always entertaining Chad Ochocinco was in rare form talking about his love for European soccer:

"'Esteban' Ochocinco is back, the most interesting footballer in the world. Everyone has to remember, I've always said that soccer is my No. 1 sport. I think Ronaldinho would be proud of me right now."

To punctuate his fondness for the sport known as ‘football’ in the rest of the world, Ochocinco whipped out his iPhone to display a picture of him with former England captain David Beckham.  He then continued his ‘comedy routine’:

"Soccer's my first love, Kicking's easy ... like riding a bike. I can kick them from 50, 60 yards, left or right hash mark. ... I kicked all through high school."

Ochocinco was pressed into service as a placekicker when Shane Graham complained of a sore groin in pregame warm-ups.  Rather than take any chances, head coach Marvin Lewis let Ochocinco take his place.  Ochocinco also played a few series at his usual position, catching three passes for 69 yards.
 
Patriots’ wide receiver Wes Welker, who was pressed into emergency service as a placekicker while with the Miami Dolphins, wasn’t buying Ochocinco’s talk about kicking being easy:

"It's not easy. To kick that is something, and he got real good height on it."

The Patriots could only manage two FGs, while Cincinnati scored their only touchdown on JT O’Sullivan’s 24 yard pass to Chris Henry.  That set up Ochocinco’s picture perfect extra point.  O’Sullivan was also amused, but emphasized that his receiver’s athletic versatility is no joke:

"Nothing surprises me. All joking aside, he still kicked the ball through the uprights and it ended up winning the game. Some people might think its funny, but it's important."

The Bengals continue their NFL preseason play on Thursday, hosting the St. Louis Rams.  New England will be back in action on Friday night as they travel to Washington, DC for a game against the Redskins.  Cincinnati will kick off their NFL regular season schedule on Sunday, September 13th as they host the Denver Broncos.  The Patriots will get their campaign underway on Monday, September 14th as they play the Buffalo Bills at home.