Palmer Injury Sinks Bengals
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
CINCINNATI – A low hit on Carson Palmer changed everything.
Steelers nose tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen dived into Cincinnati’s Pro Bowl quarterback at the knee on his first pass yesterday, knocking him out of the game with a torn left ACL, and Pittsburgh rolled to a 31-17 victory.
Pittsburgh will play in Indianapolis next Sunday, a chance to show how far it’s come in the past month.
In his second playoff go-round, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was coolly efficient – 14-of-19 for 208 yards and three TDs without an interception.
The crowd of 65,870 went silent on the Bengals’ first pass play – one that went down as the longest in Cincinnati playoff history, and the costliest. Palmer held onto the ball a second longer than usual, allowing rookie Chris Henry to get open down the right sideline for a 66-yard reception. As the ball left Palmer’s hand, von Oelhoffen drove his shoulder into the quarterback’s left knee.
Jon Kitna replaced Palmer and kept the Bengals in it until their inexperience and lack of a Pro Bowl quarterback started to show in the third quarter.
First, the Bengals botched a field goal attempt because of a high snap. Then, Kitna knocked the ball out of his own hand while scrambling, scuttling a drive. Finally, a shanked 30-yard punt _ something out of the old Bungles days – put the Steelers in position to take control.
