Bengals hang on this time, beat Packers 31-24

Bengals beat Packers 31-24

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t let this one slip away.

The Bengals nearly blew a 10-point in the final minute as the Packers ran out of time at the 10-yard line and Cincinnati held on for a 31-24 victory Sunday.

Trailing by 10, the Packers (1-1) kicked a late field goal and recovered an onside kick. Aaron Rodgers marched them to the Cincinnati 10-yard line, but Green Bay was called for a false start to end the game.

Chad Ochocinco delivered on his promise to perform a “Lambeau leap” when caught a 13-yard TD pass from Carson Palmer in the third quarter.

Defensive end Antwan Odom tied a team high with five sacks and Cedric Benson rushed for 141 yards for the Bengals (1-1), who consistently poked holes in the Green Bay Packers’ new 3-4 defense as they rebounded from a last-minute loss to Denver in Week 1.

Three of Odom’s five sacks came after Packers left tackle Chad Clifton injured his ankle and was carted off early in the third quarter.

Rodgers couldn’t pull off another comeback, one week after beating the division rival Chicago Bears on a late touchdown pass to Greg Jennings. Rodgers was 21 of 39 for 261 yards and a touchdown and Jennings was held without a catch.

Palmer was 15 of 23 for 185 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, both by Green Bay’s Charles Woodson. Woodson returned one 37 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Clifton hurt his ankle and was carted off the field on the Packers’ first possession of the second half, and things got worse for the Packers when Ryan Grant fumbled after catching a pass in Bengals territory.

Cincinnati marched to the Green Bay 11, where Palmer found Ochocinco for a touchdown.

After waiting for officials to make it clear that a flag on the field was against the defense, Ochocinco — who promised earlier in the week to jump into the stands if he scored, just like home team players do — jogged toward the stands and found a small pocket of fans wearing orange in the front row, then leaped into them. The Bengals led 28-21.

After their defense held the Packers on back-to-back possessions, the Bengals’ offense faced third-and-2 at their 42-yard line. Benson took the ball and was met immediately by a series of Packers defenders — and promptly bounced off all of them, rambling 14 yards for a first down.

Later faced with fourth-and-6 at the Green Bay 35, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis chose to punt, giving the ball back to the Packers with 4:02 left in the game. But Odum beat Daryn Colledge, who moved to left tackle after Clifton’s injury, for his fifth sack of the game and forced the Packers to punt.

After a long punt return by Cincinnati’s Quan Cosby, Shayne Graham hit a 40-yard field goal to take a 31-21 lead with 1:56 left in the game.

The Packers then drove for a 45-yard field goal by Mason Crosby to cut the lead to 7 with 45 seconds left, and Green Bay’s Tramon Williams recovered an onside kick.

Rodgers hit long passes to Jermichael Finley and Donald Driver, but the Packers had trouble getting set on the Cincinnati 10 as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

Officials ruled that they got the snap off in time but called a false start penalty that carried a 10-second clock runoff and ended the game.