SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 25, 2012
Bengals 34, Raiders 10: BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for a season-high 129 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries as host Cincinnati spoiled Carson Palmer’s return by rolling over Oakland.
Palmer, who was drafted No. 1 overall by the Bengals in 2004, forced his way out of Cincinnati via trade to the Raiders last season. He continued a rough season for Oakland by throwing for just 146 yards with one touchdown and an interception.
Palmer’s replacement, Andy Dalton, went 16-of-30 for 210 yards and three touchdowns while Mohamed Sanu caught two scoring passes for the Bengals (6-5), who have won three straight to climb back into wild-card contention in the AFC.
Green-Ellis gave Cincinnati a quick lead with a 1-yard touchdown plunge 5:48 into the first quarter and Dalton found Sanu for a 2-yard scoring pass on the next drive to make it a 14-0 advantage. Oakland (3-8) was forced to punt on each of its first four possessions, and Dalton and Sanu hooked up again on a 5-yard scoring play with 7:28 left in the second quarter to extend the lead.
Palmer cut it to 24-10 with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Denarius Moore with 2:21 left in the third quarter, but Dalton found Jermaine Gresham for a 7-yard TD with 3:39 remaining to put away the game.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Cincinnati WR A.J. Green caught three passes for 111 yards but was kept out of the end zone, snapping a streak of nine straight games with a TD. … Green-Ellis has gone over 100 yards in two straight games after failing to reach the century mark in any of the Bengals’ first nine contests. … Oakland RBs Darren McFadden (ankle) and Mike Goodson (ankle) remained out.