Sack-Happy Odom, Bengals Recover From Heartbreaking Loss

Even though they won last week, the Green Bay Packers knew they had some things to clean up, especially on the offensive line.

Despite a gut-wrenching defeat to Denver, the Cincinnati Bengals had to like the effort they got out of their defense. After all, the Broncos were held in check virtually the entire day. Because of that, there was plenty of reason for the Bengals to be confident as they visited Green Bay Sunday afternoon.

The Bengals sure played confidently. They virtually dominated the Packers the entire game, riding five sacks by defensive end Antwan Odom and a superb running effort by Cedric Benson to a 31-24 win.

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The Packers are the team left to scratch their heads after this game. Outside of two first-half interceptions, and a frantic but futile rally in the final two minutes, the Packers were never truly in this game. The Bengals offensive line generated great push throughout the afternoon, blowing open gaping holes for Benson, while keeping quarterback Carson Palmer relatively clean.

Odom, however, was the star. The Packers tried two different players at left tackle, as Daryn Colledge took over for starter Chad Clifton after the latter suffered an injury. Neither could do nearly enough to protect Aaron Rodgers. Odom put Rodgers on his back five times, tying a club record for a single game. Rodgers may have put himself in some bad situations with poor reactions to the oncoming rush, but the line did a generally horrible job of protecting him.

For the Packers, it was an all-too-familiar kind of day. It probably reminded their fans of virtually every loss the team suffered in 2008. The defense was a sieve, allowing the Bengals to convert nine of 14 third downs, while only sacking Palmer twice. The offense didn't make enough plays, in large part because they couldn't run the football or consistently give Rodgers time to throw.

One of the more annoying traits of Mike McCarthy during his four-year tenure as Packers head coach has been his tendency to abandon the run long before he should. This was the case again Sunday. No, the run-blocking wasn't great at any point, and Ryan Grant definitely struggled. However, the unwillingness of McCarthy to even try through most of the second half only allowed the Bengals to focus more and more on battering Rodgers.

During the crazy final minutes, Rodgers drove the Packers in position for a Mason Crosby field goal. The 45-yard kick came on second down, because the Packers knew they still had to get the ball back on an onside kick if they were to have a chance. Crosby's onside kick was recovered by the Packers, but Rodgers ran out of time trying to lead the Packers to the end zone.

Both teams are 1-1, and the Packers need to resist the temptation to head back to the drawing board on defense. If there is belief in the players and coaching staff, then this must be looked at as a bad day at the office. With division rival Minnesota off to a 2-0 start on the road, it's a really bad time for a bad day. However, it's too late to change things now.