2010 Cincinnati Bengals season The 2010 Cincinnati Bengals season was the 41st season for the team in the National Football League ( NFL ) , and their 43rd overall . The Bengals looked to improve on their 10 – 6 record in 2009 , during which they swept the AFC North for the first time in team history and made the playoffs as division champions . At the conclusion of the season , however , the Bengals finished 4 – 12 and were unable to qualify for the playoffs . Offseason . 2010 Draft . < nowiki > * < / nowiki > – Compensatory Selection Schedule . Preseason . On February 24 , 2010 , the NFL announced that the Bengals will face the Dallas Cowboys in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game at Fawcett Stadium in Canton , Ohio . The game occurred on Sunday , August 8 , 2010 , and was aired by NBC . The Bengals were the designated home team . The Bengals ' preseason opponents were on March 31 , 2010 . The finalized dates and times were announced on April 9 , 2010 . Regular season . COLOR KEY AND NOTES : Regular season results . Week 1 : at New England Patriots . The Cincinnati Bengals began their season at Gillette Stadium for an AFC duel with the New England Patriots . In the first quarter , the Bengals trailed early when Patriots quarterback Tom Brady got a 9 - yard TD pass to wide receiver Wes Welker , followed by kicker Stephen Gostkowski hitting a 32 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Bengals struggled further when Brady made a 4 - yard TD pass to Wes Welker , followed by linebacker Gary Guyton returning an interception 59 yards for a touchdown . Then , the Bengals made their first score of the half when kicker Mike Nugent nailed a 54 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Patriots increased their lead when wide receiver Brandon Tate returned the second half ' s opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown . After that , the Bengals replied with quarterback Carson Palmer making a 1 - yard TD pass to tight end Jermaine Gresham , followed by Palmer ' s 28 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chad Ochocinco . In the fourth quarter , the Patriots scored again with Brady making a 1 - yard TD pass to tight end Rob Gronkowski . The Bengals replied with running back Cedric Benson making a 1 yard TD run , but Cincinnati couldn ' t get any closer to New England ' s lead . With the loss , the Bengals began their season at 0 – 1 . Week 2 : vs . Baltimore Ravens . Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Patriots the Bengals played on home ground for an AFC North rivalry match against the Ravens . In the 2nd quarter Cincinnati took the early lead as kicker Mike Nugent hit a 36 and a 30 - yard field goal . In the third quarter the Ravens replied and took the lead with QB Joe Flacco completing a 31 - yard TD pass to WR Derrick Mason . The Bengals replied wihen Nugent hit a 46 - yard field goal . The Bengals fell behind again in the fourth quarter when kicker Billy Cundiff got a 38 yard field goal , but they pulled the win with Nugent making a 38 and a 25 - yard field goal , giving the Bengals the win . With the win , the Bengals improved to 1 – 1 and have picked up their 8th straight division victory . Week 3 : at Carolina Panthers . Coming off their divisional home win over the Ravens , the Bengals flew to Bank of America Stadium for a Week 3 interconference duel with the Carolina Panthers . Cincinnati would strike first in the opening half as running back Cedric Benson got a 1 - yard touchdown run in the first quarter , while kicker Mike Nugent got a 33 - yard field goal . The Panthers would answer in the third quarter as running back Jonathan Stewart got a 1 - yard touchdown run , yet the Bengals would close out the game in the fourth quarter as Nugent nailed a 50 - yard field goal , followed by quarterback Carson Palmer finding Benson on a 7 - yard touchdown pass . With the win , Cincinnati improved to 2 – 1 . Week 4 : at Cleveland Browns . Coming off their road win over the Panthers , the Bengals flew to Cleveland Browns Stadium for their Week 4 AFC North duel with the Cleveland Browns in Round 1 of 2010 ' s Battle of Ohio . Cincinnati would trail early in the first quarter as Browns kicker Phil Dawson made a 30 - yard field goal . Cleveland would add onto their lead in the second quarter as quarterback Seneca Wallace completed a 24 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Evan Moore . Afterwards , the Bengals tied the game as kicker Mike Nugent got a 24 - yard field goal , followed by quarterback Carson Palmer completing a 78 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Terrell Owens . The Browns would close out the half with Dawson getting a 31 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Cleveland responded with running back Peyton Hillis ' 1 - yard touchdown run , followed by Dawson nailing a 22 - yard field goal . Afterwards , Cincinnati came right back with Nugent ' s 25 - yard field goal . The Bengals tried to rally in the fourth quarter as Palmer found running back Brian Leonard on a 3 - yard touchdown pass , but the Browns ' defense would prevent any further progress . With the loss , not only did Cincinnati fall to 2 – 2 . The Browns also improve to 1 – 3 and prevented the Bengals from a 9th straight division rival win . Week 5 : vs . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . The Bengals ' 5th game was an Interconference duel with the Buccaneers at home . In the 1st quarter Cincinnati took the early lead as QB Carson Palmer made a 43 - yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens . The Buccaneers replied in the 2nd quarter with FS Cody Grimm returning an interception 11 yards for a touchdown . Then kicker Mike Nugent made a 31 - yard field goal to put the Bengals up 10 – 7 . In the 3rd quarter the Bengals fell behind as FB Earnest Graham made a 1 - yard TD run ; but they replied with Nugent making a 35 - yard field goal . The Bengals took the lead with Palmer finding TE Jermaine Gresham on a 1 - yard TD pass ( With a successful 2 - point conversion as RB Cedric Benson ran to the endzone ) , but the lead didn ' t last very long as QB Josh Freeman completed a 20 - yard TD pass to WR Mike Williams . The decision was made when kicker Connor Barth made a 31 - yard field goal to give the Bengals another loss . With the loss , the Bengals went into their bye week at 2 – 3 . Week 7 : at Atlanta Falcons . Coming off their bye week the Bengals played at Georgia Dome for an interconference duel with the Falcons . In the first quarter the Bengals trailed early as QB Matt Ryan made a 3 - yard TD pass to WR Brian Finneran . But they replied with kicker Mike Nugent making a 20 - yard field goal . The Bengals struggled in the second quarter with kicker Matt Bryant hitting a 45 - yard field goal . Then Ryan found WR Roddy White on a 43 - yard TD pass , followed by RB Michael Turner getting a 2 - yard TD run . The Bengals took control in the third quarter with Nugent nailing a 33 - yard field goal , followed by QB Carson Palmer completing a 19 - yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens . Then Palmer found WR Jordan Shipley on a 64 - yard TD pass . Then DB Adam Jones returned a fumble 59 yards to the endzone for a touchdown ( With a failed two - point conversion ) . The Falcons pulled away in the fourth quarter with Ryan making an 11 - yard TD pass to White . ( With the 2 - point conversion successful as Ryan passed to White ) This was followed by Turner getting a 3 - yard TD run . The Bengals tried to tie the game , but only came away witb one touchdown after Palmer found WR Chad Ochocinco on an 8 - yard TD pass . With the loss , the Bengals fell to 2 – 4 . Week 8 : vs . Miami Dolphins . Hoping to break their current losing streak the Bengals played on home ground for an AFC duel with the Dolphins . In the first quarter the Bengals took the lead as QB Carson Palmer got a 7 - yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens . The Dolphins replied with kicker Dan Carpenter hitting a 38 and a 42 yard field goal . The Bengals increased their lead with Palmer finding Owens again on a 37 - yard TD pass . The Dolphins caught up and eventually took the lead with Carpenter hitting a 24 , 54 , and a 31 - yard field goal in the third quarter to put the Dolphins up 15 – 14 . The Bengals fell further behind with RB Ricky Williams making a 1 - yard TD run . With the loss , the Bengals fell to 2 – 5 . Week 9 : vs . Pittsburgh Steelers . Trying to snap a four - game losing streak , the Bengals stayed at home for a Week 9 AFC North duel with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night . Cincinnati trailed early as Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall got a 1 - yard touchdown run , followed by kicker Jeff Reed getting a 25 - yard field goal . The Bengals answered in the second quarter as quarterback Carson Palmer found wide receiver Terrell Owens on a 19 - yard touchdown pass , but Pittsburgh responded with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completing an 8 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Hines Ward , followed by a 53 - yard field goal from Reed . After a scoreless third quarter , Cincinnati ' s deficit increased as wide receiver Antwaan Randle El completed a 39 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mike Wallace . The Bengals tried to rally as Palmer hooked up with Owens again on a 27 - yard touchdown pass , followed by a 1 - yard touchdown run from running back Cedric Benson . However , the Steelers ' defense held on to preserve the win . With the loss , Cincinnati fell to 2 – 6 and matched their 2009 loss total . Week 10 : at Indianapolis Colts . Trying to break a five - game losing streak the Bengals flew to Lucas Oil Stadium for an AFC duel with the Colts . In the first quarter the Bengals had problems when kicker Adam Vinatieri got a 28 - yard field goal , followed by QB Carson Palmer ' s pass being intercepted by CB Kelvin Hayden and returned 31 yards for a touchdown . This was followed in the second quarter by RB Javarris James getting a 3 - yard TD run . They eventually scored with kicker Mike Nugent nailing a 27 - yard field goal , foloowed by Palmer finding WR Chad Ochocinco on a 5 - yard TD pass . The Bengals fell further behind when Vinatieri made a 47 - yard field goal , followed in the fourth quarter by his 23 - yard field goal . The Bengals only came back with 1 touchdown when Palmer connected to TE Jermaine Gresham on a 19 - yard TD pass . With the loss , Cincinnati fell to 2 – 7 and surpassed their 2009 loss total . Week 11 : vs . Buffalo Bills . The Bengals ' tenth game was an AFC duel with the Bills . In the first quarter the Bengals took the lead when QB Carson Palmer completed a 2 - yard TD pass to WR Chad Ochocinco . The Bills replied with RB Fred Jackson getting a 7 - yard TD run . The Bengals pulled ahead with Palmer completing a 4 - yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens , and with RB Cedric Benson getting a 1 - yard TD run , followed by CB Johnathan Joseph returning an interception 21 yards for a touchdown . The lead was narrowed when Fitzpatrick made a 28 - yard TD pass to WR Donald Jones , but the Bengals increased their lead with kicker Aaron Pettrey nailing a 19 - yard field goal . The lead was narrowed again in the third quarter with Fitzpatrick completing a 28 - yard TD pass to WR Steve Johnson , and with CB Drayton Florence recovering a fumble and returning the ball 27 yards for a touchdown . In the fourth quarter the Bengals fell behind with Fitzpatrick finding Johnson again on an 11 and a 32 - yard TD pass . This was followed by Jackson getting a 30 - yard TD run . With the loss , the Bengals fell to 2 – 8 . Week 12 : at New York Jets ( Thanksgiving Classic ) . Trying to snap a seven - game losing streak , the Bengals flew to New Meadowlands Stadium for a Week 12 Thanksgiving duel with the New York Jets . After a scoreless first quarter , Cincinnati trailed in the second quarter as Jets kicker Nick Folk got a 27 - yard field goal . The Bengals would take the lead as quarterback Carson Palmer found wide receiver Jordan Shipley on a 5 - yard touchdown pass . New York regained the lead in the third quarter with wide receiver / quarterback Brad Smith getting a 53 - yard touchdown run , followed by quarterback Mark Sanchez completing a 13 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Santonio Holmes . Cincinnati tried to rally in the fourth quarter with a 28 - yard field goal from rookie kicker Aaron Pettrey , but the Jets came right back with Smith ' s 89 - yard kickoff return for a touchdown , followed by defensive end Trevor Pryce sacking Palmer in the endzone for safety . With the loss , the Bengals fell to 2 – 9 , and were officially eliminated from postseason contention with other results in Week 12 . Week 13 : vs . New Orleans Saints . Trying to break an eight - game losing streak the Bengals played on home ground for an interconference duel with the Saints . In the first quarter , the Bengals trailed early as kicker Garrett Hartley nailed a 48 - yard field goal . They replied with kicker Clint Stitser hitting a 29 - yard field goal , but the Saints scored again with RB Chris Ivory getting a 55 - yard TD run , with the Bengals responding as Stitser made a 23 - yard field goal . They struggled further as Hartley made a 24 - yard field goal , followed by Ivory getting a 1 - yard TD run . The Bengals narrowed the lead as QB Carson Palmer made a 5 - yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens ( With a failed PAT as the kick went wide right ) , followed by RB Cedric Benson getting a 1 - yard TD run . The Saints responded as QB Drew Brees completed a 52 - yard TD pass to WR Robert Meachem , but the Bengals fought back to take the lead for the first time with Benson gettingt a 4 - yard TD run ( With a successful 2 - point conversion as Palmer passed to TE Jermaine Gresham ) , followed by Stitser making a 47 - yard field goal . They failed to maintain this lead after Brees threw a 3 - yard TD pass to WR Marques Colston . With the loss , the Bengals fell to 2 – 10 . Week 14 : at Pittsburgh Steelers . Trying to snap a nine - game losing streak , the Bengals flew to Heinz Field for a Week 14 AFC North rematch with the Pittsburgh Steelers . In the first quarter , Cincinnati delivered the game ' s opening strike in the first quarter as quarterback Carson Palmer found offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth on a 1 - yard touchdown pass . In the second quarter , the Steelers answered with safety Troy Polamalu returning an interception 45 yards for a touchdown ; followed by kicker Shaun Suisham nailing a 23 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Pittsburgh added onto their lead with Suisham getting a 35 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the Steelers pulled away with linebacker LaMarr Woodley returning an interception 14 yards for a touchdown , followed by Suisham making a 41 - yard field goal . With the loss , the Bengals fell to 2 – 11 . Week 15 : vs . Cleveland Browns . Hoping to break a 10 - game losing streak the Bengals played on home ground for an AFC North rivalry rematch against the Browns . In the first quarter the Bengals trailed early as QB Colt McCoy threw a 20 - yard TD pass to TE Robert Royal ; but they rallied to get the lead back with RB Cedric Benson getting an 18 - yard TD run , followed by kicker Clint Stitser nailing a 25 , 39 and a 34 - yard field goal . The lead was narrowed with kicker Phil Dawson making a 23 - yard field goal , but the Bengals rebuilt their 9 - point lead with Stitser making a 20 - yard field goal . The lead was narrowed again with McCoy completing a 46 - yard TD pass to WR Brian Robiskie , but the Bengals defense was solid enough to hold them on for the win . With the close win , Cincinnati improved to 3 – 11 . Week 16 : vs . San Diego Chargers . Coming off their win over the Browns the Bengals played on home ground for an AFC duel with the Chargers . In the first quarter the Bengals took the lead with QB Carson Palmer throwing a 3 - yard TD pass to TE Jermaine Gresham . Then Palmer found WR Jerome Simpson on a 10 - yard TD pass ( PAT failed , wide left ) . The Chargers got on the board with kicker Nate Kaeding hitting a 20 - yard field goal , followed by RB Ryan Mathews getting a 23 - yard TD run , but the Bengals put more points up with Palmer getting a 3 - yard TD pass to WR Jordan Shipley . The lead was narrowed with Kaeding making a 28 - yard field goal , but the Bengals increased their lead after Palmer connected to Simpson on a 59 - yard TD pass , followed by RB Bernard Scott getting a 10 - yard TD run . The Chargers tried to come back after QB Philip Rivers made a 5 - yard TD pass to WR Kelley Washington , but the Bengals defense prevented any more scoring chances , giving themselves the win . With the win , the Bengals improved to 4 – 11 . Week 17 : at Baltimore Ravens . The Bengals ' final game was a division rivalry rematch against the Ravens . The Bengals trailed throughout the game as kicker Billy Cundiff hit a 25 and a 47 - yard field goal . This was followed by Ray Rice getting a 7 - yard TD run . The lead was only narrowed with QB Carson Palmer throwing an 11 - yard TD pass to WR Jerome Simpson , but the Bengals couldn ' t do any more , snapping their two - game winning streak and thus ending the season on a 4 – 12 record .