2009 Cincinnati Bengals season The 2009 Cincinnati Bengals season was the 40th season for the team in the National Football League and their 42nd overall . They finished the season at 10 – 6 – 0 , and sweeping the entire AFC North division , they improved on their 2008 record of 4 – 11 – 1 , winning the AFC North Division and making the playoffs for the first time since 2005 . Their season ended with a 24 – 14 loss against the New York Jets in the AFC Wild Card Playoff Round . The head coach was Marvin Lewis , who has coached the team since 2003 . He was chosen by the Associated Press as its NFL Coach of the Year following the season . Lewis was recognized for turning around the Bengals in the face of serious off - the - field adversity . First , three players were personally affected by the tsunami that hit American Samoa in late September . Shortly after this disaster , Vikki Zimmer , the wife of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer , unexpectedly died . Finally , wide receiver Chris Henry , who suffered a season - ending injury in Week 9 , died in December from injuries suffered when he fell from the back of a pickup truck during a domestic dispute . Off - season . Free agents . The following players who were on the Bengals ' 2008 roster were eligible for free agency in 2009 or have been released by the team . A green background indicates that the player re - signed with the Bengals . Regular season results . Week 1 : vs . Denver Broncos . The Bengals began their season in a Week 1 duel with the Denver Broncos . Both teams ' defense held each other in check , while Broncos kicker Matt Prater got a 48 - yard field goal in the second quarter and a 50 - yard field goal in the third . WR Brandon Stokley grabbed a deflected pass and raced into the end zone for an improbable 87 - yard touchdown reception in the final seconds . This came after the Bengals scored a go - ahead touchdown on RB Cedric Benson ' s 1 - yard plunge with 38 seconds remaining . QB Carson Palmer had one last effort on the final play of the game , but his desperation pass was intercepted . With the loss , Cincinnati started the season at 0 – 1 . Week 2 : at Green Bay Packers . Hoping to rebound from a tough last - second loss to the Broncos , the Bengals flew to Lambeau Field for a Week 2 interconference duel with the Green Bay Packers . Cincinnati delivered the first score in the opening score as quarterback Carson Palmer completed a 5 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Laveranues Coles . The Packers would respond as quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed a 3 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Donald Driver , followed by running back Ryan Grant getting a 4 - yard touchdown run . In the second quarter , the Bengals tied the game as Palmer got a 1 - yard touchdown run . Green Bay would reply with cornerback Charles Woodson returning an interception 37 yards for a touchdown . Cincinnati would end the half as Palmer completed a 5 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Henry . The Bengals would take the lead in the third quarter as Palmer completed a 13 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chad Ochocinco . In the fourth quarter , Cincinnati pulled away as kicker Shayne Graham nailed a 40 - yard field goal . Afterwards , the Packers delivered their only response as kicker Mason Crosby got a 45 - yard field goal . With the win , the Bengals improved to 1 – 1 . This was the first game the franchise had ever won in Green Bay . Week 3 : vs . Pittsburgh Steelers . Coming off the win the previous week in Green Bay , the Bengals faced the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers back home in Cincinnati . The game was scoreless until halfway into the opening quarter , when Steelers kicker Jeff Reed kicked a 19 yard field goal to put the Steelers on the scoreboard 3 – 0 . 6 minutes later , Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger threw a 27 yard touchdown pass to RB Willie Parker to increase Pittsburgh ' s lead to 10 – 0 at the end of the first quarter . They would add to that lead 3 minutes into the second quarter with another field goal by Reed , this one from 24 yards . Not until the final seconds of the first half would the Bengals make a mark on the scoreboard , with a 34 yard field goal by Cincinnati K Shayne Graham . At halftime the score was 13 – 3 . In the second half , the Bengals took advantage of the Steelers mistakes , when Bengals CB Johnathan Joseph intercepted a Ben Roethlisberger pass , returning it 30 yards for a TD . The PAT would not be successful because of a bad snap by Bengals LS Brad St . Louis . The Bengals had cut down the Steeler lead to 4 points , 13 – 9 . At the 3 minute mark in the third quarter the Steelers would extend the lead on a quarterback sneak by Roethlisberger to put Pittsburgh ahead by 11 points , 20 – 9 . In the fourth quarter , with 9 minutes left in the game , Bengals RB Cedric Benson ran 23 yards for a Bengals touchdown , cutting the deficit to 5 points , 20 – 15 . In the final two minutes of the game , Bengals QB Carson Palmer drove his team down the field converting both fourth down opportunities , one being a 4th and 10 completion to RB Brian Leonard for 11 yards . With 18 seconds left in the game , on the Steeler 4 , Carson Palmer threw a touchdown pass to WR Andre Caldwell , putting the Bengals in the lead for good , with a successful two - point conversion by Leonard . With the win , not only did the Bengals improve to 2 – 1 , but they acquired their first home victory against the Steelers since 2001 . Week 4 : at Cleveland Browns . Emerging from their divisional home win over the Steelers , the Bengals flew to Cleveland Browns Stadium for a Week 4 AFC North duel with the Cleveland Browns in Round 1 of 2009 ' s Battle of Ohio . Cincinnati would start out fast in the first quarter with quarterback Carson Palmer ' s 5 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chad Ochocinco . In the second quarter , the Bengals would add to their lead with defensive end Robert Geathers returning a fumble 75 yards for a touchdown . The Browns would then close out the half with quarterback Derek Anderson ' s 1 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Steve Heiden . Cleveland would tie the game in the third quarter with Anderson ' s 1 - yard touchdown run . In the fourth quarter , the Browns would take the lead with kicker Billy Cundiff ' s 26 - yard and 31 - yard field goals . Afterwards , Cincinnati would tie the game with Palmer and Ochocinco hooking up with each other again on a 2 - yard touchdown pass ( yet the following PAT was blocked ) . In a back - and - forth overtime , both Ohio teams fought each for possession . In the end , the Bengals would emerge on top as kicker Shayne Graham kicked the game - winning 31 - yard field goal . With the win , Cincinnati improved to 3 – 1 , and , with the Baltimore Ravens loss later that day , tied the Ravens for first place in the division . Following this victory , the Bengals earned the nickname the " Cardiac Cats " for pulling through in the clutch and coming from behind in three straight games for a victory . For three Bengals players , this game was overshadowed by events that took place thousands of miles away . Jonathan Fanene , Rey Maualuga , and Domata Peko all have family in American Samoa , which was hit by a major tsunami the Tuesday before the game . All three struggled to contact their families in the aftermath of the disaster . Week 5 : at Baltimore Ravens . Coming off their overtime win over the Browns , the Bengals looked to win for Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer who had lost his wife during the week as they flew to M & T Bank Stadium for a Week 5 AFC North duel with the Baltimore Ravens . The winner of this game would take the lead in the division after five weeks . After a scoreless first quarter , the Bengals would trail in the second quarter with Ravens safety Ed Reed returning an interception 52 yards for a touchdown . Cincinnati would begin to build steam as kicker Shayne Graham nailed a 32 - yard field goal . The Bengals would take the lead in the third quarter with a 28 - yard touchdown run from running back Cedric Benson . Baltimore then came back in the fourth quarter when Ray Rice caught a screen pass and ran it 48 yards for the go - ahead touchdown , but with 27 seconds left , Cincinnati would complete their comeback with a 20 - yard touchdown pass from quarterback Carson Palmer to wide receiver Andre Caldwell , which led to Gus Johnson ' s line , " The Cardiac Cats strike again . " With the win , not only did the Bengals take the division lead at 4 – 1 , but Benson ( 27 carries , 120 yards , 1 TD ) would snap the Ravens defense ' s 40 - game streak of not allowing a 100 - yard rusher . Week 6 : vs . Houston Texans . Coming off their thrilling road win over the Ravens , the Bengals went home for a Week 6 duel with the Houston Texans . Cincinnati would trail in the first quarter as Texans quarterback Matt Schaub hooked up with tight end Owen Daniels on a 12 - yard touchdown pass . The Bengals would get on the board in the second quarter with running back Cedric Benson ' s 10 - yard touchdown run . Houston would retake the lead with Schaub ' s 38 - yard touchdown pass to running back Steve Slaton , yet Cincinnati would get the halftime lead with quarterback Carson Palmer ' s 8 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Laveranues Coles and kicker Shayne Graham ' s 50 - yard field goal . However , the Texans struck back in the third quarter as Schaub completed a 23 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jacoby Jones , followed by a 7 - yard touchdown pass to Daniels . Try as they might , the offense could not produce another miraculous win as Houston ' s defense held on for the win . With the loss , the Bengals fell to 4 – 2 . Week 7 : vs . Chicago Bears . Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Texans , the Bengals stayed at home for a Week 7 inter conference duel with the Chicago Bears . In the first quarter , Cincinnati got off to a fast start as quarterback Carson Palmer completed a 9 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Henry and an 8 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chad Ochocinco . The Bengals would continue their dominating day in the second quarter as Palmer found tight end J . P . Foschi on a 3 - yard touchdown pass and wide receiver Laveranues Coles on an 8 - yard touchdown pass , followed by kicker Shayne Graham booting a 29 - yard field goal . The Bears would close out the half with a 22 - yard field goal from kicker Robbie Gould . Afterwards , Cincinnati would pull away Palmer finding Ochocinco again on a 13 - yard touchdown pass in the third quarter , followed by former Chicago running back Cedric Benson ' s 1 - yard touchdown run . The Bears would then end the game with quarterback Jay Cutler hooking up with wide receiver Devin Hester on a 5 - yard touchdown pass . With the win , the Bengals went into their bye week at 5 – 2 . Week 9 : vs . Baltimore Ravens . Coming off their bye week , the Bengals stayed at home for a Week 9 AFC North rematch with the Baltimore Ravens . Cincinnati would get off to a fast start in the first quarter as quarterback Carson Palmer hooked up with wide receiver Andre Caldwell on a 6 - yard touchdown pass , while running back Cedric Benson got a 1 - yard touchdown run . In the second quarter , the Bengals would add onto their lead as kicker Shayne Graham nailed a 23 - yard field goal . After a scoreless third quarter , the Ravens tried to strike back in the fourth quarter with running back Ray Rice getting a 2 - yard touchdown run , yet Cincinnati ' s defense held on for the victory . Chad Ochocinco jokingly flashed a $ 1 bill at a referee during the third quarter , and was subsequently fined $ 20 , 000 by the NFL . With the sweep , the Bengals improved to 6 – 2 . Benson ( 34 carries , 117 yards , 1 TD ) would join Jerome Bettis in 1997 as the only running backs to run for over 100 yards against the Ravens twice in the same season . This turned out to be Chris Henry ' s final game , as he was injured during the game and was placed on season - ending injured reserve . He was killed by injuries relating to a fall from a pick - up truck a month later . Week 10 : at Pittsburgh Steelers . Coming off their season - sweeping home win over the Ravens , the Bengals flew to Heinz Field for a Week 10 AFC North rematch with the Pittsburgh Steelers with 1st place in the division on the line . Cincinnati would trail in the first quarter as Steelers kicker Jeff Reed got a 28 - yard field goal . The Bengals would immediately strike back as rookie running back Bernard Scott returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown . In the second quarter , Pittsburgh would retake the lead with Reed ' s 33 - yard and 35 - yard field goals . Cincinnati would regain the lead in the third quarter with kicker Shayne Graham getting a 23 - yard and a 32 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the Steelers would tie the game with Reed booting a 34 - yard field goal . Afterwards , the Bengals would pull away wit Graham nailing a 32 - yard and a 43 - yard field goal . With the win , not only did the Bengals improve to 7 – 2 , but they acquired their first season - sweep over Pittsburgh since 1998 as they Steelers fell to 6 – 3 . Week 11 : at Oakland Raiders . Coming off their road win over the Steelers , the Bengals flew to Oakland - Alameda County Coliseum for a Week 11 duel with the Oakland Raiders . In the first quarter , the Bengals have the early lead as QB Carson Palmer scrambled 1 yard to the end zone for a touchdown . In the second quarter Palmer again made a 1 - yard touchdown run . The Oakland would reply with QB Bruce Gradkowski making a 10 - yard touchdown pass to TE Zach Miller , and kicker Sebastian Janikowski hitting a 52 - yard field goal in the third quarter . To rap up the third quarter kicker Shayne Graham made a 25 - yard field goal for the Bengals . In the fourth quarter Oakland rallied as Gradkowski hooked up with WR Louis Murphy on 29 - yard touchdown pass to tie the game and eventually the Raiders pulled out the win as Sebastian Janikowski hit the game winning 33 - yard field goal with 12 seconds left to give Cincinnati a loss . With the loss , Cincinnati fell to 7 – 3 . Week 12 : vs . Cleveland Browns . Hoping to rebound from their week 11 loss to Oakland , the Bengals stayed home for round two of the 2009 Battle of Ohio against the Cleveland Browns . The Bengals ' first score came when Shayne Graham kicked a 37 - yard field goal with 8 : 48 left in the first quarter , to make the score 3 – 0 . With 6 : 38 left in the second quarter , J . Foschi caught a 4 - yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer to make the Bengals lead 10 – 0 . The score at halftime was 13 – 0 , after Shayne Graham kicked a 53 yard field goal with 0 : 21 left in the 2nd quarter . The Browns ' first and only score of the game was a 9 yard touchdown run by Brady Quinn , to make the score 13 – 7 . The Bengals got a field goal in the 3rd quarter to make the score 16 – 7 . The final score of the game was Bengals 16 , Browns 7 . With the win , not only did the Bengals improve to 8 – 3 , but they won all of their division matches for the first time in franchise history . Also , this would be the first season since the 2006 season where the Bengals won both games against the Browns . Week 13 : vs . Detroit Lions . After the week 12 win over the Cleveland Browns , the Bengals stayed home for a game against the Detroit Lions . The first and only score of the first quarter for both teams came when the Lions ' Calvin Johnson caught a 54 - yard pass from Matthew Stafford for a touchdown , which made the Lions lead 7 – 0 at the end of the first quarter . In the second quarter , with 11 : 50 left , Jonathan Fanene got a 45 - yard interception pass for a touchdown , which tied the game 7 – 7 . Later in the 2nd quarter , with 5 : 50 left , Chad Ochocinco caught a 36 - yard pass from Carson Palmer for a touchdown , which made the Bengals lead by 7 . In celebration , he donned a poncho and sombrero , for which the NFL handed him another $ 20 , 000 fine . A 44 yard field goal by Shayne Graham with 0 : 09 left in the half made the halftime score 17 – 7 . A 39 yard field goal by Shayne Graham was the only score for both teams in the 3rd quarter . With 8 : 11 left in the 4th quarter , Shayne Graham kicked a 23 - yard field goal , to make the score 23 – 7 . The Lions later had a 2 yard touchdown run by Kevin Smith with 1 : 36 left in the game . The Lions then attempted a 2 - point conversion , but failed , making the final score 23 – 13 . With the win , the Bengals improved to 9 – 3 and secured only their third winning season in nineteen years . Week 14 : at Minnesota Vikings . Following the Week 13 win over the Detroit Lions at home , the Bengals traveled to the Metrodome , looking for a big win over the Minnesota Vikings . In the opening quarter of the game , no one scored . The Vikings scored a field goal about 40 seconds into the second quarter , making them lead 3 – 0 . Later in the second quarter , Sidney Rice caught a 9 - yard touchdown pass from Brett Favre to make the score 10 – 0 . The Bengals also scored in the second quarter with a 15 - yard touchdown pass caught by Chad Ochocinco from Carson Palmer . The Vikings got two more field goals in the first half , making the score at halftime 16 – 7 . The first and only score in the third quarter came for the Vikings when Adrian Peterson had a 1 - yard touchdown run , to extend the Vikings ' lead to 23 – 7 . In the final quarter of the game , Shayne Graham Got a 22 - yard field goal to make the score 23 – 10 . The field goal was followed by a 3 - yard touchdown run by Adrian Peterson for the Vikings , to make the final score 30 – 10 . Cedric Benson had 96 yards rushing . Chad Ochocinco had 27 yards receiving and one touchdown , and Andre Caldwell had 25 yards receiving . With the Loss , the Bengals fell to 9 – 4 . Week 15 : at San Diego Chargers . Still looking to clinch the AFC North Division after a disappointing road loss in Minnesota , the Bengals traveled west to take on the San Diego Chargers at Quallcomm Stadium . During the week , Chris Henry had died , and to honor him , the team all wore the number 15 on their helmets . Chad Ochocinco paid tribute to his teammate by kneeling for a prayer after he scored a touchdown in the first quarter . The Chargers were the first to score , when Antonio Gates caught a 3 - yard touchdown pass from Philip Rivers . The Bengals answered back with a 26 yard field goal by Shayne Graham to make the score 7 – 3 . In the second quarter , Chad Ochocinco caught a 49 - yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer , and the Bengals took the lead , 10 – 7 . Following the Bengals ' touchdown , the Chargers also got a touchdown , to put the Chargers back on top , 14 – 10 . Near the end of the first half , Shayne Graham kicked another field goal , this time from 25 yards , to make the score 14 – 13 at halftime . The Bengals could not manage to score in the 3rd quarter , while the Chargers got a touchdown and a field goal . The score was 24 – 13 at the end of the 3rd quarter . The Bengals finally managed to score in the 4th quarter when Laveranues Coles caught a 2 - yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer . The Bengals went for a two - point conversion , and were successful , making the score 24 – 21 . Later in the quarter , Shayne Graham kicked another field goal , tying the game at 24 points for each team . The Chargers were then able to reach field goal range , and Nate Kaeding kicked a long 52 - yard field goal to win the game . With a second straight loss , Cincinnati fell to 9 – 5 . Due to the Baltimore Ravens win over the Chicago Bears , The Bengals were unable to claim the AFC North Division title . Week 16 : vs . Kansas City Chiefs . Still looking to win the AFC North division after a disappointing Week 15 loss at San Diego , the Bengals went back home to Cincinnati to take on the Kansas City Chiefs . The first quarter was quiet , with neither team managing to get any points . Near the end of the first half , the Chiefs got a penalty for a bad snap before a punt . The ball went over the kicker ' s head , and resulted in a 1st and Goal for the Bengals . Carson Palmer then threw a touchdown pass to Chad Ochocinco , but the touchdown was reversed because he went out of bounds before he made the catch . The Bengals were then forced to settle for a 29 yard field goal by Shayne Graham , to make the score 3 – 0 Bengals . At the end of the first half , Ryan Succop kicked a 30 - yard field goal for the chiefs , making the halftime score a tie , 3 – 3 . The Bengals ' offense did better at the beginning of the 3rd quarter , getting into the red zone in their first drive of the second half . Carson Palmer then threw a touchdown pass to Laveranues Coles , to put the Bengals on top , 10 – 3 . Eight seconds into the 4th quarter , Tim Castille caught his first career touchdown , a 20 - yard reception , to tie the score again , 10 – 10 . The Bengals got yet another touchdown in the 4th quarter , and won the game 17 – 10 . With the win , the Cincinnati Bengals clinched the AFC Northern Division Title and improved their regular season record to 10 – 5 . Week 17 : at New York Jets . After clinching the AFC north the previous week , the Bengals traveled to take on the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football . This would prove to be the final game to ever be played at Giants Stadium . The Bengals did not score in the first quarter , while the Jets had a 1 yard touchdown run by Thomas Jones to put the Jets up 7 – 0 . The Bengals also failed to score in the 2nd quarter , while the Jets ' offense had a very productive 2nd quarter , scoring 20 points . The Jets got a 20 - yard field goal , to make the score 10 – 0 Jets . Brad Smith then had a 32 - yard touchdown run to make the score 17 – 0 . The Jets then got another touchdown run by Jerricho Cotchery . to make the score 24 – 0 . The Jets finished the half with another field goal , to make the halftime score 27 – 0 Jets . The only score of the 3rd quarter came when J . Feely got a 40 - yard field goal , to make the score 30 – 0 . The Jets finished the game with another touchdown run by Thomas Jones , this time from 2 yards . The final score was Jets 37 , Bengals 0 . With the shutout loss , the Bengals finished the 2009 regular season with a record of 10 – 6 . Post season results . AFC Wild Card Game : vs . New York Jets . In the wild card round of the playoffs , the Jets now had to travel to Paul Brown Stadium . The Bengals scored first when Carson Palmer threw an 11 - yard TD pass to Laveranues Coles . In the second quarter , Jets RB Shonn Greene ran 39 yards for a TD , and Carson Palmer threw an interception that was returned for 20 yards . Mark Sanchez passed to Dustin Keller for a 45 - yard TD , and the next scoring drive would come in the third quarter when Thomas Jones made a 9 - yard TD run . Cedric Benson made a 47 - yard TD in the fourth quarter , and the Jets responded with a 20 - yard FG by Jay Feely . They halted any further attempts by the Bengals at a scoring drive , sacking Carson Palmer twice . The Jets ran out the clock for the last two minutes to end the game at 24 – 14 .