CINCINNATI – The Bengals waited 15 years to play this playoff game, largely for the lack of a quarterback who could win one. Then Carson Palmer lasted two offensive plays.
Timo van Oelhoffen, reaching for the Cincinnati quarterback as he was being blocked to the ground, delivered a rolling, and apparently unintentional, shoulder hit on Carson’s left knee as he was releasing a 66-yard completion to Chris Henry behind Steeler corner Deshea Townsend.
Moments later, Palmer was carted off with a torn ACL. Three hours later, so were the Bengals from the playoffs in a 31-17 loss to the Steelers.
“It was a sickening feeling because I knew what it was and my season was over,” said Palmer, afterwards, when most of the Bengals’ initial anger had dissipated.
“I just know Timo from talking to him on the field,” said T.J. Houshmandzadeh, “I don’t think he would do that on purpose.
“I feel bad not just because we didn’t have Carson and we lost. I feel bad about everything he has to go through now to come back.”
Repeatedly, coach Marvin Lewis was asked whether he thought there was anything intentional or careless about the hit.
“Gee whiz, guys, let it go,” he said. “It’s unfortunate. He got hurt. We’re not going to sit here like a baby and cry like their quarterback did.
Lewis apparently was referring to Ben Roethlisberger’s complaints about a hit by the Bengals’ Odell Thurman in a game on Dec.4 in Pittsburgh, which the Pittsburgh QB later referred to as “a little bit dirty.”
Thurman was penalized on a play most observers felt had benign intentions like yesterday’s.