Palmer Gives Hope to Bengals

Carson Palmer gave Cincinnati fans more reason to believe the Bengals’ turnaround could continue this season.

“We can be very explosive. I think we showed that tonight,” Palmer said. “If we stick with our game plan, and guys execute, that’s what happens -- you put up 30 points.”

Palmer completed 12 of 19 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns, and he set up another with a 48-yard completion to Chad Johnson as the Bengals beat the New England Patriots, 31-3, at Cincinnati.

“I hope we’re on the way up,” Bengal Coach Marvin Lewis said. “We’re getting better. We have a bunch of guys who are smart enough to learn from their mistakes.”

It was a breakthrough game for Palmer and a giddy night for Bengal fans. They cheered Palmer and running back Rudi Johnson, and booed former Cincinnati running back Corey Dillon, who was traded to the Super Bowl champions during the off-season.

Tom Brady, New England’s two-time Super Bowl most valuable player, also played a half and completed eight of 13 passes for 126 yards with one interception.

“It was an ugly night,” Brady said. “Hopefully, this isn’t our team. It was a terrible performance all the way around.”

Palmer led the Bengals to three quick touchdowns before New England’s initial first down.

Rudi Johnson, who rushed 16 times for 76 yards, scored from the one-yard line to cap a five-play, 69-yard drive that included the long pass to Chad Johnson on the second play of the game.

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Kerry Collins’ one completion covered almost as many yards as Rich Gannon’s seven. That’s one reason why he might be a better fit in the Oakland Raiders’ new offense.

Collins’ 89-yard scoring strike to Doug Gabriel in the third quarter was the biggest play of the game before the Dallas Cowboys rallied to beat Oakland, 21-20, on Tony Romo’s one-yard quarterback keeper with six seconds to play.

After Dallas’ first-team offense was kept out of the end zone for the second consecutive game, the Cowboys’ backup quarterbacks -- Drew Henson and Romo -- engineered touchdown drives.

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Willis McGahee, taking over for injured Travis Henry, scored in the second quarter for the Buffalo Bills, but the Tennessee Titans used a 22-yard field goal by Joe Nedney as time expired to beat the Bills, 16-15, at Buffalo, N.Y.

McGahee finished with 11 carries for 28 yards. That followed an impressive exhibition debut, in which McGahee had 13 carries for 58 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown in Buffalo’s 16-6 win over Denver last weekend.

Henry bruised his ribs and did not know whether he would be able to practice Monday.

Steve McNair finished eight of 11 passing for 93 yards, including an eight-yard touchdown pass to Tyrone Calico, helping Tennessee to its sixth consecutive exhibition victory.

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Darren Sharper, emboldened by strong safety Mark Roman’s insertion into the lineup, returned an interception 90 yards for a touchdown and Green Bay defeated New Orleans, 19-14, at Green Bay, Wis.

Saint quarterback Aaron Brooks aggravated his strained right thigh muscle while scrambling toward the sideline and was replaced by Todd Bouman. Brooks completed seven of 13 passes for 44 yards.

Brett Favre completed 11 of 17 passes for 149 yards, including passes of 30 and 31 yards to Antonio Chatman, who sprained his right ankle on the second-half kickoff, and 31 to Javon Walker. But Favre failed for the second consecutive game to put them in the end zone.

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In other exhibition games:

* The Denver Broncos managed their second touchdown of the exhibition season, a seven-yard run by Mike Anderson with 10:06 to play, and Jason Elam kicked four field goals in a 19-3 victory over the Seahawks at Seattle.

Anderson ran for 120 yards in 21 carries, including 106 yards in 19 carries in the second half, against Seattle’s second- and third-team defenders. Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and his replacement, Seneca Wallace, couldn’t move the Seahawks. Hasselbeck played the first three offensive series and completed two of seven passes for 16 yards.

* Jerome Bettis showed that his 32-year-old legs can still deliver for the Steelers, rushing 10 times for 48 yards and a touchdown in a 38-3 victory over the visiting Houston Texans. Texan quarterback David Carr completed seven of 10 passes for 67 yards.

* Chad Pennington completed his first 10 passes and threw for 169 yards and a touchdown in the first half for the visiting New York Jets in a 31-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

* Mark Brunell directed two touchdown drives, and the Washington Redskins controlled the ball for 41 minutes to beat the Miami Dolphins, 17-0, at Miami.

* Brock Forsey, looking to land a roster spot as a backup tailback, scored on a two-yard run late in the third quarter, and the Chicago Bears beat the San Francisco 49ers, 20-13, at Chicago.

* Lee Suggs ran in untouched for two scores, and Jeff Garcia completed five of seven passes for 55 yards as Cleveland beat Detroit, 17-10, at Cleveland.

* Drew Brees completed 13 of 21 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown to lead San Diego to a 38-13 victory over Arizona at Tempe, Ariz.

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The Chicago Bears acquired Pro Bowl defensive end Adewale Ogunleye from the Miami Dolphins on Saturday for receiver Marty Booker and a third-round draft choice in 2005.

The deal was contingent on Ogunleye’s reaching a contract agreement with the Bears, and he accepted a six-year, $33.4-million deal, agent Drew Rosenhaus said.

Ogunleye, who led the AFC with 15 sacks last season and made the Pro Bowl for the first time, had been unsigned and at a stalemate in negotiations with Miami since May.

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Former Pro Bowl receiver Andre Rison signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, less than two weeks after a judge in Georgia ordered his arrest for failing to pay $107,350 in child support. Rison, 37, spent 12 seasons in the NFL, his last in 2000.