Cincinnati Bengals Tickets

The Cincinnati Bengals had a near diastrous 2008 season and things don't seem to be looking much different heading into 2009.

Quarterback Carson Palmer missed most of last season with an elbow injury but appears to be 100 percent this year. Whether or not that is actually true remains to be seen.

However, it won't be an easy adjustment coming back with the loss of wideout T.J. Houshmandzedah to free agency. Chad Johnson also doesn't want to be back and the team is exploring trad options for the disgruntled wide receiver.

The one bit of good news is that it seems they may have found their new starting running back in Cedric Benson, provided he can stay out of trouble with the law. They also signed defensive tackle Tank Johnson, proving that they still aren't scared to take a chance on players with major questions surrounding their character.

The Bengals begin the season with a tough five-game stretch, starting with a home game against the Denver Broncos. They then travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers before hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers.

They will then hit the road again to take on the rival Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, which concludes a three-game stretch against divisional opponents.

Cincinnati will play against the AFC West and NFC North this year, which certainly gives them more hope than last year's NFC East and AFC South matchups.

They also get Houston and Oakland as the two teams they play outside of the division assignments, which is just about all you can ask for from the scheduling powers.