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[url="http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/8062/can-palmer-win-the-big-game#more"]http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_ ... -game#more[/url]
CINCINNATI -- Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer has the gaudy career statistics. He also has two Pro Bowls and a $100 million contract.
But outside of Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys, no quarterback this weekend needs a playoff win to enhance his reputation more than Cincinnati's former No. 1 overall pick.
"[The postseason] is how quarterbacks are remembered, created, judged," Palmer said candidly as Cincinnati (10-6) prepared for Saturday’s playoff game against the New York Jets (9-7).
Palmer, 30, is in his seventh season and has virtually no big-game experience. In his only playoff appearance in 2005, Palmer completed one pass to former teammate Chris Henry before blowing out his knee on Cincinnati's opening drive.
This weekend will mark the first postseason game for Palmer and Cincinnati since that devastating wild-card loss to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. It took the Bengals four years to recover, while Pittsburgh and quarterback counterpart Ben Roethlisberger went on to win two Super Bowls in that span.
Palmer said he "absolutely" appreciates this playoff opportunity more than he did four years ago.
"This doesn’t happen every year. It doesn't happen every year to anybody," Palmer said. "When you come into the league and you go to the playoffs right away, you just assume that is what it is and it will be that way every year. ... It's hard not to think that coming into the league and right away going in.
"But now, seven years in and this is only my second time going, I realize how special the opportunity is and how much we need to take advantage of it, because it doesn't come around often."
Not everything can be put on Palmer. He plays for a franchise that's had only two winning seasons and no playoff victories in the past 19 years.
The Bengals were among the league leaders in futility over the past two decades, whether it was shoddy personnel decisions, poor coaching or lack of victories. In many ways, they were the NFL's biggest punch line, and most of it was deserved.
That's why Saturday has the potential to be a special day, not only for Palmer, but for the entire Bengals franchise.
"It’s been a long time for this city, this organization, to be in the postseason," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "So, this is big. That's why it is important to me."
Winning this weekend won't be easy. The Jets and Bengals are very similar. They run the football effectively and have two of the NFL's top four defenses.
Palmer got a taste of New York's No. 1-ranked defense in last week's 37-0 thrashing by the Jets in the regular-season finale. Despite playing a little more than two quarters, Palmer had his worst game of the season, completing one pass for zero yards and an interception. His quarterback rating was an abysmal 1.7.
"It was one of those games you can't let simmer," Palmer said. "You can't let it make you mad, and you can't let it frustrate you. You've just got to get past it, and we've gotten past it. It's a fresh week, it's a new season, and that's been stressed to us in the locker room after the game."
The Bengals are confident despite the 37-point loss. The team played very vanilla Sunday and rested several starters, including tailback Cedric Benson. Still, the effort and execution were not where they needed to be.
But Cincinnati believes it can reverse its fortunes.
"Come Saturday, you'll see an exciting, energetic, rambunctious Bengals team," Cincinnati starting guard Bobbie Williams said.
But more than any other Bengal, look for Palmer to be under the microscope.
In many ways, Palmer's career up to this point will be judged by how he performs in this postseason. It also doesn't help that rival division quarterbacks Roethlisberger (8-2 postseason record) and Joe Flacco (2-1) of the Baltimore Ravens are younger and have had more big-game success.
But outside of Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys, no quarterback this weekend needs a playoff win to enhance his reputation more than Cincinnati's former No. 1 overall pick.
"[The postseason] is how quarterbacks are remembered, created, judged," Palmer said candidly as Cincinnati (10-6) prepared for Saturday’s playoff game against the New York Jets (9-7).
Palmer, 30, is in his seventh season and has virtually no big-game experience. In his only playoff appearance in 2005, Palmer completed one pass to former teammate Chris Henry before blowing out his knee on Cincinnati's opening drive.
This weekend will mark the first postseason game for Palmer and Cincinnati since that devastating wild-card loss to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. It took the Bengals four years to recover, while Pittsburgh and quarterback counterpart Ben Roethlisberger went on to win two Super Bowls in that span.
Palmer said he "absolutely" appreciates this playoff opportunity more than he did four years ago.
"This doesn’t happen every year. It doesn't happen every year to anybody," Palmer said. "When you come into the league and you go to the playoffs right away, you just assume that is what it is and it will be that way every year. ... It's hard not to think that coming into the league and right away going in.
"But now, seven years in and this is only my second time going, I realize how special the opportunity is and how much we need to take advantage of it, because it doesn't come around often."
Not everything can be put on Palmer. He plays for a franchise that's had only two winning seasons and no playoff victories in the past 19 years.
The Bengals were among the league leaders in futility over the past two decades, whether it was shoddy personnel decisions, poor coaching or lack of victories. In many ways, they were the NFL's biggest punch line, and most of it was deserved.
That's why Saturday has the potential to be a special day, not only for Palmer, but for the entire Bengals franchise.
"It’s been a long time for this city, this organization, to be in the postseason," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "So, this is big. That's why it is important to me."
Winning this weekend won't be easy. The Jets and Bengals are very similar. They run the football effectively and have two of the NFL's top four defenses.
Palmer got a taste of New York's No. 1-ranked defense in last week's 37-0 thrashing by the Jets in the regular-season finale. Despite playing a little more than two quarters, Palmer had his worst game of the season, completing one pass for zero yards and an interception. His quarterback rating was an abysmal 1.7.
"It was one of those games you can't let simmer," Palmer said. "You can't let it make you mad, and you can't let it frustrate you. You've just got to get past it, and we've gotten past it. It's a fresh week, it's a new season, and that's been stressed to us in the locker room after the game."
The Bengals are confident despite the 37-point loss. The team played very vanilla Sunday and rested several starters, including tailback Cedric Benson. Still, the effort and execution were not where they needed to be.
But Cincinnati believes it can reverse its fortunes.
"Come Saturday, you'll see an exciting, energetic, rambunctious Bengals team," Cincinnati starting guard Bobbie Williams said.
But more than any other Bengal, look for Palmer to be under the microscope.
In many ways, Palmer's career up to this point will be judged by how he performs in this postseason. It also doesn't help that rival division quarterbacks Roethlisberger (8-2 postseason record) and Joe Flacco (2-1) of the Baltimore Ravens are younger and have had more big-game success.
, like Ben's first year in the playoffs.... They'll run the ball hard and play smashmouth defense. 
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