Cedric Benson Gets Revenge on Bears

Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson had a little extra motivation against the Chicago Bears today. Since his offseason release from Bears—the team that drafted him back in 2005—Cedric has been an integral part of the Bengals’ 5-2, AFC North leading start. This afternoon, he ran for a career-high 189 yards with one touchdown in his first game against his former team as the Bengals thumped the Bears 45-10.

Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Bengals / Photo: Newscom

How did he explain having his career-best game against his former team?

“It’s hard to explain. It was a bit of an emotional week coming into this one. At the end of the day, we played against my ex-team. With the way things unfolded there until my arrival here, it was just a bit of an emotional day.”

I’m sure the Bears are wondering where this outburst came from. Cedric had a hard time cracking the starting lineup in Chicago and never really fit in with the organization. Thus his release. But now he’s the NFL’s leading rusher with 720 yards and he’s part of a very balanced and productive Bengals offense. Sometimes a player just needs a little change of scenery to make all the difference for the better. And in Cedric’s case, a new life in Cincinnati is exactly what jump-started his NFL career.

Source: NFL.com, Bengals.com