Palmer excels in his return to Bengals

The recovering quarterback helped engineer a 34-7 halftime lead.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Carson Palmer aced the test.
With a bulky brace protecting his rebuilt knee, the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback took the hits, avoided the rush and threw three first-half touchdown passes Monday night in his first preseason game of the year.
By the time the Bengals jogged to the locker room with a 34-7 halftime lead over the Green Bay Packers, Palmer had convincingly made his case that he'll be ready to start the season opener.
He was that good.
"I can't say I felt real emotional," Palmer said. "It just felt like a business day, a chance to get some work in."
Storm delays game
The Bengals led 41-10 with 9 minutes, 56 seconds remaining in the game, when it was stopped because of a storm.
Showing no hesitation to take a hard tackle or take off on a desperate scramble, Palmer completed 9 of 14 passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns in the half. It felt like old times at jubilant Paul Brown Stadium when he pointed his right index finger to the sky in celebration after his second touchdown throw.
"He hasn't lost a thing," right tackle Willie Anderson said. "He's our leader, and he's back. That's got to make any Bengals fan feel real happy."
Unless his left knee swells up in the next few days, Palmer will be on schedule to start in Kansas City on Sept. 10, his goal all along during a grueling comeback from an injury that had overshadowed the franchise since a playoff loss to Pittsburgh.
Runs and hits
"He dropped back, he rolled out, he got hit a few times, he had a chance to run the ball," coach Marvin Lewis said. "He looked very good, very sharp. It's still just preseason, but it's encouraging.
"I can't say I'm all that surprised. Maybe he was a little sharper than you'd expect, but we've seen him working every day for six months."
His long-awaited return was high drama for 64,000 fans who waved supportive signs and wore No. 9 jerseys. Palmer stood safely outside the huddle of jumping teammates before pregame drills.
When it came time for team introductions, the Bengals offense ran out as a unit. Palmer followed Anderson and center Rich Braham, entering the field through the same tunnel where he left on a cart following his knee injury Jan. 8.
The crowd screamed. The Packers won the coin flip. Palmer waited.
He finally got his chance after an interception set the Bengals up at the Green Bay 23. Palmer's first three plays were extremely conservative -- two handoffs and a short pass that was dropped.
The next two possessions ended with touchdown passes and ended all the worries.