Palmer was sacked three times in the first half, the last on a safety blitz by Kevin Kaesviharn with 2 seconds left. He walked off the field with blood spilling down the front of his face, then headed to the locker room with a towel covering his head. He didn't return for the second half.
Palmer got knocked to the ground five times during a 27-10 loss to Detroit a week earlier.
He was 11-of-16 against the Saints for 105 yards, working with a receiving corps missing Pro Bowl receivers T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson due to injury. Two of their backups also were hurt in the week leading up to the game.
The Bengals crossed midfield just once -- and by only 1 yard -- on six possessions in the first half. They managed only four first downs and 94 total yards while falling behind 10-0.
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