Palmer sidelined by sore elbow

CINCINNATI - A sore elbow forced Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer to the sideline Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, moving Ryan Fitzpatrick into a starting role.

Palmer was listed as the emergency quarterback for the winless Bengals, who haven't been able to protect their quarterback very well. Palmer had a broken nose in the preseason, and had his nose bloodied again last Sunday in an overtime loss to the Giants. He also slightly sprained his left ankle.

He didn't show up on the Bengals' injury report until Friday, when he said he was confident he said his passing elbow was sore but he was confident he would play against the 0-3 Browns.

Palmer missed the last three games of the 2004 season — his first as the starter — with a sprained knee.