Cincinatti ? What was left of the Bengals held on for a win that hurt so good.

With wounded players shuffling off the field in waves, Cincinnati pulled off the kind of victory Monday night that could set the tone for a season – that is, assuming no one else gets hurt.

Carson Palmer threw his second touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, and a suspect defense pulled off a goal-line stand in the closing seconds that preserved a 27-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

“We know it’s going to be a hard-fought game when we play these guys – tough, physical,” Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. “It’s important to win the physical football games because you put so much into it.”

49ers 20, Cardinals 17

San Francisco – Alex Smith and his San Francisco 49ers looked awful on Bill Walsh Field until the very last minute.

Arnaz Battle scored on a one-yard end-around with 22 seconds to play, and the 49ers emerged from an awful offensive night with an 86-yard scoring drive in the NFL’s final opener Monday night.

Smith looked terrible until leading that near-flawless march in the waning minutes for the 49ers, who beat the Cardinals for the first time in five tries during coach Mike Nolan’s tenure.