Akili Smith tries to escape from Pellom McDaniels. (AP photos) | ZOOM |

SET AS WALLPAPER: Click here for bigger image, then right click to Set As Wallpaper

        ATLANTA — For the second consecutive week, the Bengals' first and second teams had the lead early in the fourth quarter. And for the second consecutive week, Cincinnati gave up late touchdowns to lose.

        Friday night in the Georgia Dome, the Falcons rallied with three unanswered fourth-quarter touchdowns to defeat the Bengals 31-16 in the Georgia Dome.

        “The game got away tonight. Last week we had a chance to win,” Cincinnati coach Bruce Coslet said. “It was a back-and-forth game. It looked like a Chinese fire drill at the end.”

        The Bengals led 16-10 with 11 minutes remaining. Backup quarterback Scott Mitchell scored on a 5-yard run to cap an 11-play, 56-yard drive. In seven preseason drives, Mitchell has directed the Bengals to four scores, two TDs and two field goals.

STADIUM KEEPSAKE

A 16-page guide to the new Paul Brown Stadium will be in Sunday's print edition. It includes a level-by-level tour. Get one before they run out.

        In the last 11 minutes, the Falcons scored on two Danny Kanell touchdown passes and Anthony Midget's 43-yard interception return of a Scott Covington pass.

        The team's pass defense concerned Coslet after the game. Atlanta quarterbacks threw for 362 yards and three touchdowns. Last year, Cincinnati had five games in the regular season when it gave up 300 yards in the air and three TD passes.

        “I wouldn't say any of our corners held up very well,” Coslet said. “Artrell (Hawkins) and Tom (Carter) did OK. I attribute a lot of that to a lack of a pass rush. We have to put a little more heat on people.”

        Andre Purvis had the Bengals' only sack for a loss of 7 yards.

        Otherwise, Coslet said, Atlanta quarterbacks, especially starter Chris Chandler, had a long time to stand in the pocket and complete several long out patterns to their wide receivers.

        “That's the soft point of that defense,” Bengals safety Darryl Williams said. “We didn't adjust soon enough.”

        Said Carter, “It's tough to stop that (the out pattern) when it's on time.”

Corey Dillon cheers on the sidelines. | ZOOM |

        The Bengals are now 0-2 in the preseason and have lost seven exhibition games in a row. They haven't won since since Aug.22, 1998, when they defeated Detroit 33-19.

        Coslet repeatedly has said during training camp that the Bengals want to win preseason games to set a positive attitude going into the regular schedule.

        Said defensive tackle Oliver Gibson, “We've got to get out of this mode.”

        Still, there were several bright spots.

        Showing improvement over the last two seasons when they lost 25 games, the Bengals at times looked like a contender.

        At other times, it was more of the same old same old — a failure to score touchdowns in the red zone and the permissive pass defense.

John Copeland pursues Jamal Anderson. | ZOOM |

        Inconsistency has been the constant in the first eight quarters of preseason play.

        The good: Quarterback Akili Smith connected on a 31-yard completion with Peter Warrick on Cincinnati's first play, moving the ball to the Falcons' 41.

        The bad: Smith missed on his next six passes, badly overthrowing Craig Yeast and bouncing an out pattern to Warrick.

        Good: After the Bengals' first drive stalled on the 30-yard line, rookie kicker Neil Rackers made a 47-yard field goal. His kick hit off the right upright about two-thirds of the way up the pipe and fell good behind the cross bar. Rackers also hit a 41-yarder in the third quarter.

        Bad: Chandler picked apart the Bengals' pass defense in the first quarter, going 7-of-9 for 84 yards.

        Good: Williams tipped and caught a pass thrown by Chandler after the Falcons had moved 44 yards on six plays on their first drive. The Bengals' defense had one interception — by Rodney Heath — in four preseason games last year and had only 12 in the regular season.

        Until Covington's two late interceptions, the Bengals didn't turn over the ball.

Sedric Shaw ran for 39 yards on seven carries. | ZOOM |

        Good and bad: With the score tied at 3, the Bengals went 86 yards on 17 plays.

        Smith showed his elusiveness in the pocket, side-stepping the pass rush on several plays to complete six of seven passes for 49 yards. Damon Griffin had two catches for 31 yards on the drive, and Sedrick Shaw — fighting to stay on the team at running back — rushed six times for 30 yards.

        But, reflecting a Bengals problem of 1999 that showed up in the preseason opener at Buffalo, Cincinnati stalled at the Atlanta 3 and had to settle for a 10-yard Doug Pelfrey field goal.

        The drive ate up 8:47 of the second quarter.

        The ugly: After the Bengals took a 6-3 lead on Pelfrey's field goal, Chandler carved up the Cincinnati secondary on a six-play, 78-yard touchdown drive in a quick 3:46.

        Smith played the entire first half at quarterback and completed nine of 19 passes for 94 yards and no interceptions. He also ran three times for 10 yards. The Bengals also showed promise on third-down conversions, making first downs three times on six third-down plays.

        In the battle to back up Pro Bowler Corey Dillon, Shaw ran for 39 yards on seven carries. Starter Brandon Bennett had 18 yards on five rushes.

        Chandler threw 18 times and completed 12 passes for 177 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Last season, Cincinnati allowed 300 yards passing five times.

        In addition to his 47- and 41-yard field goals, Rackers kicked off twice and booted the ball into the end zone both times.

FALCONS 31, BENGALS 16 Bengals-Falcons Stats AFC Central will shrink with realignment Bears like Rackers' kicking if Bengals don't Training camp visitors guide Stadium will also be party place

Kuerten proving to be true No. 1
Today's tennis schedule
Friday's tennis results
Henman may have energy edge on Kuerten
Clement a familiar foe for Enqvist
Doubles game dying
Tennis Notebook
Dusing squeezes into Olympics with 6th-place finish
Swim Trials Notebook
Reds 6, Cubs 4
Box, runs
Young: Reds fans louder in Chicago
Graves, Wohlers ends struggles

• Return to Bengals front page...