Rush offense: B+. The Bengals were second in the league with 145 yards a game last year. They had 157 against the Patriots. But on Cincinnati's final two possessions, after the Patriots closed to 23-17, it had minus-4 yards on the ground when it badly needed a first down to kill the clock. Failure to run the ball in the final 5:19 gave New England the ball back twice with the chance to take the lead.

        Pass offense: B. Only twice last season did the Bengals have 200-plus yards passing, and one of those took 43 attempts by Akili Smith. Jon Kitna threw for 204 yards passing with a touchdown and no interceptions. The Bengals gained nine first downs passing, as many as they did rushing. Kitna was sacked only once, compared to 52 sacks allowed last year.

        Rush defense: B+. New England had only 68 yards on the ground. As a result, Drew Bledsoe had to throw 38 times. The Patriots have a weak running game, and the Bengals didn't let them loose.

        Pass defense: C. The Bengals recorded four sacks and tipped four Bledsoe passes at the line. Good thing. Bledsoe still threw for 241 yards against a Bengals' secondary that still has a bad habit of giving up big plays on third and long, such as the third-and-15 play on New England's first touchdown drive.

        Special teams: A. Neil Rackers had four touchbacks on kickoffs, though the Patriots averaged 29 yards on the two returns it did have. Rackers was 3 for 3 on field-goal attempts, including a career-long 47-yarder. Punter Nick Harris held well and dropped one of his four punts on the 6-yard line in the fourth quarter. Curtis Keaton's 64-yard kickoff return got the offense into scoring position after falling behind 7-0. New England also had no punt return yards against a coverage team that gave up an average of 23 yards a return in the preseason.

        Coaching: B. Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski called a balanced game (33 rushes, 27 passes). Coordinator Mark Duffner's defense forced the Patriots into three consecutive three-and-out punts to open the second half. Al Roberts' special teams played its best game in two years. Head coach Dick LeBeau gambled and won by running Corey Dillon on a fourth down on the first scoring drive. LeBeau also has changed the team's attitude, preventing his team from folding when it fell behind 7-0 to a poor team.

Bengals 23, Patriots 17 Bengals-Patriots statistics DAUGHERTY: Bengals take 'big step' SULLIVAN: Narrow stop has big meaning Kitna gets passing grade Scott catches up after lost season Defense welcomes Simmons Bengals report card Injured McNair may miss Bengals Replacement refs get few complaints Fans aflutter with optimism

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