Jon Kitna, knocked for throwing 19 interceptions last season in Seattle, has gone two games without throwing one in Cincinnati, and both were Bengals' victories.

Corey Dillon and teammates greet fans after the game.

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        In Sunday's 21-10 upset of defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore, Kitna was 19-for-30 passing for 154 yards and a touchdown. He led the Bengals to two touchdowns after Ravensturnovers deep in their own territory.

        Kitna threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Corey Dillon to give the Bengals a 7-3 lead early in the third quarter. Then he ran 2 yards on a quarterback draw out of the shotgun formation for a 14-3 lead.

        He even got into a bit of trash-talking with Ravens linebacker Peter Boulware after a pass play.

        “I'm an emotional player,” Kitna said. “That's something I bring to the table. I think I might rub some people wrong. But that's me. ... I thought (Boulware) spun me around a little bit after the play. I was really trying to talk to the ref. And he kind of got between us. We talked after the game, and both of us apologized to each other.”

        The game featured the matchup of the quarterback the Bengals initially wanted in free agency, Elvis Grbac, and the one they got.

        Coach Dick LeBeau didn't get into comparisons.

        “I'm glad we got the quarterback we got,” LeBeau said. “He played very well today. We don't have Elvis, but we do have Jon.”

        Kitna has thrown for two touchdowns and 358 yards this season.

        CROWD CONCERNS:

The Bengals are improving in Paul Brown Stadium. They now ask that fans follow suit by filling it.

        Cincinnati has won four in a row at home dating to last season, but those wins have been before the four smallest crowds in the second-year stadium's history. Just 49,632 fans attended Sunday's game, the smallest crowd in PBS history.

        “I want to see those stands filled,” defensive tackle Oliver Gibson said. “I'm tired of looking up there in the nosebleeds and not seeing them filled.

        “We've got security. We've got pretty good food. It's a good time.”

        The Bengals are 5-5 at PBS and have won five of their last seven games at home.

        “All the good teams are good at home, and we're getting better,” Gibson said.

        This is the team's longest home winning streak since a six-game streak that spanned the last five games of the 1996 season and the '97 home opener.

        “Do you believe us now, city of Cincinnati?” linebacker Takeo Spikes said after Sunday's game. Spikes said the team feeds off a large crowd and is looking forward to seeing how many fans show up at the next home game, Oct.14 against Cleveland.

        PASS-HAPPY:

The 64 pass attempts by the Ravens are the most against the Bengals, topping the previous high of 62 by the New York Giants on Oct.13, 1985 when the Bengals won 35-30. The 63 pass attempts by Grbac were the most attempted by an individual against the Bengals, topping Phil Simms' 62 in the 1985 game.

        LONG RUN:

Spikes' 66-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter was the longest interception for a score by a Bengals defender since Darryl Williams went 97 yards Nov.7, 1993 against Pittsburgh.

        STREAKING:

The Bengals' four-game home winning streak is the their longest since they won the final five home games of the 1996 season and the 1997 home opener.

        RECORD KICK:

Baltimore kicker Matt Stover's 38-yard field goal in the first quarter moved him into a second-place tie for consecutive games with a field goal. He has made field goals in 28 games in a row, tying Jim Turner (Jets and Broncos, 1971-72) and Chip Lohmiller (Redskins, 88-90). The Vikings' Fred Cox holds the record with 31 consecutive games from 1968-70.

        KEY THEFT:

One of turning points occurred on the second-half kickoff return, when Canute Curtis stopped Baltimore's Pat Johnson and wrested the ball from him.

        “Darryl (Williams) and Brandon (Bennett) kind of beat up on the wedge, and I got lucky enough to strip the ball,” Curtis said. “I just took it from him.”

        The Bengals parlayed that turnover into an 18-yard scoring drive that gave them a lead they wouldn't lose.

        “You've just gotta see it in your mind,” Curtis said of his big play. “If you believe in yourself, it can happen. And that's what we did today: We believed in ourselves, and went out and won.”

        HAWKINS HIGHLIGHT:

Beleaguered cornerback Artrell Hawkins recorded his first interception since his 1998 rookie season, in which he picked off three passes. With the Bengals clinging to a 14-10 lead with 9:14 left to play, he grabbed a tipped pass and returned it 22 yards.

        It was the first interception by a Bengals defensive back this season, following a season in which the DBs had just six of the team's nine interceptions. Sunday was a solid showing, as the Bengals held Grbac to a 52.7 passer rating.

        “We want to gain respect,” Hawkins said of the DBs. “We're plugging away. We may not be considered the best (DBs), but we'll make plays. We didn't play perfect today, but every time someone would make a small mistake, someone else was there to help out.”

        PATRIOTISM:

As with every NFL game Sunday, the Bengals-Ravens game featured several patriotic touches.

        Both teams wore American flag decals on their helmets, and each fan received a flag placard. “United We Stand” bunting was hung at field level.

        NFL stadiums aired a live feed of Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora singing “America the Beautiful,” and a moment of silence preceded the national anthem — sung here by recording artists Trin-I-Tee 5:7. A massive American flag was unfurled by 200 Greater Cincinnati firefighters wearing “FDNY” T-shirts in honor of their New York brethren.

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