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Monday, September 24, 2001

Bengals report card


Week Two: Bengals 21, Ravens 10

By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

        Rush offense, B-. The Bengals' 67 rushing yards doesn't sound like a lot, but the total is the most against the Ravens' defense in eight regular-season games, dating to Oct. 29 when Baltimore last lost a regular-season game, 9-6 to Pittsburgh. The Bengals rushed for four first downs, and Corey Dillon led the way with 57 yards.

[tucker]
Corey Dillon
| ZOOM |

        Pass offense, B. Jon Kitna completed 19 passes, one for a touchdown and nine for first downs. He missed only 11 times, and the offensive line gave him time. Kitna was sacked just twice. Kitna and Darnay Scott teamed up on a 41-yard gain in the fourth quarter that came an inch (Scott stepped out of bounds making a move) from being an 85-yard touchdown. The Bengals had just enough passing to keep the Ravens' defense off-balance.

        Rush defense, A. The Bengals held Baltimore to just 64 yards on the ground on 20 carries (3.2-yard average). The Bengals also tackled Ravens' running backs four times for losses. The rush defense and Baltimore quarterbacks to throw 64 times, a futility record against the Bengals accomplished by shutting down the running game and playing with a lead.

        Pass defense, B+. Grbac threw for 329 yards, but he needed 63 attempts (Randall Cunningham threw one pass when Grbac was hurt for one play). The Bengals had three interceptions on the day; they had only nine last year. Brian Simmons grabbed a deflected ball in the end zone to end a Baltimore threat at the end of the first half. Artrell Hawkins picked off one ball. And Takeo Spikes intercepted a pass and returned it 66 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

        Special teams, C. Neil Rackers missed all three of his field-goal attempts, which would have given the Bengals more breathing room. Peter Warrick fumbled a punt deep in Bengals' territory to set up the Ravens' only touchdown of the day. But Bengals linebacker Canute Curtis forced a fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half and recovered the ball, setting up the Bengals' first and go-ahead touchdown. Curtis Keaton returned three kickoffs for 90 yards.

        Coaching, A. Coach Dick LeBeau is 6-6 in his last 12 games. He spliced together a highlight reel this week showing teams moving the ball against Baltimore's defense. He had his players believing they could win. Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski called a balanced game of 23 runs and 32 pass plays. Each position group made a major contribution. The defense has allowed only 27 points in two victories.

       



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Victim salute, upset win put emotions on display
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Super loss for New Orleans?

Good start, bad end for Reds' Dessens
Bad break for Boone - again
Reds notebook
Athletics wrap up wild-card berth
Long (ball) day for Bonds, Sosa
Earnhardt rolls at Dover
College football roundup
Huggins, Bearcats pursue recruit
Div. II, III boys sectional golf on tap


Return to Bengals front page...


 
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