Monday, October 29, 2001
Bengals: Get 'must' victory
RB scores 3 touchdowns; team ends month at 4-3
By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer
PONTIAC, Mich. — Bengals players felt plenty good about themselves Sunday after defeating Detroit 31-27 for only their second road victory in the past 12 games.
The Bengals bounced back from their worst game of the year, last week's shutout at the hands of Chicago, snapped a six-game losing streak on the road and headed into their bye week at 4-3.
It's the first time a Bengals team has ended October with a winning record since the 1990 team was 5-3.
“I ain't ever been 4-3,” tight end Tony McGee, the senior Bengals player with nine years' service, said after the game.
Now in his fifth Bengals season, running back Corey Dillon hadn't been 4-3 before, either. He scored three touchdowns, rushed for 184 yards — his fifth best game — and passed Pete Johnson to move into second place on the Bengals' all-time rushing list with 5,519 yards. James Brooks leads with 6,447.
“This was a must win for us,” Dillon said. “We wanted to be 5-2, but that wasn't possible.”
Dillon got the Bengals out of a huge jam on the game's first play from scrimmage. After Curtis Keaton fumbled the opening kickoff and was tackled at the 4-yard line, the 69,343 fans in the Silverdome were making a lot of noise.
But Dillon took a handoff from Jon Kitna, ran toward the middle of the line, which was stacked up, cut left, received an excellent block from wide receiver Darnay Scott on a Detroit safety and won the race to the end zone.
It was the Bengals' first first-quarter touchdown this season and the longest run of Dillon's career.
“There was a crease to the left, and it opened up,” he said.
The run also took Detroit some time to get over.
“It was devastating,” Lions linebacker Allen Aldridge said.
The Bengals are now 16-5 when Dillon has 22 or more rushing attempts and 9-0 when he runs for 130 or more yards.
As has been the case in the team's four victories, Dillon received timely, efficient help from the pass offense.
Dillon caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Kitna to give the Bengals a 14-3 lead, and Kitna teamed up with Darnay Scott on a 30-yard catch-and-carry to the end zone that put the Bengals up 21-6 with less than two minutes remaining in the first half.
“Everybody had a pretty good day,” said Scott, who ended with six receptions for 99 yards.
Scott has been around Cincinnati for just one year less than McGee.
“We know we've been feeling like we're not the same old Bengals since training camp,” Scott said. “We've come out and we're trying to prove it to the people.”
Even the Bengals' shortcomings in the game, two long kickoff returns by Detroit's Desmond Howard that led to two short Lions touchdowns, provided a glimpse of hope. The Bengals played poorly in some areas and still won. They also came back after falling behind 27-24 late in the third quarter on Charlie Batch's 1-yard touchdown pass to David Sloan.
The Bengals took the ensuing kickoff and went 83 yards in 13 plays, eating up more than seven minutes of clock for the second time on touchdown drives. The Bengals had a five-plus minute possession advantage for the game.
Kitna hit Scott and Peter Warrick for 19-yard completions on the winning drive. Dillon ran for 25 yards on the drive, including the last 1 for the 31-27 lead.
“It was early in the fourth quarter, and it was nice to respond that way,” said Kitna, who passed for 200-plus yards (204) for the fourth time this season. His eight touchdown passes are two more than the Bengals threw all of last year.
He also threw two interceptions, which give him seven, but he was too pleased with another number — 31 — to be too upset about the picks.
“We put 31 points on the board today. We feel good about that,” Kitna said. “Anybody who thinks this league is easy hasn't played in it.”
The defense played a big hand in the victory, sacking Batch four times and intercepting him twice and holding the Lions to 61 yards on the ground.
The non-stop pressure prevented Batch from approaching his third 300-yard pass game in any as many weeks.
Defensive end Justin Smith and safety Darryl Williams intercepted passes, the Bengals' first picks since intercepting Elvis Grbac three times in the Game 2 upset of Baltimore.
“This was important, man,” linebacker Takeo Spikes said. “Basically, if you lose, you got to go two weeks without playing a game. That's the only thing on your mind. The momentum going into the bye week should carry us for the next part of the season.”
Sunday's victory also was the first time the Bengals have won a road game somewhere other than Cleveland or Pittsburgh since they beat the Lions at the Silverdome on Sept.13, 1998.
After their off weekend, the Bengals will play next at 2-4 Jacksonville on Nov. 11.
“This was a big game for us,” Bengals coach Dick LeBeau said. “We were coming off a loss. We've got some guys banged up. We'll have a chance to get some of those guys back.”
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Bengals: Get 'must' victory
