Monday, November 19, 2001
Titans 20, Bengals 7
Mason gets it started
By JOE KAY
AP Sports Writer
CINCINNATI — Derrick Mason needed only 17 seconds to get the Tennessee Titans in the right frame of mind.
Mason returned the opening kickoff 101 yards and Kevin Dyson caught a 28-yard touchdown pass Sunday as the Tennessee Titans rebounded with a 20-7 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
As they lined up for the opening kick, the Titans (4-5) were still smarting from their Monday night game against Baltimore. They lost 16-10 when Dyson caught a pass and was stopped at the 1-yard line, and Steve McNair failed to score on a sneak on the last play.
Celebration replaced frustration when Mason took the kickoff, found a clear path to the right and headed down the sideline untouched. By the time he reached the end zone for the third-longest kickoff return in franchise history, the celebrating Titans had forgotten all about the Ravens.
“That was huge, a great way to start it off,” defensive tackle Jason Fisk said. “There was still a hangover for us. That kind of got rid of the hangover.”
The Pro Bowl kick returner didn't need much help. His blockers formed a clear path, and all he had to do was avoid kicker Neil Rackers near the 40-yard line.
“We challenged ourselves to get something going,” Mason said. “On the opening kickoff, we got everything going. Basically, I ran to daylight.”
McNair took it from there, passing and scrambling around the Bengals (4-5) even though his right hand was heavily wrapped. McNair reinjured his thumb against Baltimore and couldn't grip a ball at midweek.
McNair completed five consecutive passes on a drive that set up Joe Nedney's 41-yard field goal in the first quarter, and threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Dyson that made it 17-7 late in the third quarter.
McNair completed 16-of-25 for 172 yards and scrambled five times for 68 yards, seven more than Eddie George managed in 23 carries. After the game, he walked around with his right hand engulfed by a big bag of ice.
“I managed to throw some decent balls and also some bad ones,” said McNair, who felt pain on his follow-through. “Just the jerk of the hand once I let the ball go — I felt if I was going to throw a good ball, I had to block it out of my mind.”
The Titans clamped down on Corey Dillon, limiting him to 38 yards on 17 runs, and made things rough for Jon Kitna. The Titans intercepted him twice, forced him to fumble and got one sack — Jevon Kearse's sixth in his last three games.
After a 2-0 start, the NFL's worst team of the past decade has lost five of seven and started to unravel. Coach Dick LeBeau extended practice on Friday because he wasn't happy with his team's effort.
LeBeau got booed in the first half when he passed up three chances to try for field goals, choosing two punts and a fourth-and-1 run that came up short.
“If someone would have been kind enough to tell me at that point that we would not get down there again, then I would have kicked it there,” LeBeau said.
Kitna completed 23-of-41 for 234 yards, but couldn't overcome the lack of a running game. The Bengals reached the Titans' 32-yard line four times and scored only once.
“We need consistency,” Kitna said. “We'll be moving the ball really well, and then we'll break down. Sometimes, it'll be from drive to drive. Sometimes, it'll be from the start of the drive to the end.”
One of the biggest cheers went up when a shirtless man ran from the stands during the 2-minute warning, ran to midfield unimpeded and dropped his pants as the huddling Titans backed away.
The man jumped around on the field for several seconds before security officers got to him and led him away. One security officer went back onto the field to retrieve a cell phone that fell from the man's pocket.
Notes: Mason also returned a free kick 80 yards for a touchdown against Jacksonville in the 1999 playoffs. ... Ken Hall had a 104-yard kickoff return against the New York Titans for the franchise record on Oct. 23, 1960. ... It was the first kickoff return for a touchdown against Cincinnati since the Colts' Aaron Beasley ran one back on Dec. 22, 1996. ... Titans left tackle Brad Hopkins broke his left hand. Otherwise, neither team suffered a significant injury. ... The Titans have won their last seven games against the Bengals.
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Titans 20, Bengals 7
