Sunday, December 02, 2001
Keys to the game
Kitna, Rackers must produce
By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Jon Kitna will get his 11th consecutive start at quarterback today for the Bengals, but unless he wins soon, he could find himself on the bench watching Akili Smith down the stretch.
The pressure is on Kitna today to engineer a victory - or, at very least, a good performance - against Tampa Bay.
Kitna's slump has paralleled the offense's.
He has thrown one touchdown pass but five interceptions during the three-game losing streak, in which the Bengals have been outscored 68-20.
Bengals president Mike Brown said this week that if the Bengals fall out of contention, he and coach Dick LeBeau plan to see what Smith can do.
In this pivotal game, Kitna is going against what he considers the league's best defense — it's also the defense responsible for his worst performance as a pro, Nov. 28, 1999. The Buccaneers intercepted Kitna five times in a Kingdome visit, limiting him to 19 completions in 44 attempts and sacking him three times.
“If we go out and try to put up 28 points in the first half against these guys, they'll make turnovers, and it becomes their kind of game,” he said.
Tampa Bay hasn't lost its ability to pick off passes. It has 18 this season, led by cornerback Ronde Barber's six, and has tied a franchise record by intercepting at least one pass in 14 consecutive games.
Kitna's two first-half interceptions last week at Cleveland put him on the bench at halftime.
Tampa Bay brings pressure in the middle with defensive tackle Warren Sapp (five sacks) and from the outside with end Simeon Rice (three).
GUARD THE DAMN RECEIVER:
Bengals second-year cornerback Mark Roman, who had his first career interception last week, will cover the most explosive offensive player on the field, Bucs wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson.
Johnson, who is 6 feet 4, 212 pounds, is a physical receiver who has 76 catches but no touchdowns. If he gets one today, he can show off in front of his cousin, Bengals rookie receiver Chad Johnson.
Roman is the Bengals' most physical cornerback, and he'll need all his muscle against Keyshawn Johnson.
KICKING BACK:
Neil Rackers hasn't directly lost the Bengals a game with any of his nine missed field goal attempts, but the Buccaneers don't score a lot of points, and any points the Bengals can score will change the complexion of the game.
If the Bengals can sustain any long drives against the Tampa Bay defense, they'll need the emotional lift of getting points.
It's time for Rackers to repay in triplicate the faith LeBeau has shown him.
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Keys to the game
