ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Bengals' quarterback competition did not get any clearer Friday night in the preseason opener at Buffalo, but it did become brighter.

        In the Bengals' 24-17 victory, all three of the team's quarterbacks played well. Each led a touchdown drive of 60 or more yards, converted third-down plays and won the confidence of teammates.

        Collectively, Jon Kitna, Gus Frerotte and Akili Smith were 23-for-37 passing for 190 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

        The Bengals had a 25-11 advantage in first downs.

        For a Bengals offense that had 26 interceptions and 12 touchdown passes in 2001, a season in which it was last in the NFL in scoring, maintaining a positive ratio of touchdown passes to interceptions would go a long way toward a winning season.

        No quarterback emerged as the decisive No.1, but Smith closed ground in his effort to join the race.

        “All three of our quarterbacks exhibited poise, ability to come back from some negative plays,” Bengals coach Dick LeBeau said.

        Kitna showed the command of the offense that comes with 15 starts. He moved the Bengals 71 yards on 13 plays to tie the game at 7. Kitna was 4-for-4 passing on third down on the drive.

        “It means we're very confident we have three guys who have been starters in this league and can win games,” said Kitna, whose performance helped him maintain his slim lead at the top of the depth chart.

        Frerotte, a newcomer who is challenging Kitna for the job, rebounded from an interception that was as much the fault of wide receiver Chad Johnson as it was his. It led to a Buffalo field goal.

        But with the Bengals down 17-7, Frerotte engineered a 10-play, 75-yard drive, throwing a 9-yard touchdown pass to Peter Warrick with 41 seconds left in the first half.

        “It was pretty good to have a good drive in the game,” said Frerotte, who 6-for-10 passing for 67 yards. “We had some adversity. We responded well. I had the interception and came back and got the touchdown. That's what you have to do.”

        Said LeBeau: “It's important the way we won it. We made a critical drive at the end of the half that put us back into the game.”

        Frerotte will start Saturday at Indianapolis.

        Such performances were expected of Kitna and Frerotte. The biggest bright spot was the play of Smith, the former first-round draft pick who is trying to make it a three-man race and resurrect his career in the process.

        Smith, coming back from hamstring surgery, played the entire second half and accounted for the final 10 points.

        In fact, LeBeau showed confidence in Smith and said he stayed with him in the second half instead of going to fourth quarterback Scott Covington because, “We wanted to win the game.”

        Smith led the team with 72 passing yards, six of which came on the winning touchdown pass to tight end Sean Brewer with 2:42 left in the third quarter. But more important than Smith's numbers were his poise, decisiveness and comfort running the offense.

        “I'm not going to go away,” said Smith, who also ran three times for 12 yards. “I don't want them to think that. I have three more years left on my contract, and eventually I can get the job back and lead this team.

        “It's still a two-man race. I don't want to start anything. I wish it was a three-man race, but it's not. I felt great out there, moved the football. I had a few scrambles out there. I'm a different style quarterback than Frerotte or Kitna. That's the way I play.”

        With Smith at quarterback, the Bengals had the ball for 23 minutes in the second half.

        It was a textbook LeBeau-type game: mix the pass with the run and wear down the defense. Fourth-string running back Rudi Johnson gave Smith and the offense a big lift with 100 yards rushing on just 14 carries.

        Is Smith back in the mix?

        “He's never been out of the mix,” LeBeau said. “He did nothing to hurt himself tonight.”

        Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski, who has said he expected more from his offense this season, his second with the Bengals, was happy after the game. He especially liked the 12-for-18 third-down conversion success.

        As for the quarterback race, he said: “We're going to sit down and look at all the things that are going on. We'll evaluate everything. The game just ended. We'll see where we are. Now is not the time to make decisions like that.”

        The productive play of the quarterbacks was noted and appreciated by other Bengals players on both sides of the ball.

        “We've been going against them in practice,” linebacker Brian Simmons said. “They've been looking good. It's just a matter of coming out and doing it for 60 minutes and doing it against somebody different. I'm not surprised they did it.”

        Wide receiver Peter Warrick the Bengals with six receptions for 47 yards and the touchdown.

        “I like both of them. Akili, too,” Warrick said. “It's just great to see a whole lot of competition. No doubt. That's what it's about, competition.”

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