Monday, October 07, 2002
Colts 28, Bengals 21
Kitna, offense bring optimism, although team drops ballgame
By Mark Curnutte, mcurnutte@enquirer.com
The Cincinnati Enquirer
INDIANAPOLIS — To a man, Bengals players and coaches said Sunday that they don't believe in moral victories.
But the sense of relief and optimism expressed in their RCA Dome locker room after their 28-21 loss to the Indianapolis Colts said otherwise.
“I just hope that today gave some guys some hope,” said Bengals quarterback Jon Kitna, who pumped life into an anemic offense in his first start of the season. “There was nothing to point to in the first four games at all.”
The seven-point defeat was a quality loss. Really. The Bengals had lost their previous four games by an average of 24.
The Bengals fought back from a 21-0 second-quarter deficit. They probably saved coach Dick LeBeau's job for at least another week. They gained 410 yards to Indianapolis' 311. They recovered an onside kick with less than a minute remaining and were driving for a possible tying touchdown before Kitna was intercepted for the third time in the game. The defense held Colts running back Edgerrin James in check on the ground. Corey Dillon ran for two touchdowns and 164 yards.
Still, the Bengals couldn't stop Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning and his go-to receiver, Marvin Harrison, who had 145 receiving yards and one touchdown.
The Bengals are 0-5 for the second time in the past three seasons and the fifth time since 1991. They're staring at the prospect of their 12th consecutive season without a playoff berth. Despite Sunday's offensive “outburst,” the Bengals have been outscored by 103 points this year and are the league's lowest-scoring team.
On Sunday, Fox Sports hatched the first rumor that LeBeau is done. It reported that Bengals president Mike Brown had offered the team's coach and general manager jobs to Chicago Bears coach Dick Jauron, a rumor that both Brown and the Bears organization denied Sunday night.
Dating to last season's 4-3 start, the Bengals are 2-12 in their past 14 games.
Kitna has the only victories in that skid. And Sunday gave the Bengals a legitimate NFL offense after four weeks of, well, illegitimacy.
The 21 points Sunday nearly doubled the Bengals' 23-point September output and surpassed the 16 points scored by the team's offense in its first four games this year. The Bengals scored three offensive touchdowns Sunday, compared to one in their previous four games.
“We fought. We fought for four quarters,” Dillon said. “That's the team I know. We didn't go in the tank.”
Neither did wide receiver Peter Warrick. He fumbled a punt inside the Bengals' 5-yard line in the second quarter, which led to a 3-yard James touchdown run and a 21-0 Indianapolis lead.
But Warrick caught a 30-yard touchdown pass, his first score in 17 games, in the closing minute. And he said it was Kitna who helped him rebound from the fumble.
“He told me not to worry about it,” Warrick said. “He said, "Make a play.”'
Kitna seemed to infuse the team with his positive energy.
“I'm hoping I bring a different attitude than there has been around here for a number of years,” he said.
The Bengals are 53-128 since the start of the 1991 season. They're 10-24 under LeBeau.
Kitna threw three interceptions, giving him 26 as a Bengal. But at least two of the picks Sunday could be blamed on wide receiver Chad Johnson, who let one skid through his hands and was outfought for the other. But Johnson finished with a career-high 72 receiving yards and shows promise of becoming the team's No. 1 receiver.
Beaten out by Gus Frerotte in training camp, Kitna was the third Bengals starting quarterback in their last three games. Akili Smith started last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After the game, Kitna wouldn't let himself ask the question, “What if?” What if he had been the starter from Game 1? Would the offense be in a funk? Would the team be winless?
Kitna, an evangelical Christian, said he wouldn't think about the past because, in his words, he knew he would play when Jesus wanted him to.
Warrick was asked if Kitna should have been the starter coming out of training camp.
“I can't say nothing about that one,” Warrick said. “We're starting to make strides. He's a spiritual leader. He brings a lot to the team. He's got the mouthpiece telling us we're going to make it happen.”
Even the embattled LeBeau, with rumors buzzing nationally about his job security, appeared to be relieved afterward.
“We can hold onto some of the good things we did in this game,” he said. “I told our guys, we're not happy with this — starting to look like we should. Starting.
“We're not going to be happy until we get to where we're winning games.”
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Colts 28, Bengals 21
