By Shannon Russell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Bengals might have taken another step toward NFL oblivion after the Tennessee Titans' 30-24 win Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium, but one standout's near-flawless play generated hope for the future.

Bengals quarterback Jon Kitna had a good, solid game.

That's Jon Kitna, coming off a franchise record-tying 22-interception season. Kitna, who lost his starting position to now-benched Gus Frerotte and Akili Smith. Kitna, who posted the NFL's fourth-worst passer rating (54.5) after the Bengals' sixth loss.

Kitna dazzled in Game 7, going 17-of-23 passing for 193 yards and two touchdowns in the Bengals' highest-scoring outing of the year. His passer rating was a whopping 127.6.

For the first time this season, Kitna didn't throw an interception. In fact, it's the first time he hasn't thrown an interception since the Bengals beat the Cleveland Browns 24-14 on Oct.14, 2001. He's been picked off at least once a game in his last 14 outings.

"Jon played well," Bengals coach Dick LeBeau said. "He made a lot of good decisions out there. He scrambled when he needed to and he was very accurate."

Kitna earned his second-highest career completion percentage for a game with more than 10 attempts. But Kitna, who also gained 21 rushing yards off scrambles, didn't dwell on his stats after Tennessee's win.

"It's nice to go out and produce some points, but at the end it's still the same, like it was two weeks ago," Kitna said. "We came out and did things that we've been talking about for two weeks. And that's not turning the ball over, trying to play smart and establish the running game, and trying to get a lead early or at least be in the game at halftime so (Corey Dillon) can remain in the game."

Chad Johnson was Kitna's favorite target with six receptions for 86 yards. Despite this season's quarterback carousel and receiver shuffle, Johnson said the duo's dynamics have been solid all along.

"We're doing what we do in practice," Johnson said. "We're just doing what we do every day."

The offensive line's protection left Kitna unchallenged in the pocket. It marked the first time in 10 games a Bengals quarterback wasn't sacked. The strides didn't go unnoticed by LeBeau.

"I'm proud of the way we fought, and the game could have gone either way. We won't be happy until we start winning," he said. "The offense played their best game. They played well."

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