By Mark Curnutte
Cincinnati Enquirer

Rushing Offense, A-minus

The Bengals had 191 yards on the ground, and Corey Dillon went for 138 yards and a touchdown. But when they needed a yard to win on their last play, the Bengals couldn't get it, regardless of the officials' call.

Passing Offense, A

Jon Kitna played as well as he can, throwing for 193 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. It snapped a 14-game streak for Kitna with at least one interception. The offensive line didn't allow a sack. Chad Johnson posted his third consecutive game with at least 70 receiving yards. He has 19 receptions for 229 yards in the last three games and is emerging as the Bengals' go-to receiver.

Rush Defense, C-minus

The Titans had a 5-yard rush average and let Eddie George get healthier with a 106-yard game. The Bengals did hold Tennessee to four rushing first downs.

Pass Defense, F

Cornerback Artrell Hawkins was beaten for second-half touchdown passes to Kevin Dyson and Derrick Mason. Hawkins did have the only sack, but it resulted in a 15-yard face-mask penalty in the second quarter. Titans quarterback Steve McNair had 215 passing yards.

Special Teams, C-minus

Neil Rackers made his only field-goal attempt of the day, 44 yards, but Brandon Bennett's late kickoff-return fumble led to Tennessee's final three points. The Bengals also gave up an average kickoff return of 24.2 yards after short kickoffs, giving the Titans an average drive start on the 32-yard line.

Coaching, C

The Bengals came out ready to play and jumped to a 14-0 lead. They lost it but regained the lead before losing it again. There were signs of fire and team unity - the inactive players were on the sideline -- but coordinator Mark Duffner's defense had no answers for Tennessee and gave up 30 points for the fifth time in seven games.

Return to Bengals front page...