By Shannon Russell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

For two weeks, Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson was pumped about the Tennessee Titans' visit to Paul Brown Stadium.

The meeting was supposed to be the start of a new season, hosted by a revived squad that bore little resemblance to the Bengals from Games 1-6.

"We wanted to put the 0-6 behind us and start fresh," Johnson said. "And we did - we started fresh. We might not have gotten the win, but there's a big difference from what we did last game and what we did today."

The Bengals lost, 30-24, but the offense showed life, starting with a first-quarter touchdown. Fullback Lorenzo Neal scored the first offensive first-quarter TD this season, capping a seven-play , 71-yard drive with a 1-yard pass from Jon Kitna.

Neal, who hadn't caught a touchdown pass since Oct. 7, 2001 at Pittsburgh, caught five passes for 37 yards.

"It was just good to score first," Neal said. "It was good to come out and play hard in a game that came down to the wire."

Besides Sunday, the Bengals have scored first only once this season, and that was on defense. Sunday's game was the second in 10 games that the Bengals scored in the first quarter.

"During the bye week, we've been preaching getting a good start by finishing plays and finishing drives. It felt good to score like that because it gave us the momentum," Bengals tackle Willie Anderson said. "Especially after going for weeks without scoring in the first quarter at all."

It was the first time the Bengals scored in the first and second quarters all season. Corey Dillon ran in a 4-yard, second-quarter score to put the Bengals up 14-0.

The offense gained 384 yards, sparked by Jon Kitna's 193 yards passing and Dillon's 138 yards rushing.

Johnson remained confident as the Bengals head to Houston next week.

"We won this game. That was a touchdown - I don't care what anybody says," Johnson said.

So what about next week?

"We've got to win, man," he said. "We've just got to win."

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