By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Jon Kitna passed for 263 yards and four TD's. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

HOUSTON - The Bengals unloaded a half a season of frustration Sunday on the expansion Houston Texans, winning 38-3 after seven consecutive losses. The 35-point margin of victory was the largest for a Bengals team since 1989 and just their second 20-point margin of victory in 10 seasons.

Embattled coach Dick LeBeau, who guaranteed that his team would win, even managed to smile for the first time in what seemed like weeks.

"I didn't know my powers of clairvoyance were so omnipotent," LeBeau said.

After scoring just eight offensive touchdowns in seven games, the Bengals scored four on Sunday on as many Jon Kitna touchdown passes.

The Bengals' first touchdown of the day came on a franchise-record tying 102-yard interception return by cornerback Artrell Hawkins. Houston was driving for what would have been a game-leading touchdown.

"One and seven," Hawkins said of the team's record, "feels a lot better than 0-8."

Yet, for all the relief and positive energy in the postgame locker room, the Bengals still have the NFL's worst record and trail the division-leading Pittsburgh Steelers by four games.

"We want to get a string of wins going, and to do that, you have to get the first one," Bengals middle linebacker Brian Simmons said.

Artrell Hawkins celebrates his 102-yard interception return. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

LeBeau said he had felt this victory growing closer since a road loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 6.

"I just wanted our team to know we were proud of them and believed in them," LeBeau said of his prediction.

The Bengals posted their best offensive performance in 41 games in beating Houston:

• Kitna's four touchdown tosses are a career high and equal the four the Bengals had thrown in the first seven games combined. Since Kitna took over as the starter, the Bengals have scored 90 points. In the previous four, with Gus Frerotte or Akili Smith starting, the Bengals scored 23.

• Free-agent signee Michael Westbrook returned from a two-game stay on the inactive list to catch two touchdown passes. Second-year receiver Chad Johnson added three receptions and a touchdown. Peter Warrick also had a TD catch.

• Houston came in with the league's eighth-rated pass defense, but the Bengals' offensive line didn't allow a sack in a second consecutive game.

But for all of the offensive heroics, the Bengals' defense turned in the biggest play of the game.

Hawkins intercepted a David Carr pass 2 yards deep in the end zone and returned it a franchise record-tying 102 yards to break a 3-3 tie.

Peter Warrick outruns Texans defender Matt Stevens to the end zone. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

"I got a good break on it," Hawkins said. "I was just in the right place at the right time."

With an escort from defensive end Reinard Wilson, Hawkins raced down the right sideline. Carr had an angle on Hawkins, but Wilson pushed him out of the way.

Houston coach Dom Capers challenged the call, saying Hawkins had stepped on the boundary line inside Texans territory. Capers lost, and the Bengals had their first big break of the season.

"His foot was right on the edge, and it could have gone either way," LeBeau said. "It did change the game."

The Bengals fell behind 3-0 when Houston drove 67 yards in eight plays to score on Kris Brown's 23-yard field goal. The drive was helped by three Bengals penalties for 50 yards - two on pass-interference calls against cornerback Kevin Kaesviharn and a personal foul on defensive tackle Oliver Gibson.

But the Bengals tied the game on their first possession before Hawkins' touchdown swung it.

Kitna led the offense on touchdown drives of 78, 64, 97 and 59 yards. He was 22-for-27 passing for 263 yards.

Michael Westbrook catches a pass against Jamie Sharper before running for a TD. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

In the past two games, Kitna has thrown six touchdowns and no interceptions, knotting that ratio at 7-7 for the season.

"You can't say enough about what Artrell did. It set them on their heels," Kitna said. "Those kinds of things really kick a team in the gut."

Kitna's four TD passes were the most for a Bengals quarterback since Jeff Blake's four in a 44-30 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 5, 1999.

The Bengals expect to face Blake when they play the 3-5 Ravens at Baltimore next week.

By winning Sunday, the Bengals avoided - at least for one more week - a 12th consecutive non-winning season. The Bengals' best record since 1990 is 8-8 in 1996.

Otherwise, the past 12 seasons have been filled with disappointing starts - like this year's 0-7 - followed by relatively competitive Novembers and Decembers.

But, for one day, some of the optimistic words of training camp came to pass.

The defense looked like a top-three group and held the Texans to 268 yards. The offense achieved balance and controlled the clock for 31:22.

And the 2-6 Texans, who rode in on a high after winning last week at Jacksonville, knew they had been roped and branded.

"They took their belts off and whipped our butts," Houston tight end Billy Miller said. "If they were parents, they would have been reported to child protective services. If we were businessmen, we might have all been fired."