The Associated Press

The 1-11 Bengals blew a 13-0 lead and another winnable game when the Ravens returned an interception 98 yards for a touchdown and blocked a punt and returned it for another score and a 27-23 victory at Paul Brown Stadium Sunday.

"I thought we had this one sewed up," Bengals receiver Chad Johnson said. "But you know, it's the same story every week."

Rookie Chad Williams stepped in front of Corey Dillon and intercepted Jon Kitna's pass, returning it 98 yards with 19 seconds left in the first half, slipping through the quarterback's desperate attempt at a tackle.

"I was just being patient," Williams said. "When I made the pick, I wasn't thinking 98 yards; I was just looking at Kitna. I didn't know how far 98 yards was."

"That was a miscommunication," said Kitna, who was 30-of-46 for 308 yards and also had a pivotal fumble. "I thought Corey was turning out, and he was playing off his man and turning in."

Williams also blocked Nick Harris' punt early in the fourth quarter, deflecting the ball to fellow rookie Ron Johnson on one bounce. He ran 22 yards unchallenged, cutting the Bengals' lead to 23-21.

"I have the Lord to thank for that one," Williams said. "The ball could have taken any kind of bounce, but it bounced straight up to me."

The Ravens then pulled it out by taking advantage of the Bengals' customary pratfalls.

Kitna bumped into Dillon as he dropped to pass, causing a fumble. Eleven plays later, former Bengal Jeff Blake eluded a rush and threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Todd Heap for a 27-23 lead.

The Bengals (1-11) just can't pull out wins out at the end. In their last three home games, the Bengals have had a chance for a go-ahead touchdown in the closing minutes, only to come up short.

Against Tennessee, Dillon tripped over his blocker and came up inches short of the goal line. Cleveland twice stopped Dillon from the 1-yard line at the same spot on the field, clinching a win.

Heading toward the same end zone Sunday, the Bengals got to the 13-yard line before Kitna completed a 3-yard pass and had three others knocked away. Adalius Thomas batted down his fourth-down pass with 28 seconds left.

"We could have won several games, and there were times when we had this one won," coach Dick LeBeau said. "It does hurt more as you go on. This team deserves better."

Returning to the city where he was a Pro Bowl passer in the 1990s, Blake went 10-of-19 for 115 yards and a pair of touchdown passes. Jamal Lewis ran for 121 yards, extending his streak to four straight 100-yard games against Cincinnati, which has fallen to 1-11 for the fourth time in franchise history.

Notes: Williams' interception return matched the Ravens record. Chris McAlister also returned one 98 yards against the Jets in 2000. ... Lewis went over 1,000 yards for the second time in his career. He had 1,364 as a rookie in 2000 but missed last season with a torn knee ligament. ... Ravens rookie WR Javin Hunter played but didn't catch a pass. He confirmed that he tested positive for ephedra early in the season, but he has appealed his four-game suspension. ... Dillon became the fourth player to top 1,000 yards rushing in each of his first six seasons. Barry Sanders, Eric Dickerson and Curtis Martin also did it. ... Bengals S Lamont Thompson sprained his neck in the second half.

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