By Kevin Kelly
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The record remains safe. Though Ravens running back Jamal Lewis turned in his fifth consecutive 100-yard performance Sunday, the anticipated matchup between the NFL's top two single-game rushers produced few thrills at Paul Brown Stadium.

Bengals running back Corey Dillon, who held the NFL's single-game record until Lewis broke it with a 295-yard performance Sept. 14, was held to 39 yards in the 34-26 win.

Lewis entered as the NFL's leading rusher and the focus of the Bengals' defense. Lewis carried just 19 times and still rushed for 101 yards.

"Most of his stuff came on things that we did wrong," Bengals defensive end Duane Clemons said. "He got 100 yards, but by the time he actually got those yards the game was pretty much in our favor.

"That takes nothing away from him. But our coaching staff did a great job preparing us."

Dillon rushed 18 times and scored on a 2-yard run that put the Bengals ahead 13-7 inthe first quarter.

A sore groin, which sidelined him in Week 5, bothered Dillon much of the game. However, it did not prevent him from converting on a key third-down situation in the fourth quarter.

"He was sore, lugging those guys around," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "But he ran hard and played hard."

The Bengals used four linebackers at times to try and slow Jamal Lewis, who has now rushed for 843 yards this season.

The Steelers remain the only team to hold him under 100 yards.

"He's a back that you've got to get some people on him at the line of scrimmage, because if you let him come through, then you're going to have a long day," Bengals linebacker Brian Simmons said. "What helped us out was getting points on the board early. They wanted to keep giving it to him, but they just couldn't feed it to him like they wanted to."

Lewis gained 16 yards in the second half.

"I know Marvin Lewis. I know his defense," Lewis said. "They do different things and he's good against the run. So I knew they were going to be effective at it."

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