By Kevin Kelly
The Cincinnati Enquirer

There in the tangle of arms and hands, Brian Simmons pried the ball away from Kyle Boller. By doing so, by out-muscling the Ravens rookie quarterback for a loose ball in the first quarter Sunday, the Bengals linebacker effectively wrestled momentum from the Ravens.

"I just kept fighting to try and get it away from him," Simmons said. "In that situation, the ball is the issue. It's one of those things where you've got to try and do everything you can to make the play."

His fumble recovery was the first of three Ravens turnovers the Bengals converted into 17 points and a win at Paul Brown Stadium.

"We have guys that get around the ball," Simmons said. "The ball really wasn't bouncing our way the first couple of games. (Sunday) it kind of bounced our way."

Cincinnati, which had not recovered a fumble in its first five games, disrupted Baltimore's run-oriented offense.

"We knew what their bread and butter was coming into the game," Simmons said. "We had to eliminate the run."

Thanks in large part to running back Jamal Lewis, the Ravens averaged nearly 200 rushing yards per game.

The Bengals used four linebackers instead of three at times, and held the Ravens to 113 yards rushing.

The league's most unbalanced offense wound up throwing almost as much as it ran.

"Our coaching staff did a great job preparing us," defensive end Duane Clemons said. "We had the bye week so I think we definitely had some advantages going into the game.

"But it all comes down to us executing on Sundays and I think, for the most part, we did that."

Boller, who was sacked four times for 25 yards, completed 15-of-27 passes for 302 yards and two touchdowns.

His only interception, by Bengals cornerback Tory James, led to a 44-yard field goal by Shayne Graham that gave Cincinnati a 24-7 lead with 6:24 remaining in the half.

Lewis, the NFL's leading rusher, carried 19 times for 101 yards, with 85 yards coming in the first half.

"We got an opportunity to do our thing and that's what we were looking for," said defensive end Carl Powell, who forced and recovered a Boller fumble with 5:52 remaining in the first quarter that led to the Bengals' second touchdown.

"We take pride in our defense and are understanding the defense a little more. Guys are just going out there and having fun."