By John Erardi
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Kick-returner extraordinaire Dante Hall felt the same way as at least one observer did about a brief stretch late in the third quarter, early in the fourth, at Paul Brown Stadium.

The Bengals were up 10-6 on the undefeated Chiefs, but in no way in control of the game. The tipping point was yet to occur. Anything might do it.

And then, suddenly, here it came:

PHOTO GALLERY

Photos of Sunday's game

Hall lost 3 yards on a return with 59 seconds left in the third quarter, leaving the Chiefs on their own 17-yard line, their worst field position yet in the game.

A few minutes later, with about 13 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Bengals return man Peter Warrick ran back a 38-yard punt for a 68-yard touchdown to put the Bengals up 17-6. It was like a big kid jumping on the teeter-totter, springing you from an anchored position into free flight. The Bengals had their tipping point.

"It was sickening," Holmes said. "I wanted to be in (Warrick's) shoes. But, hey, I've been watching him since college. We knew going in that he is an explosive player. We said all week, 'We've got to corral this guy.' He broke our spirits (Sunday)."

The Bengals won the game Sunday because they were able to keep Hall from breaking a return for a touchdown. One reason KC was undefeated is that even though there were other games in which they were outplayed, Hall was a one-man game-breaker.

"I think what did it for them (Sunday) is they had great team hustle to the ball," Hall said. "We had some opportunities to break one, but it was that hustle, that never-say-die, that kept us from hitting a big one. Bend but don't break."

Hall wasn't shocked the Bengals upset the Chiefs.

"I've been saying all week that even though Cincinnati was 4-5, they were a good team and had beaten two good teams in Baltimore and Seattle," Hall said.

KC's Priest Holmes said he wasn't shocked, either.

"I was part of a team (in Baltimore) that Marvin (Lewis) led as a defensive coordinator, and he was able to rally those guys together to play spectacular ball," Holmes said. "They (the Ravens) were aggressive, hungry. Even with mistakes, they could overcome them with big plays ... Well, that's what I saw in his team (Sunday), and I knew that I would.

"That's his character, that's his quality. Every one of their (defensive) players was in the right position. It caused us to go three-and-out on the first four series. That's not like us. He had the schemes, and his players executed them with intensity. That's Marvin."

Return to Bengals front page...