Monday, October 4, 2004
Headed south in the North
High hopes aren't enough as Bengals land in cellar
By Mark Curnutte
Enquirer staff writer
PITTSBURGH - Marvin Lewis wanted a fast start. Instead he's facing a repeat of 2003.
The Bengals dropped to 1-3 Sunday after losing 28-17 to the Steelers at Heinz Field. The Bengals are off next Sunday before playing Oct. 17 at Cleveland.
They were 1-4 at their bye last year.
"Unfortunately or fortunately, it can be looked at either way, we've been here before," Lewis said. "We know how to climb out of this."
The Bengals won six of seven and seven of nine after the off week in 2003. Such a streak, though possible to repeat, is a major challenge.
"Once we get that second one," tailback Rudi Johnson said, "we're going to be hot."
A slow start was expected in Lewis' first season. Legitimate progress tempered the record.
The 1-3 start this year is more noticeable because expectations are higher.
|
QUICK HITS
|
|
Streak endures
Sunday's loss was the Bengals' 42nd straight on the road against teams with winning records. The streak dates to Dec. 2, 1990, when the Bengals beat a 6-5 Steelers team.
Slow starts
The Bengals are off to a sub-.500 start after four games for the eighth time in nine seasons:
| | | | Year | Start | Finish | | 2004 | 1-3 | -- | | 2003 | 1-3 | 8-8 | | 2002 | 0-4 | 2-14 | | 2001 | 2-2 | 6-10 | | 2000 | 0-4 | 4-12 | | 1999 | 0-4 | 4-12 | | 1998 | 1-3 | 3-13 | | 1997 | 1-3 | 7-9 | | 1996 | 1-3 | 8-8 |
Young guns
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger got the best of Carson Palmer in their first meeting:
• Roethlisberger: In his second career start, he completed 17 of 25 passes for 174 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.
• Palmer: He completed 20 of 37 passes for 164 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, including one returned for a TD.
To the air
Palmer entered Sunday's game leading the NFL in pass attempts. His 37 attempts gave him 154, an average of 38.5 per game.
AFC North
| Pittsburgh | 3-1 | | Baltimore | 2-1 | | Cleveland | 2-2 | | Cincinnati | 1-3 |
Up next
Bengals at Cleveland, 1 p.m., Oct. 17
Today
Kansas City at Baltimore, 9 p.m.
Sunday
Cleveland at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.
Baltimore at Washington, 8:30 p.m.
He said it
"I'm not concerned with what people say. I'm only worried about what the coaches and players think."- Carson Palmer
|
Instead, the Bengals are in last place of the AFC North and are 0-2 against division opponents.
In losing to the Steelers, the Bengals extended to 42 their consecutive loss streak on the road to teams with winning records.
The run defense continues to struggle. Only after giving up 254 yards would a defense look better in allowing the 165 the Steelers gained on the ground Sunday.
And the timing of quarterback Carson Palmer's growing pains hurt the team badly. Trailing 21-17 with 2:19 left in the game, Palmer's pass for T.J. Houshmandzadeh was intercepted.
It was returned for a touchdown by safety Troy Polamalu. He broke six tackles on the 26-yard return before plowing over Palmer at the goal line.
"It was a great play, and it was a timely play," said Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, a former Bengals coach.
In four games, Palmer has three touchdown passes and seven interceptions. He said he didn't see Polamalu, his former college teammate and housemate at Southern Cal.
The Bengals aren't losing faith in Palmer.
"He knows he's going to struggle. We know he's going to struggle," Bengals left tackle Levi Jones said. "We know it's not a pretty world where he's going to come in and everything's going to lay out right for us.
"We have to overcome it when it doesn't go right. Today it happened a little too late in the game for us to overcome it. As an offensive line, we have to give him more time."
Palmer threw an interception on the next possession that should have been a completion. The ball bounced off wide receiver Kelley Washington into the hands of cornerback Chad Scott.
The Steelers dropped or misplayed four other Palmer passes that easily could have been interceptions.
In all, the Bengals committed three turnovers and had two takeaways. They are minus 4 in turnover differential in their three losses and were plus 2 in their lone victory against Miami.
The offense sputtered after an impressive touchdown drive to open the second half. The final five possessions ended with two punts, two interceptions and a lost fumble by backup tailback Kenny Watson at the Pittsburgh 32-yard line.
Trailing 14-10 at halftime, the Bengals took the second-half kickoff and drove 71 yards on 14 plays, scoring on a two-yard run by Johnson. Johnson had his best game, rushing for 123 yards, bringing his total from this week and last to 221.
Palmer was sharp on the drive. He was 4-for-4 passing for 37 yards on third downs, all resulting in drive-sustaining first downs.
The Bengals forced a second Duce Staley fumble on the Steelers' ensuing possession. The Bengals moved 19 yards to the Pittsburgh 32, but Watson fumbled, and Steelers defensive end Aaron Smith recovered.
The teams traded punts, the Bengals pinning the Steelers at their 11-yard line on a 29-yard punt by Kyle Larson - his fourth inside the 20 in the game.
But the Steelers drove 89 yards on 13 plays to take the lead 21-17. Jerome Bettis ran in from the 1 for his second touchdown.
Steelers rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, a former Miami University star, won for the second time in two starts. He was 17-for-25 passing for one touchdown and no interceptions.
In the first quarter, the Bengals scored their first offensive touchdown in 31 possessions.
Palmer threw a two-yard touchdown pass to fullback Jeremi Johnson with 8:36 remaining in the first quarter.
Staley lost a fumble at the 27-yard line. Cornerback Deltha O'Neal stripped the ball, and middle linebacker Caleb Miller recovered. Miller was one of three rookies who played most of the game on defense - joining safeties Madieu Williams and Keiwan Ratliff. Miller started for Nate Webster, who had been lost for the season with a knee injury and was the 11th player put on a season-ending reserve list.
"Right now it is obviously not the way we put this thing together," Lewis said. "But it is what it is right now, and we are going to get better with it. "We've definitely earned 1-3. We can't blame anybody but ourselves."
---
E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com
BENGALS (1-3)
Cin-J.Johnson 2 pass from Palmer (Graham kick), 8:36. Drive: 6 plays, 27 yards, 3:03. Key plays: Miller fumble recovery at Steelers 11; Palmer 11 pass to Perry. Cincinnati 7, Pittsburgh 0.
Pit-Bettis 2 run (Reed kick), 5:53. Drive: 5 plays, 54 yards, 2:43. Key plays: Randle El 35 kickoff return; Roethlisberger 30 pass to Burress; Staley 10 run. Cincinnati 7, Pittsburgh 7.
Pit-Haynes 11 pass from Roethlisberger (Reed kick), 14:13. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:32. Key plays: Roethlisberger 16 pass to Burress; Roethlisberger 20 pass to Randle El on 3rd-and-7. Pittsburgh 14, Cincinnati 7.
Cin-FG Graham 34, 6:51. Drive: 5 plays, 32 yards, 1:48. Key play: Palmer 24 pass to C.Johnson. Pittsburgh 14, Cincinnati 10.
Cin-R.Johnson 2 run (Graham kick), 8:35. Drive: 14 plays, 71 yards, 6:25. Key plays: Palmer 11 pass to Watson on 3rd-and-4; Palmer 9 pass to Houshmandzadeh on 3rd-and-3; Palmer 11 pass to C.Johnson; Palmer 4 pass to Kelly on 3rd-and-2; Palmer 13 pass to Houshmandzadeh on 3rd-and-10. Cincinnati 17, Pittsburgh 14.
Pit-Bettis 1 run (Reed kick), 9:03. Drive: 13 plays, 89 yards, 6:41. Key plays: Staley 16 run on 3rd-and-1; Ward 10 reverse; Staley 14 run; 21-yard pass interference penalty on James. Pittsburgh 21, Cincinnati 17.
Pit-Polamalu 26 interception return (Reed kick), 2:03. Pittsburgh 28, Cincinnati 17.
A-62,402.
