Bengals lose preseason opener

By Mark Curnutte
Enquirer staff writer

In summary, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said he was glad his team played a game and showed that the preseason hype is just that.

His third Bengals team, the one expected to break the franchise’s 14-year playoff drought, lost its exhibition opener Friday night, 23-13, to New England.

“I’m excited,” Lewis said. “Now we can set the course and stop reading about how great we are. I think it was needed and very timely to play a real football game.”

The Bengals first-team offense moved the ball up and down the field but came with just three points.

They came out throwing deep, but it was their run game and short passing offense that gave them a brief 6-3 lead in the first half.

The Patriots scored on their final possession of the first half on a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Cassel to wide receiver Jason Anderson. New England led 10-6 at halftime.
Anderson beat backup cornerback Brandon Williams in the open field to score untouched.

New England scored on their third consecutive possession – the opening drive of the second half – with 6:59 remaining in the third quarter on a 29-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri.

The Bengals scored their lone touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 3-yard pass from Casey Bramlet to rookie wide receiver Chris Henry, who used his height to screen the defensive back.
When the Bengals had the ball in the first half, second-year running Chris Perry electrified the Paul Brown Stadium crowd with nine touches in the first half.

Perry turned a screen pass left into a 16-yard game to start a scoring drive midway through the second quarter. Guard Eric Steinbach was out in front blocking.

Later in the drive, Perry leapt over defense end Rodney Bailey in the backfield to gain 6 yards and spun away from linebacker Roosevelt Colvin behind the line for 4 yards.

Perry, the most exciting player in training camp, finished with 12 rushes for 41 yards and three receptions for 27 yards.

But he wasn’t pleased.

“Other people might say it looked good, but I’m not satisfied,” Perry said. “I couldn’t make the second man miss. My legs still aren’t back like I want them to be yet.”

The drive stopped at the New England 7, and the Bengals had to settle for a 25-yard field goal from Shayne Graham.

“We had opportunities, but we didn’t take advantage of them,” Lewis said. “We missed a tackle on their touchdown play. Some guys played well, but overall we’ve got to do better.”

Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, intercepted on his first pass attempt of the night, was 4-for-11 passing for 37 yards. He threw long for wide receiver Chad Johnson, who beat the defense, but the ball was short. Cornerback Asante Samuel intercepted.

Palmer later was short to Johnson on a deep post.

“My fault,” Palmer said. “I didn’t get the ball out far enough for him. They just weren’t good throws.”

Palmer’s passer rating was 8.5.

The Bengals first-team offense did put together a 58-yard drive on their next possession in the first quarter.

Rudi Johnson ran six times for 40 yards on the drive, including an 18-yarder from the 50 to the 32. He ran left behind guard Steinbach and tackle Levi Jones.

The drive stalled on a third-and-3 play from the 25-yard line. Palmer’s pass for wide receiver Kelley Washington was a little high and bounced off Washington’s hands.

Then Carter Warley, the kicker signed this past week, missed wide left on a 43-yard field goal attempt. Graham is nursing a sore right (kicking) hamstring.

Warley earned a measure of vindication on his next attempt, also from 43 yards. He split the uprights to cap 10-play, 29-yard drive set up by cornerback Deltha O’Neal’s interception.

O’Neal had grabbed an overthrown pass by Rohan Davey and returned the ball 18 yards to the Bengals 46-yard line.

Perry caught a 9-yard pass to move the ball into New England territory. Then he ran 1 yard for a first down.

A 17-yard Palmer pass to Chad Johnson moved the Bengals into field-goal range.

At the point where the Bengals led 3-0, they had a 2-1 edge in time of possession. The Bengals had the ball for 10:15, the Patriots 4:59.

On defense, Bengals defensive linemen Robert Geathers and Bryan Robinson each collected sacks. Geathers later was called for a defensive offside penalty. Bengals defensive end Elton Patterson sacked Cassel in the third quarter.

Former Bengals running back Corey Dillon, who earned a Super Bowl ring in his first season with the Patriots, rushed four times for 26 times in the first half. He had a long run of 20 yards to the left of the offensive set. Two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback Tom Brady did not play. He was a late scratch.
E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com