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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
CINCINNATI (AP) -- With a white towel wrapped around his waist
and a look of exhaustion on his face, Corey Dillon slowly walked to
his dressing stall and plopped down.
"Oh," he half-moaned. "I'm extremely tired."
|  | | Corey Dillon scored from one yard out to give the Bengals a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. |
Imagine how the Arizona Cardinals' defense felt after chasing
him around all afternoon.
Dillon set two Bengals records and made the difference in a
ragged game befitting the NFL's two worst teams since 1990. He ran
for 216 yards -- his third-best game -- to set up Cincinnati's 24-13
victory Sunday.
He also had a 1-yard touchdown run as part of the biggest game
ever against the Cardinals (3-10). The Los Angeles Rams' Charles
White ran for 213 yards on Nov. 17, 1987.
"We had everything that we could throw at them today to stop
the run," said Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis, his nose and cheeks
bright red from the 18-degree wind chill. "We had five linemen in
the game. We blitzed them. We knew coming in this was a very, very
dangerous back."
No matter what the Cardinals tried, Dillon kept going. He
carried on 35 of the Bengals' 78 plays -- the only time he's had
more carries was his 246-yard game as a rookie in 1997.
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TOM DONAHOE'S BREAKDOWN |
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Question on the Cardinals: How would you rebuild the Cardinals in the
offseason?
Donahoe: The Cardinals have a massive rebuilding job to do in the
offseason. Even with the replacement of coach Vince Tobin, things have not
significantly improved. For years the Cardinals have had high draft picks
and have done little with them. Arizona has problems -- they've struggled on
offense and today their defense allowed the Bengals to do just about
anything they wanted to. It may take a complete housecleaning to get this
organization headed in the right direction.
Question on the Bengals: Is it wise for Corey Dillon to stay in
Cincinnati?
Donahoe: Dillon has proven his value to the Bengals this year. From
the Bengals' perspective, it is imperative that they sign him. He can be the
cornerstone of an offense -- someone to build a game plan around. The
Bengals have some talent, and coach Dick LeBeau has done a fine job getting
players focused and playing with more enthusiasm and direction. From
Dillon's perspective, he will have to decide what will factor most into his
decision. But if he stays with the Bengals, they could be a promising and
competitive NFL football team.
Tom Donahoe, ESPN.com's NFL analyst, was formerly the Steelers' director
of football operations.
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The Bengals (3-10) have gotten two of their wins because Dillon
had big games. He ran for an NFL-record 278 in a 31-21 win over
Denver on Oct. 22.
"It's really typical of what he's done all year," said Scott
Mitchell, who completed 11 of 23 for 109 yards in his first game
back from a sprained knee. "It's just really amazing."
Both teams had a touchdown nullified by penalty and the kickers
had trouble on the chewed-up grass field that was an expanse of
divots and dirt. There were three missed field goals and a wide
extra-point try as the kickers slipped around.
In all the muck and mistakes, Dillon was the one constant. His
18th 100-yard game set a club record and pushed his season total to
1,278 yards, breaking James Brooks' mark of 1,239 yards in 1989.
"I'm impressed that we stayed with our methods and fought for
60 minutes and won a ballgame," Dillon said. "I'm more impressed
with that than the yardage."
Cincinnati's bulky offensive line bowled over the Cardinals,
creating big running lanes. The Bengals got ahead 21-0 early in the
third quarter on Brandon Bennett's 7-yard touchdown run, giving
Cincinnati its biggest lead in 16 games.
Jake Plummer came up one interception shy of pulling off a
comeback. His touchdown passes of 38 and 15 yards to David Boston
cut it to 21-13 with 13:45 to play -- Cary Blanchard was wide on the
extra-point try.
Tom Carter intercepted Plummer at the Bengals 7-yard line with
8:27 left, and Cincinnati essentially ran out the clock in a
17-play drive that lasted more than seven minutes and culminated in
Neil Rackers' 32-yard field goal.
The Bengals ran 14 times during the clinching drive, which
featured Dillon changing fields and running around left end for a
first down on 4th-and-2 at the Arizona 31-yard line.
"Just to lose is frustrating, and to lose to the Bengals is
even more frustrating," Cardinals running back Michael Pittman
said. "I mean, the Cincinnati Bengals ... I can't say anything bad
about them because we lost to them, but it hurts big-time losing to
the Cincinnati Bengals."
The Bengals sold only 50,289 tickets, 15,000 below capacity.
Cincinnati has sold out only two of its seven games in its new
stadium. Of the seven, this one was the most ragged.
The Bengals had a touchdown run by Dillon nullified by a holding
penalty, Rackers missed field-goal attempts from 36 and 45 yards
and the secondary left Boston uncovered on his 38-yard touchdown
catch.
The Cardinals were even worse. Blanchard hit the right upright
on a 31-yard field goal attempt and missed an extra point. Mac
Cody's 72-yard punt return for a touchdown early in the fourth
quarter was nullified by a holding penalty on cornerback Corey
Chavous.
Chavous also was called for three other penalties, including
third-down holding and interference penalties that sustained
Bengals drives.
Game notes
Cardinals OL Lester Holmes bruised his left elbow in the
first quarter. LB Ray Thompson sprained his left knee in the second
quarter. ... Since 1990, the Cardinals are 51-112 and the Bengals
are 55-118. ... Blanchard, a nine-year veteran, called it the worst
field he's ever played on in the NFL. ... Cardinals S Tommy Bennett
kicked his gym shoe across the locker room after the game when he
found a mouse in it. There are mouse traps around the stadium. ...
Plummer, sidelined last week by a sore thumb and ribs, finished
22-of-44 for 278 yards. ... Bengals CB Rodney Heath hurt his
shoulder and was listed as doubtful for next week's game. He
expected to get X-rays.
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ALSO SEE
Arizona Clubhouse
Cincinnati Clubhouse
NFL first: Four 200-yard rushers
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