When it comes to big plays, the Bengals have had a propensity of allowing them on defense but not getting any from the offense.
The Cowboys got a touchdown run of 33 yards to rookie Felix Jones in the first quarter as they built a 17-0 lead in the first 18 minutes of the game. They then stymied a 16-point rally by the Bengals with a 57-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tony Romo to wide receiver Terrell Owens in the fourth quarter to regain control of the game.
Owens’ touchdown came two plays after Bengals running back Chris Perry lost a fumble for the second straight game, a turnover that negated a perfectly executed onside kick by the Bengals and kicker Shayne Graham. It was Perry’s fifth fumble of the season, three of which have been recovered by opponents.
Carson Palmer started at quarterback for the Bengals despite the troubles he has had the last couple of weeks with inflammation in his right elbow. Palmer completed 23 of 39 passes for 217 yards and threw a pair of touchdowns to wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh but he was intercepted on the first play of the game when tight end Reggie Kelly couldn’t handle Palmer’s pass. Linebacker Greg Ellis got the interception, which led to a 30-yard field goal by Dallas kicker Nick Folk.
Both teams turned the ball over twice; the Cowboys converted those takeaways into 10 points while the Bengals had to settle for field goals by Graham after their takeaways.
Rookie linebacker Keith Rivers intercepted a Romo pass intended for tight end Jason Witten and returned it 39 yards. Graham’s 40-yard field goal brought the Bengals to within one point of the Cowboys, 17-16, with 14:02 left to play in the fourth quarter.
Graham fooled the Cowboys on the ensuing kickoff by just tapping the ball off the tee, pushing it past the required 10 yards where linebacker Rashad Jeanty eventually recovered the free ball at the Cincinnati 48. Palmer completed passes of six yards to Houshmandzadeh and nine yards to Chad Ocho Cinco for nine yards to set the Bengals up at the Dallas 37 but Perry was stripped of the ball by Cowboys defensive tackle Tank Johnson on the next play.
Owens’ touchdown gave Dallas a 24-16 lead. The Bengals answered back when Palmer and Houshmandzadeh connected on a 10-yard touchdown pass, a score that was set up by Glenn Holt’s 60-yard kickoff return. Palmer’s two-point conversion pass for tight end Ben Utecht was deflected incomplete, however, as Dallas maintained its lead.
The Cowboys iced the game with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Romo to Patrick Crayton. Romo’s throw, on a third-and-11 play, went deflected off of the hands of receiver Austin Miles right to Miles.
Romo completed 14 of 23 passes for 176 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. The Bengals also recovered a Romo fumble late in the first half but Dallas improved to 4-1 on the season by overcoming its mistakes better than the Bengals did.
“I’m frustrated, annoyed, (and) mad,” said Palmer. “When you’re a bad team and you’re playing a good team you have to play perfect… You need everything to go your way and it wasn’t for us. You saw that on their last touchdown when one receiver volleyball-ed it another.”
Palmer said his elbow felt fine during the game, although he allowed that he “didn’t cut loose on one pass” and that he was concerned with getting the right touch on his throws. He twice overthrew Perry on throws deep in Dallas territory that could have resulted in touchdowns or at least given the Bengals a first down. The Bengals also missed out on what would have been a 17-yard touchdown run by Perry in the second quarter when Houshmandzadeh was called for holding.
“It’s really a matter of us getting into the fourth quarter and winning it,” said head coach Marvin Lewis. “We won the third quarter for the first time this year but we’ve got to win the fourth quarter… We’ve got to push over that hump and stay over there.”
As troublesome as giving up the big play has been for the Bengals – they’ve now given up four touchdown plays of 33 yards or greater – it has been equally frustrating for the offense in terms of coming up with plays accounting for big chunks of yardage.
The Bengals longest offensive play Sunday was a 25-yard pass from Palmer to Houshmandzadeh, who caught seven passes for 85 yards and the two touchdowns. Ocho Cinco had three receptions for 43 yards.
Cincinnati’s longest pass play of the season has been a 36-yard screen pass from Palmer to DeDe Dorsey on the final play of the first half against Tennessee in Week 2. Aside from that they do not have any plays of more than 30 yards this season.
“We’ve got to find a way to make some explosive plays,” said Lewis.