Quarterback Andy Dalton put on another clinic Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium when he hit his first 10 passes, generated seven completions of at least 20 yards, and set up three rushing touchdowns by running back Jeremy Hill as the Bengals soared to 4-0 for the first time in 10 years with a 36-21 victory over the Chiefs before 57,498 of the faithful.
And yes. That means two up on the Steelers and three up on the Ravens.
For the fourth straight game Dalton hit triple digits in passer rating in spectacular fashion. While completing 17 of 24 passes, he averaged 13.4 yards per attempt while racking up 321 yards and a 127.1 passer rating.
The Bengals put it away with five minutes left when on third-and-one Dalton turned a play-action fake into tight end Tyler Eifert’s 30-yard catch on a throw-back pass to the 7 and Hill and Bernard did the rest. Bernard, who also had a rushing touchdown, motored for six yards on an option pitch, and Hill went flying over the pile from one yard out to make 36-18 with 4:50 left.
The Bengals flexed their muscles on both sides of the red zone. Cincinnati held the Chiefs to seven field goals by Caioro Santos while the offense hammered in all four of their chances as left tackle Andrew Whitworth and right tackle Andre Smith blanked the Chiefs’ sack tandem of Tamba Hali and Justin Houston as the Bengals didn’t allow a sack for the third game.
The Bengals defense, stinging from giving up some big plays early, came up big late in the third quarter when their pass rush kept coming while they were holding on to a 21-15 lead.
Pressure forced Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith to be called for intentional grounding on first down from his 37 and then defensive tackle Geno Atkins blew up the middle for a sack. That set up third and 30 from the Chiefs 17 and when Smith checked down to tight end Travis Kelce, right end Michael Johnson punched the ball out of his hands as he was getting tackled and safety Reggie Nelson scooped it up for a 25-yard return that put the Bengals at the Chiefs 5.
One snap later Hill went left, ran out of strong safety Ron Parker’s tackle, and then ran over free safety Eric Berry at the goal line for his second touchdown of the game.
Hill, who had struggled the past two weeks, got the call again on the two-point conversion from the 1.5-yard line after the Chiefs were called for holding Eifert in the end zone on the original two-point play and the Bengals responded with their jumbo package of nose tackle Domata Peko at fullback and rookie Jake Fisher as the left tackle. Hill went right up the middle, got stopped, but he kept moving his legs and lunged the ball over the goal line and the Bengals won the challenge to make it 29-15 with 11 seconds left in the third quarter as Hill finished with 40 yards on nine carries.
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