Andy Dalton threw for three touchdowns as the Cincinnati Bengals rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat the Tennessee Titans 24-17.
Bengals chalk up a fifth successive victory
Andy Dalton threw for three touchdowns as the Cincinnati Bengals rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat the Tennessee Titans 24-17.
It was their fifth straight victory and longest winning streak since 1988.
They also improved to 4-1 on the road with the rookie quarterback leading the Bengals to 17 unanswered points as he tossed TD passes to three different receivers.
Tennessee (4-4) has lost two of three to wrap up a three-game homestand. Chris Johnson had 110 yards from scrimmage, but the Titans blew a 17-7 half-time lead when the offense shut down in the second half.
Tennessee managed just 95 yards in the final 30 minutes with 30 on the final play that came up well short of the end zone.
Interference
They took over after half-time, outgaining Tennessee 97-8 in total offense in the third quarter. Dalton took advantage of a defensive pass interference play to set up his second TD pass, a 15-yarder to Jerome Simpson.
The rookie QB from Texas Christian then drove the Bengals 75 yards using up 6 minutes, 55 seconds before finding Andre Caldwell for a 5-yard TD with 10:52 left and a 21-17 lead that Cincinnati never lost.
Johnson ran pretty well at times and finished with 64 yards rushing and 46 yards receiving. But the Titans wasted their best field position at the Cincinnati 49 on the opening possession of the third quarter.
The Titans had all the momentum at half-time after scoring two touchdowns in the second quarter. Matt Hasselbeck was 10 of 13 for 117 yards with a 143.3 passer rating in the quarter, tossing an 8-yard TD pass to Damian Williams where the second-year receiver tapped his toes in at the back of the end zone before falling out.
Hasselbeck then found Hawkins in the back right corner for a 16-yard TD pass 8 seconds before the half for a 17-7 lead.
