2001 Cincinnati Bengals season

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox NFL team season The 2001 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise’s 34th year in professional football and its 32nd with the National Football League. The Bengals abandoned their plans for developing quarterback Akili Smith as their starter by acquiring Jon Kitna from the Seattle Seahawks. The Bengals would win their first two games with Kitna behind center, and sat at 4–3 through the first seven games of the season. However, the Bengals would struggle again, losing their next seven games as Kitna struggled with inconsistency, throwing 22 interceptions while throwing only 12 touchdown passes. The Bengals would win their final two games to close the season with a 6–10 record, their eleventh consecutive season without a winning record. Despite the team’s struggles, All-Pro running back Corey Dillon had another stellar year, rushing for 1,315 yards.

2001 would turn out to be an important year for the team, as players such as Justin Smith, Chad Johnson, Rudi Johnson, and T. J. Houshmandzadeh were drafted, all those players would be important to Cincinnati in later years. One bright spot for the Bengals that year was they defeated the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the season opener.

Offseason

Additions	Subtractions
QB Jon Kitna (Seahawks)	T Rod Jones (Rams)
DT Tony Williams (Vikings)	DT Tom Barndt (Jets)
DE Bernard Whittington (Colts)	DE Michael Bankston (Redskins)
FB Lorenzo Neal (Titans)

Undrafted free agents

2001 undrafted free agents of note

Player	Position	College
Jeff Boyle	Defensive tackle	Wyoming
Kenny Bryant	Cornerback	Jackson State
Jeff Chase	Guard	Texas A&M–Kingsville
Chris Edmonds	Linebacker	West Virginia
Rashad Harris	Linebacker	Louisville
Jared Lee	Safety	BYU
Calvin Lewis	Defensive tackle	Memphis
Freddie Moore	Tackle	Florida A&M
Ramondo North	Wide receiver	North Carolina A&T
Duke Pettijohn	Linebacker	Syracuse
Dave Puloka	Linebacker	Holy Cross
Chris Rosier	Wide receiver	William & Mary
Kamal Shakir	Linebacker	Memphis

Regular season

Schedule

style="Template:NFLPrimaryStyle"| Week	style="Template:NFLPrimaryStyle"| Date	style="Template:NFLPrimaryStyle"| Opponent	style="Template:NFLPrimaryStyle"| Result	style="Template:NFLPrimaryStyle"| Record	style="Template:NFLPrimaryStyle"| Venue	style="Template:NFLPrimaryStyle"| Attendance
1	September 9	New England Patriots	W 23–17	1–0	Paul Brown Stadium	51,521
2	September 23	Baltimore Ravens	W 21–10	2–0	Paul Brown Stadium	51,121
3	September 30	at San Diego Chargers	L 14–28	2–1	Qualcomm Stadium	56,048
4	October 7	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 7–16	2–2	Heinz Field	62,335
5	October 14	Cleveland Browns	W 24–14	3–2	Paul Brown Stadium	64,217
6	October 21	Chicago Bears	L 0–24	3–3	Paul Brown Stadium	63,408
7	October 28	at Detroit Lions	W 31–27	4–3	Pontiac Silverdome	69,343
8	Bye
9	November 11	at Jacksonville Jaguars	L 13–30	4–4	Alltel Stadium	57,161
10	November 18	Tennessee Titans	L 7–20	4–5	Paul Brown Stadium	63,865
11	November 25	at Cleveland Browns	L 0–18	4–6	Cleveland Browns Stadium	72,918
12	December 2	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 13–16 (OT)	4–7	Paul Brown Stadium	52,135
13	December 9	Jacksonville Jaguars	L 10–14	4–8	Paul Brown Stadium	44,920
14	December 16	at New York Jets	L 14–15	4–9	Giants Stadium	77,745
15	December 23	at Baltimore Ravens	L 0–16	4–10	PSINet Stadium	68,987
16	December 30	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 26–23	5–10	Paul Brown Stadium	63,751
17	January 6	at Tennessee Titans	W 23–21	6–10	Adelphia Coliseum	68,798

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. New England Patriots

Week 1: New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	0	10	0	7	17
Bengals	0	10	13	0	23

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

• Date: September 9
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Cloudy,
• Game attendance: 51,521
• Referee: John Smith
• TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson, Brent Jones, Sam Wyche
• Box score

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter NE – Troy Brown 14-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Adam Vinatieri kick), 14:55. Patriots 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 68 yards, 6:44. CIN – Neil Rackers 36-yard field foal, 11:22. Patriots 7–3. Drive: 8 plays, 12 yards, 3:33. NE – Adam Vinatieri 39-yard field goal, 6:04. Patriots 10–3. Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 5:18. CIN – Corey Dillon 5-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), 2:16. Tied 10–10. Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 3:48. Third quarter CIN – Neil Rackers 47-yard field goal, 12:05. Bengals 13–10. Drive: 5 plays, 42 yards, 1:49. CIN – Neil Rackers 33-yard field goal, 6:01. Bengals 16–10. Drive: 9 plays, 44 yards, 4:23. CIN – Tony McGee 25-yard pass from Jon Kitna (Neil Rackers kick), 0:06. Bengals 23–10. Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 3:18. Fourth quarter NE – Jermaine Wiggins 8-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Adam Vinatieri kick), 5:29. Bengals 23–17. Drive: 11 plays, 94 yards, 3:48. Top passers NE – Drew Bledsoe – 22/38, 241 yards, 2 TD CIN – Jon Kitna – 18/27, 204 yards, TD Top rushers NE – Antowain Smith – 11 rushes, 33 yards CIN – Corey Dillon – 24 rushes, 104 yards, TD Top receivers NE – Troy Brown – 7 receptions, 106 yards, TD CIN – Darnay Scott – 5 receptions, 104 yards

Week 2: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Week 2: Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Ravens	3	0	0	7	10
Bengals	0	0	14	7	21

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

• Date: September 23
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Partly cloudy,
• Game attendance: 51,121
• Referee: Ed Hochuli
• TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Solomon Wilcots
• Box score

Game information

First quarter BAL – Matt Stover 38-yard field goal, 4:22. Ravens 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 37 yards, 2:58. Second quarter No scoring plays Third quarter CIN – Corey Dillon 1-yard pass from Jon Kitna (Neil Rackers kick), 11:38. Bengals 7–3. Drive: 6 plays, 18 yards, 3:09. CIN – Jon Kitna 2-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), 8:10. Bengals 14–3. Drive: 6 plays, 33 yards, 2:58. Fourth quarter BAL – Patrick Johnson 2-yard pass from Elvis Grbac (Matt Stover kick), 13:40. Bengals 14–10. Drive: 4 plays, 17 yards, 1:28. CIN – Takeo Spikes 66-yard interception return (Neil Rackers kick), 6:04. Bengals 21–10. Top passers BAL – Elvis Grbac – 33/63, 326 yards, TD, 3 INT CIN – Jon Kitna – 19/30, 154 yards, TD Top rushers BAL – Terry Allen – 17 rushes, 61 yards CIN – Corey Dillon – 18 rushes, 57 yards Top receivers BAL – Shannon Sharpe – 8 receptions, 84 yards CIN – Darnay Scott – 5 receptions, 82 yards

Week 3: at San Diego Chargers

Week 3: Cincinnati Bengals at San Diego Chargers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	0	7	0	7	14
Chargers	0	7	14	7	28

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

• Date: September 30
• Game time: 4:15 p.m. EDT/1:15 PDT
• Game weather: Clear and sunny,
• Game attendance: 56,048
• Referee: Dick Hantak
• TV announcers (CBS): Bill Macatee, Trevor Matich, and Scott Kaplan
• Box score

Week 4: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 4: Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	0	0	0	7	7
Steelers	0	10	0	6	16

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Date: October 7
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Party cloudy,
• Game attendance: 62,335
• Referee: Larry Nemmers
• TV announcers (CBS): Bill Macatee and Trevor Matich
• Box score

Week 5: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week 5: Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	7	0	0	7	14
Bengals	3	0	10	11	24

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

• Date: October 14
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Cloudy,
• Game attendance: 64,217
• Referee: Mike Carey
• TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui, Steve Tasker
• Box score

Week 6: vs. Chicago Bears

Week 6: Chicago Bears at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	3	7	7	7	24
Bengals	0	0	0	0	0

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

• Date: October 21
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Partly cloudy,
• Game attendance: 63,408
• Referee: Bernie Kukar
• TV announcers (Fox): Curt Menefee, Brian Baldinger, and Dan Jiggetts
• Box score

Game information

First quarter CHI – Paul Edinger 48-yard field goal, 4:29. Bears 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, 2 yards, 0:53. Second quarter CHI – Fred Baxter 1-yard pass from Jim Miller (Paul Edinger kick), 12:51. Bears 10–0. Drive: 3 plays, 51 yards, 1:28. Third quarter CHI – Marty Booker 13-yard pass from Jim Miller (Paul Edinger kick), 3:25. Bears 17–0. Drive: 6 plays, 67 yards, 3:22. Fourth quarter CHI – Anthony Thomas 23-yard run (Paul Edinger kick), 9:05. Bears 24–0. Drive: 9 plays, 71 yards, 5:09. Top passers CHI – Jim Miller – 23/30, 232 yards, 2 TD CIN – Jon Kitna – 19/46, 244 yards, INT Top rushers CHI – Anthony Thomas – 22 rushes, 188 yards, TD CIN – Corey Dillon – 16 rushes, 30 yards Top receivers CHI – David Terrell – 7 receptions, 91 yards CIN – Peter Warrick – 8 receptions, 84 yards

Week 7: at Detroit Lions

Week 7: Cincinnati Bengals at Detroit Lions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	7	14	3	7	31
Lions	3	10	14	0	27

at Pontiac Silverdome, Detroit, Michigan

• Date: October 28
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: None (played indoors)
• Game attendance: 69,343
• Referee: Johnny Grier
• TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson, Brent Jones
• Box score

Team leaders

Passing

Player	Att	Comp	Yds	TD	INT	Rating
Jon Kitna	581	313	3216	12	22	61.1

Rushing

Player	Att	Yds	YPC	Long	TD
Corey Dillon	340	1315	3.9	96	10

Receiving

Player	Rec	Yds	Avg	Long	TD
Peter Warrick	70	667	9.5	33	1
Darnay Scott	57	819	14.4	49	2
Corey Dillon	34	228	6.7	17	3

Defensive

Player	Tackles	Sacks	INTs	FF	FR
Takeo Spikes	109	6.0	1	1	0
Reinard Wilson	37	9.0	0	1	2
Artrell Hawkins	59	0.0	3	2	1
Kevin Kaesviharn	25	0.0	3	0	0

Kicking and punting

Player	FGA	FGM	FG%	XPA	XPM	XP%	Points
Neil Rackers	28	17	60.7%	24	23	95.8%	74

Player	Punts	Yards	Long	Blkd	Avg.
Nick Harris	84	3372	57	1	40.1

Special teams

Player	KR	KRYards	KRAvg	KRLong	KRTD	PR	PRYards	PRAvg	PRLong	PRTD
Curtis Keaton	42	891	21.2	64	0	0	0	0.0	0	0
Peter Warrick	0	0	0.0	0	0	18	116	6.4	31	0
T. J. Houshmandzadeh	10	185	18.5	23	0	12	163	13.6	86	0

Awards and records

• Corey Dillon, 5th 1,000 yard rushing season

External links

• 2001 Cincinnati Bengals at Pro-Football-Reference.com