Six turnovers help Bengals stave off Ravens (Baltimore Sun News)

Ravens defensive back Samari Rolle tackles Chad Johnson, but not before the Bengals receiver gets a first down.

Throughout the preseason, as the Bengals defense gave up yards by the bushel, the team insisted it would be different during the regular season.  Gone would be the passive play. Gone would be the vanilla coverages. They would be, in lineman Bryan Robinson's word, fierce.  The Bengals look like sages now. They matched the vaunted Baltimore Ravens defense blow for blow in their season opener last night in Paul Brown Stadium, forcing six turnovers in a 27-20 victory.

The game was a slugfest from start to finish. That's the Ravens' style. The Bengals are perceived to be offense-first and defense-if-they-must. Last night it was must.  "I felt this is the best we've played since I've been here," said safety Dexter Jackson, a second-year Bengal. "This can really vault us."  Twenty-four of the Bengals' points were set up by turnovers, and that almost wasn't enough. It took a goal-line stand to preserve the victory.  Baltimore had a chance to tie the score after recovering a Rudi Johnson fumble at the Cincinnati 24 with 4:42 left.

Kyle Boller, subbing for injured quarterback Steve McNair (groin), completed a 14-yard pass to Demetrius Williams on fourth-and-3 at the 17. That was just the start of the drama.  On fourth-and-goal from the 1, Boller lobbed a pass to tight end Todd Heap for an apparent touchdown. But the Bengals caught a break when Heap was called for offensive pass interference against Jackson.  On the ensuing fourth-and-11, safety Madieu Williams knocked down Boller's pass short of the goal line, only to be called for holding.

"I don't know if it was a makeup call, but that shouldn't have been called," Williams said.

The Bengals went to the well one more time. On third-and-3, Boller threw to Heap, but the ball bounced off his pads and defensive tackle Michael Myers made a diving interception in the end zone.  "I was just trying to get off my block and I saw the ball was tipped and I dove for it," said Myers, a 10-year veteran who got his first career interception. "Somebody needed to make a play to get off the field. We didn't want to go to overtime."

It was a fitting end for the defense. Linebacker Landon Johnson scored on a 34-yard fumble return to give the Bengals a 19-10 lead in the third quarter.  Defensive end Robert Geathers, who put pressure on McNair on Johnson's touchdown, set up Cincinnati's decisive score by making a diving interception and returning the ball 30 yards to the Baltimore 22 with 9½ minutes left.

The Bengals cashed in. Rudi Johnson broke a 15-yard gain, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, aided by a block from Chad Johnson, scored on a 7-yard reception.  But for the most part, the Bengals offense struggled against the Ravens.  Chad Johnson caught a 39-yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer following one of three first-quarter fumble recoveries by the defense. Cincinnati managed only one field goal on the other two fumbles and did little beyond that.  Whatever creases Rudi Johnson saw closed quickly. Excluding the 15-yarder, Johnson gained only 35 yards on 17 carries. The Ravens close quickly on receivers, and Palmer completed 20 of 32 passes for 194 yards.

Cincinnati's special teams didn't have a banner night, either. Cincinnati allowed Ed Reed to go 63 yards untouched on a punt return with 12 minutes left to give Baltimore its only lead, 20-19.

But then came Geathers' interception and the final goal-line stand to give Cincinnati its fifth victory in its past six games against the Ravens. Just as important, the Bengals defense served notice that its days as a pushover might be over.

"The whole offense was so fired up for them because everybody keeps asking questions about the defense," Palmer said. "I think they answered every question mark about, 'Can the defense win games?' because they flat out won the game."

Baltimore Sun News