Time and time again, Bengals running back Rudi Johnson got the handoff and was stuffed. Seven times in 17 carries, he was tackled for a loss. His longest carry was 5 yards. He finished with 9 before leaving after three quarters because of a hamstring strain.  Johnson's previous low since becoming the Bengals' starter in 2004 was an 18-yard output against Kansas City in the 2005 regular-season finale, which Cincinnati treated as a glorified preseason game after clinching the AFC North.

He was at a loss to explain yesterday's difficulties. Seattle didn't put an eighth defender near the line of scrimmage, as teams often do when their first priority is to stop the run.  "I don't know, man," he said. "I don't have no clue. All I can do is get up and play the next snap until I couldn't go anymore."

Part of the problem may have been that some of the calls were pitches or stretch plays designed to go wide. Johnson is usually more effective running between the tackles.  "We tried to find anything we could," he said. "It didn't work, but we tried everything."

The Bengals shuffled their line during the game. Coaches benched left guard Stacy Andrews in the second quarter, moved left tackle Andrew Whitworth to Andrews' spot and inserted Levi Jones at left tackle. Right tackle Willie Anderson couldn't play the entire game and was spelled by Scott Kooistra. Anderson lay on the ground following Cincinnati's last touchdown, but walked off on his own power.

Columbus Dispatch

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