SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 30, 2011
Rookie Andy Dalton threw a pair of touchdown passes as the Cincinnati Bengals recorded their second four-game winning streak in three years with a 34-12 victory over the host Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
Dalton found fellow rookie A.J. Green for a 43-yard touchdown and Jerome Simpson on a 14-yard scoring strike to give Cincinnati (5-2) a 17-3 lead at the half. With the triumph, Marvin Lewis (65-71-1) moved past Sam Wyche (64-68) as the winningest coach in Bengals' history.
With the Bengals nursing a 20-12 lead late in the fourth quarter, Brandon Tate returned a punt 56 yards for a touchdown and Reggie Nelson sealed the win by intercepting Tarvaris Jackson and racing 75 yards for a score.
Adam "Pacman" Jones set up Cincinnati's first touchdown with a 63-yard punt return, but injured his right hamstring on the play. Three plays later, Dalton found Simpson over the middle to give the Bengals a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.
Playing in place of the suspended Cedric Benson, Bernard Scott rushed 22 times for 76 yards while making his first career start in two years.
Although Charlie Whitehurst started, Jackson entered the game two offensive series later and completed 21 of 40 passes for 323 yards.
Indicative of its troubles, Seattle (2-5) was driving late in the first half, but fell victim to poor clock management. Marshawn Lynch converted a fourth-and-2 with 14 seconds left, but the Seahawks couldn't run another play from the 1-yard line as time ran out.