Cincinnati
31
Detroit27
Cincinnati
Detroit
PLAYER STATISTICS Officials A: 69,343; T: 3:13.
1ST
2ND
3RD
4TH
Final
Cincinnati 7
14
3
7 31
Detroit 3
10
14
0 27
Scoring 1ST QUARTER CIN - TD, COREY DILLON 96 YD RUN (NEIL RACKERS KICK),
0:23. Drive: 1 play, 96 yards in 0:23.
CINCINNATI 7-0
DET - FG, JASON HANSON 51 YD, 13:36. Drive: 7 plays, 29
yards in 3:58. Key plays: Batch 6-yard pass to
Sloan to Detroit 46; Batch 20-yard pass to
Foster on 3rd-and-1 to Cincinnati 34.
CINCINNATI 7-32ND QUARTER CIN - TD, COREY DILLON 8 YD PASS FROM JON KITNA (NEIL
RACKERS KICK), 6:00. Drive: 13 plays, 84 yards
in 7:24. Key plays: Kitna 20-yard run on
3rd-and-8 to Cincinnati 33; Kitna 20-yard pass
to Warrick to Detroit 42; Dillon 12-yard run to
Detroit 30; Neal 19-yard run to Detroit 12.
CINCINNATI 14-3
DET - FG, JASON HANSON 24 YD, 11:13. Drive: 6 plays, 18
yards in 1:40. Key plays: Rice 8-yard
interception return to Cincinnati 24; Batch
17-yard pass to Warren to Cincinnati 7.
CINCINNATI 14-6
CIN - TD, DARNAY SCOTT 30 YD PASS FROM JON KITNA (NEIL
RACKERS KICK), 13:07. Drive: 4 plays, 60 yards
in 1:54. Key plays: Keaton 36-yard kickoff
return to Cincinnati 40; Kitna 27-yard pass to
Scott to Detroit 33. CINCINNATI 21-6
DET - TD, LAMONT WARREN 1 YD RUN (JASON HANSON KICK),
14:39. Drive: 3 plays, 9 yards in 1:32. Key
plays: Howard 91-yard kickoff return to
Cincinnati 9; Batch 7-yard pass to Morton to
Cincinnati 2. CINCINNATI 21-133RD QUARTER DET - TD, DAVID SLOAN 1 YD PASS FROM CHARLIE BATCH
(TWO-POINT CONVERSION FAILED), 1:04. Drive: 2
plays, 28 yards in 1:04. Key plays: Howard
65-yard kickoff return to Cincinnati 28; Batch
27-yard pass to Morton to Cincinnati 1.
CINCINNATI 21-19
CIN - FG, NEIL RACKERS 39 YD, 9:52. Drive: 6 plays, 29
yards in 1:32. Key plays: Kitna 25-yard pass to
McGee to Detroit 25. CINCINNATI 24-19
DET - TD, DAVID SLOAN 1 YD PASS FROM CHARLIE BATCH
(CHARLIE BATCH PASS TO LAMONT WARREN FOR
TWO-POINT CONVERSION), 14:26. Drive: 8 plays,
60 yards in 4:34. Key plays: Schlesinger
11-yard run to Cincinnati 38; Batch 26-yard
pass to Sloan on 3rd-and-4 to Cincinnati 6.
DETROIT 27-244TH QUARTER CIN - TD, COREY DILLON 1 YD RUN (NEIL RACKERS KICK),
6:54. Drive: 13 plays, 83 yards in 7:28. Key
plays: Kitna 6-yard pass to Dugans on 3rd-and-4
to Cincinnati 29; Kitna 20-yard pass to Warrick
to Cincinnati 48; Kitna 19-yard pass to Scott
to Detroit 16; Kitna 7-yard run on 3rd-and-6 to
Detroit 5. CINCINNATI 31-27
ATT: 69,343
PASSING
Cincinnati
Cmp
Att
Yds
Td
Int
Detroit
Cmp
Att
Yds
Td
Int
Kitna
17
27
204
2
2
Batch
20
35
239
2
2
RUSHING
Cincinnati
Att
Yards
Detroit
Att
Yards
Dillon
27
184
C Schlesinge
4
25
Kitna
3
26
Warren
15
23
Bennett
4
8
Batch
1
12
Neal
3
6
Droughns
1
1
RECEIVING
Cincinnati
Att
Yards
Detroit
Att
Yards
Scott
6
99
Morton
6
74
Warrick
5
52
Foster
4
60
Dillon
3
18
Sloan
4
34
Mcgee
1
25
Warren
2
21
Dugans
1
6
C Schlesinge
2
15
Neal
1
4
Howard
1
23
Anderson
1
12
TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS (UNOFFICIAL)
Cincinnati
T
A
S
Detroit
T
A
S
Spikes
10
0
1
K Schulz
7
0
0
Roman
4
1
0
Claiborne
6
0
0
Hawkins
4
0
0
Green
5
0
0
R Wilson
3
1
1 1/2
Aldridge
4
1
1
Foley
3
1
0
Lyght
4
0
0
Simmons
3
1
1 1/2
S Rogers
4
0
0
Hall
2
2
0
Rice
3
1
0
Booker
3
0
0
Porcher
3
0
0
Jennings
2
0
0
Elliss
3
0
0
C Carter
1
0
0
Fair
2
1
0
Langford
1
0
0
Kirschke
2
0
0
Gibson
1
0
0
Bailey
1
0
0
Campbell
1
0
0
Scroggins
1
0
0
Wyrick
1
0
0
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Cincinnati (Rackers 47).
INTERCEPTIONS
Cincinnati (D Williams 1 for 14 yards, J Smith 1 for 21 yards); Detroit (Rice 1 for 8 yards, K Schulz 1 for 3 yards).
FUMBLES LOST
Detroit (Batch).
OPPONENT'S FUMBLES RECOVERED
Cincinnati (R Wilson).
Referee-Johnny Grier, Umpire-Perry Paganelli, Head
linesman-James Wilson, Line judge-Jerry Bergman, Field judge-Bobby
Mcgrath, Side judge-Dean Look, Back judge-Scott Green.
TEAM STATISTICS CIN DET
FIRST DOWNS 21 17
Rushing 9 6
Passing 10 11
Penalty 2 0
3RD-DOWN EFFICIENCY 8-16 5-12
4TH-DOWN EFFICIENCY 0-1 0-0
TOTAL NET YARDS 412 276
Total plays 65 60
Average gain 6.3 4.6
NET YARDS RUSHING 224 61
Rushes 37 21
Average per rush 6.1 2.9
NET YARDS PASSING 188 215
Completed-attempted 17-27 20-35
Yards per pass 6.7 5.5
Sacked-yards lost 1-16 4-24
Had intercepted 2 2
PUNTS-AVERAGE 3-45.7 4-48.3
RETURN YARDAGE 159 269
Punts-returns 3-38 1-18
Kickoffs-returns 5-86 6-240
Interceptions-returns 2-35 2-11
PENALTIES-YARDS 5-50 9-96
FUMBLES-LOST 0-0 2-1
TIME OF POSSESSION 32:32 27:28
News: Lions Say goodbye to the biggest bust since Andre Ware
Gibson, drafted by former coach Bobby Ross in the first round out of Wisconsin in 1999, drew a penalty for unnecessary roughness late in Sunday's 31-27 loss to Cincinnati. The play had no bearing on Gibson being waived, Lions President Matt Millen said.
Gibson's poor physical conditioning and the fact that he wasn't much of a force on the line were the reasons he was cut, Millen said. Gibson's weight soared close to 400 pounds at times, but he was under 370 recently.
"He did a good job of getting his weight down, but his conditioning never got any better," Millen said.
Gibson's first two seasons ended early because of injuries to both shoulders that required surgery. The injuries were not a problem, Millen said. Gibson, who was not available for comment, missed his entire rookie season after he was hurt in training camp. He went out after 10 games of the 2000 season.
Millen said he wasn't trying to make a scapegoat for the team's 0-6 record or send a message to the rest of the team.
"Regardless of our record, if we were 6-0, your (game) film is your resume," Millen said. "If Aaron Gibson played like he can play, he'd still be here. This process has been going on for a while."
Gibson started the first four games this year but gave way to Joyce in the fifth game when Coach Marty Mornhinweg went to a rotation at right tackle because Gibson became fatigued in the second half. Gibson started against Cincinnati, but only because Joyce had to replace Tony Semple at left guard. Semple has a bruised back.
When the Lions drafted him, Gibson signed a four-year, $3.986-million contract with a signing bonus of $1.675 million. His 2001 base salary of about $600,000 is not guaranteed. 
Aaron Gibson did a belly-flop and landed on a Bengal. If ever a play symbolized a team, that was it, right there. Poor form, poor timing, big ugly flop.
Gibson drew a 15-yard penalty that effectively destroyed the Lions' last chance in a 31-27 loss to Cincinnati. But he's not the goat. No, if we started collecting goats, we'd have a whole petting farm. He's merely a hapless symbol on a team that channels aggression in all the wrong ways.
How do you reach 0-6? You get there with dumb plays such as that personal foul. 
You get there by pinning the opposition on its 4-yard line after the opening kickoff and, as the Silverdome crowd roars, stepping aside and watching Corey Dillon run 96 yards on the first play from scrimmage.
That's not even the Lions' most disgusting 96. They committed another 96 yards in penalties. The season is 86'd, obviously. In fact, with 10 games left, the Lions are reduced to scrapping for personal goals, to save further embarrassment and to avoid historic failure.
There's barely one question left: Is 0-16 possible?
Generally, it takes more than abject foolishness to approach the NFL's never-before-reached plateau, er, low-teau. The Lions haven't been 0-6 since 1955. So logic, history and a fair analysis of the roster suggest they will not be oh-forever. They still have Desmond Howard and they're still exhibiting decent effort, probably enough to squeeze out a 3-13 record.
But it's a game like this that makes you think a winless season is attainable. The Bengals are 4-3, but they're good only by Bengals standards. The Lions actually were favored, despite missing James Stewart (sprained ankle) and having a quarterback, Charlie Batch, who didn't practice because of a sore shoulder.
With road games against San Francisco and Arizona and a home game against Tampa Bay between here and Thanksgiving, Marty Mornhinweg's fellas could be staring at 0-9 with Green Bay in town for turkey.
Oh and nine? Oh my.
"Man, that's heavy," safety Ron Rice said. "I never thought I'd be in this situation in the NFL. No way do I feel we're an 0-6 team.
He wasn't smiling, he wasn't frowning. He was genuinely perplexed.
"We have capable personnel at each and every position," he continued. "As a player, you've got to be intelligent, and at times, we simply don't play smart. ... We've spoken amongst ourselves about the penalties. Everybody has a rule book. Players should read it, abide by it, and things will be so much easier."
We've heard that refrain way too many times. Gibson's late hit produced a third-and-28 with 2:12 left and preceded a Batch interception.
Mornhinweg pulled Gibson immediately. Gibson responded by ripping off his helmet and throwing it. It's officially safe to wonder how much longer he will have the, ahem, honor of wearing that headgear. He already was demoted to backup right tackle.
Afterward, he tried to explain. The words sounded sincere, but the explanation was hollow.
"I thought I was just being aggressive," said Gibson, who dropped his 380 pounds on end Reinard Wilson. "If there was a whistle, I didn't hear it. I didn't know the play was over."
So the Lions get to lug the oh-collar for at least another week. They might not like the snug fit, but they've earned it. They've led twice all season.
They lack a lot of things, including anyone capable of making a big play on defense. They also are seriously short in the poise and restraint departments. Speaking of restraints, how long before Mornhinweg will need them? The man is displaying remarkable calm considering his rookie season is crumbling and he's powerless to stop it. He hasn't helped with questionable decisions, but by now, it's reasonable to expect paid professionals to play like it.
Maybe Mornhinweg suspected it would be this difficult, implementing a new system, trying to change old ways. We hope he wasn't as fooled as we were.
"As you can tell, I'm upset right now," he said. "Yet, you have to back away and understand it's part of building an organization. You have some crazy things happen, and we've had our share."
Oh-and-six is absolutely crazy in today's parity-packed NFL. We've seen our share of big flops around here. But this is getting crazier by the flop.
The Lions allowed Corey Dillon to run 96 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage and eventually lost, 31-27, to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Detroit (0-6) erased a 15-point deficit and had the lead in the fourth quarter but remained the NFL's only winless team. The six losses to start the season matches the worst start in club annals, also done in 1955.
"This was another game where we fought right to the end," Lions coach Marty Mornhinweg said. "We just didn't have enough plays in us to get it done.
"Our spirits are still up," Mornhinweg added. "This is the third week we've battled right up until the very end and we'll continue to do that."
Dillon carried 27 times for 184 yards and two scores, including a one-yard TD with 8:06 to play that gave the Bengals (4-3) the lead for good. Cincinnati is 10-0 when its workhorse rushes for at least 130 yards.
Dillon also caught an eight-yard TD pass as the Bengals matched their win total from last season.
After the opening kickoff, Dillon took a handoff and ran up the middle before cutting to his left and outrunning Lions cornerback Terry Fair to the end zone.
"We had the opportunity to come out and get some yards and we took advantage with a long run," Dillon said. "That play is designed to go right. I saw a crease at the left and it opened up."
It was the longest TD run in franchise history, surpassing the 87-yard scamper by Paul Robinson on October 27, 1968 vs. Oakland.
Jason Hanson added field goals of 51 and 24 yards, bringing the Lions within 14-6 with 3:47 left in the first half. But Kitna launched a 30-yard pass to Darnay Scott on the first play after the two-minute warning, putting Cincinnati ahead by 15 with 1:53 to play.
"We put 31 points on the board," Kitna said. "We feel good about that.
"This was a huge game for us. This was pivotal for a young team like us, a young team with a fragile state of mind."
Desmond Howard took the ensuing kickoff 91 yards to the Cincinnati 9, setting up Lamont Warren for a one-yard score three plays later, cutting the deficit to 21-13 at the half.
"We needed a big play," quarterback Charlie Batch said. "Desmond did that and the rest of us feed off of it."
Howard opened the second half with a 63-yard kick return to the Bengals 28 and two plays later, Charlie Batch found wide-open tight end David Sloan one yard out but the Lions failed on the two-point conversion, making it 21-19.
Howard set a regular-season career high with 229 kick-return yards, breaking the mark of 223 on October 26, 1997 with the Raiders at Seattle.
After Neil Rackers booted a 39-yard field goal with just over five minutes left in the quarter, Sloan caught his second touchdown pass of the game, a one-yard reception from Batch with just 34 seconds left.
The Bengals were faced with 3rd-and-4 from their own 23 and Kitna completed a six-yard pass to Ron Dugans to keep the drive going. Kitna had another third down play at the Lions 12 and ran seven yards, giving Cincinnati first and goal from the five before Dillon's go-ahead score.
"He's one of the best running backs in the games," Lions linebacker Luther Ellis said. "He just keeps on going. Most guys, if you hit them, they'll go down but he doesn't. He just keeps going hard."
Can it get any worse for the honolulu blue and silver??? For the 1st time since 1955, the Lions are 0-6 with no end in sight. The Lions found themselves behind, once again, from the very 1st play from scrimmage as Corey Dillon ran for a 96 yard touchdown run. And yet again, the Lions found themselves dwon 21-6, before they could even mount a comeback. The only reason they were able to overcome that deficit was because Desmond Howard returned to his old roots and setup two of the Lions touchdowns. Special teams definitely cost the Lions a win last week, but if it wasn't for them today, it would of been another blow out. Batch, who has an injured shoulder, didn't look as sharp as he did the past two games and had three turnovers. Still, the offense can't be blamed for the loss. Yet again, the defense self destructed over to a Bengal's team that couldn't manage a singe point against the Bears last week. Its becoming quite clear that all the injuries to the defense are definintely catching up to them. Even with the defense playing so crappy, the Lions had a chance to win the game, but the drive fizzled right before Aaron Gibson, the biggest bust since Andre Ware, got called for a personal foul that put the Lions into a 3rd and long...the very next play was a desperation pass over the middle that was intercepted. Game over! 0-6! And next week you can chalk up another in the "L" column!
Offense: --- C-. The offense isn't the same without Germane Crowell and Herman Moore, when he was healthy years ago. Batch, playing injured, looked like the Charlie were used to booing at, as he had a lost fumble and two interceptions. Still, Batch took advantage of the great staring field position the special teams gave the offense. He hooked up twice with David Sloan for touchdowns. Larry Foster did a decent job as a starting wide receiver. Lamont Warren started for the injured James Stewart and looked nothing more than the journey man he is. The offense has scored a decent amount of points the past three games given all the injuries that continue to pile up, but it doesn't make a difference if the defense gives up more. There will be a lot of changes in the offseason to the offense. I just hope they start by cutting Aaron "Andre Ware" Gibson and Stockar "I never lived up to expectations" McDougle. Just think who we could of drafted instead of these two busts! On the bright side, Jeff Backus has stood up to the challange. Still, the offense line is once again, one of the worst lines in the league.
Defense: --- F. Giving up a 96 yard touchdown on the 1st play from scrimmage is a disgrace!!! One of the main reasons the Lions are 0-6 is because the defense has been so pathetic! It doesn't help that there are a lot of injuries, but it was nice to gett Kurt Schultz back, who lead the team with seven tackles. But, where are the players who actually were suppose to setup and have good years? If there is one player who has fallen more this year on the defense, its Luthar Elliss? Wasn't this guy in the pro bowl a few years ago? Robert Porcher continues to show up every other game...Terry Fair and Todd Lyght are awful in the secondary. Still, heading into the season, the Lions run defense was suppose to be one of the strongest units they had...now its the worst! Every week, its another QB or RB that just runs wild over the defense. All in all, its been a six week nightmare that will be seven week one after San Francisco pulverizes the Lions defense next week.
Special Teams: --- A. After costing the Lions the game last week, the special teams definitely redeemed themselves this week! Desmond Howard was sensational as he had his longest return ever, a 91 yarder, that setup the Lions first touchdown...he later added a 65 yarder that setup the Lions 2nd touchdown. Jason Hanson continues to be automatic and nailed a 51 yarder that got the Lions on the board. Coverage also was strong once again. Desmond Howard surely is one of the best free agent pickups the Lions have had in a long time.
Coaching: --- C. Morninweig made the right call to punt midway through the 4th quarter although many people though he should of went for it. But, if Marty wants to become a good coach, he must do what he said he will do: get rid of the players that shouldn't be here. Still, he better have the Lions ready in three weeks when they next have a chance at a victory in Arizona.
Overall: --- F. I thought last week that that the Lions were going to beat the Bengals and get their 1st win of the year. Wrong again! Its an embarrassment to lose to the lowly Bengals, even if they are having a mediocre year. The past three weeks, the Lions have battled back from 2nd half deficits only to come up a little short. Too bad!!! A loss is a loss! Unfortunately, I can't see for the life of me how the Lions have a chance of winning either of their next two games. Next week they travel to San Francisco, where they always get blown out no matter how good or bad they are. If the Lions stay within two touchdowns, i'd be shocked! The following week the Bucs come to the Silverdome, which will leave the Lions at 0-8, and one of their worst seasons in franchise history. Their only chance of victory will come in Arizona in three weeks and against Dallas. I just can't wait for the nightmare to end...hopefully it'll turn out to be a high 1st round draft pick.
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