2001

Bills 20
Cincinnati 10

Attendance:  50,037 

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Scott Mitchell was less than convincing. The Buffalo Bills' running backs left their future muddled, too.  

The Bengals (1-2) were getting their last chance to pick a passer. Mitchell, making his first start, was no better than his predecessors, completing 8 of 19 for 97 yards in the first half.

Erik Flowers sacked Mitchell for a safety in the first quarter, and Antoine Winfield intercepted two poorly thrown balls -- one a sideline pass that floated, the other a rushed throw that went directly to the cornerback.

Those three plays helped the Bills pull ahead 12-3 in the second quarter and left coach Dick LeBeau with a tough decision next week. Jon Kitna and Akili Smith also struggled in their preseason starts.

In 18 series, Bengals starting quarterbacks have led the offense to two field goals and one touchdown -- Brandon Bennett's 76-yard run in the second quarter Saturday.

"If one of them had lit it up and we scored 35 points, it would have been easy," LeBeau said of his decision. "But it didn't happen that way."

A sign of Mitchell's disappointment: He didn't stick around to talk about it.

The Bills (2-1) were hoping to resolve a three-way competition at running back. They don't have a clear-cut choice, either.

Incumbent Sammy Morris started and had a couple of nice, darting runs as part of a 10-carry, 52-yard game. Second-round draft pick Travis Henry ran seven times for 35 yards. Shawn Bryson had trouble cutting on his left ankle, which he sprained in practice Thursday, and lost four yards on two carries.

Coach Gregg Williams gave no hint of how he's leaning.

"Right now, we're just making the most of what we've got," Morris said. "Everybody's getting carries and that will make us better as a team."

The Bills' longest run was by Curtis Alexander, whose 55-yard run set up Alex Van Pelt's fourth-quarter touchdown pass.

Rob Johnson, who missed last week's game because of a sprained index finger on his passing hand, played with his finger wrapped and looked sharp on his short-range throws. He played the first half and the first series of the second half, completing 8 of 19 for 81 yards. His 13-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy McDaniel put the Bills ahead 12-3 in the second quarter.

"We had our chances," Johnson said. "When you only play a half and you miss a couple of big plays, it really hurts. If we'd have played the second half, I think we would have made some of those big plays."

The Bills' patchwork offensive line was a problem, giving up six sacks.

Corey Hulsey, a practice-squad player last season, started at right guard in place of Jerry Ostroski, who broke his leg last week. Rookie free agent Michael Early replaced center Bill Conaty, out with a sore shoulder, and was penalized for an improper snap.

Neither offense did much consistently except rack up penalties. Buffalo's Steve Christie missed three long field goals, and Cincinnati's Neil Rackers and Richie Cunningham missed one apiece.

NOTES - Black clouds moved over Paul Brown Stadium a half-hour before game time, bringing heavy rain that subsided by kickoff and returned in the second quarter. ... Buffalo LB Fred Jones and Cincinnati SS Cory Hall were ejected for an altercation during a punt in the second quarter. ... Brian Moorman had a 64-yard punt for Buffalo. ... The officials called six penalties for improper formations, judging that linemen weren't close enough to the line of scrimmage. ... Smith was on the sideline in street clothes. Smith has tendinitis in his throwing shoulder and hasn't practiced in two weeks. ... RB Corey Dillon got his first carries of the preseason and picked up 34 yards on seven first-quarter carries.

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