2001 Cincinnati Bengals season
NFL team season
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The 2001 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise’s 34th year in professional football and its 32nd with the National Football League. The Bengals abandoned their plans for developing quarterback Akili Smith as their starter by acquiring Jon Kitna from the Seattle Seahawks. The Bengals would win their first two games with Kitna behind center, and sat at 4–3 through the first seven games of the season. However, the Bengals would struggle again, losing their next seven games as Kitna struggled with inconsistency, throwing 22 interceptions while throwing only 12 touchdown passes. The Bengals would win their final two games to close the season with a 6–10 record, their eleventh consecutive season without a winning record. Despite the team’s struggles, All-Pro running back Corey Dillon had another stellar year, rushing for 1,315 yards.[1]
| 2001 Cincinnati Bengals season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Dick LeBeau |
| Home stadium | Paul Brown Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 6–10 |
| Division place | 6th AFC Central |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | RB Corey Dillon |
In 2001 players such as Justin Smith, Chad Johnson, Rudi Johnson, and T. J. Houshmandzadeh were drafted, all of whom would be important to Cincinnati in later years. One positive for the Bengals that year was that they defeated the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the season opener.
Offseason
| Additions | Subtractions |
|---|---|
| QB Jon Kitna (Seahawks) | T Rod Jones (Rams) |
| DT Tony Williams (Vikings) | DT Tom Barndt (Jets) |
| DE Bernard Whittington (Colts) | DE Michael Bankston (Redskins) |
| FB Lorenzo Neal (Titans) | |
| T Richmond Webb (Dolphins) |
NFL draft
| 2001 Cincinnati Bengals draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Justin Smith * | Defensive end | Missouri | |
| 2 | 36 | Chad Johnson * | Wide receiver | Oregon State | |
| 3 | 66 | Sean Brewer | Tight end | San Jose State | |
| 4 | 100 | Rudi Johnson * | Running back | Auburn | |
| 5 | 135 | Victor Leyva | Guard | Arizona State | |
| 6 | 168 | Riall Johnson | Linebacker | Stanford | |
| 7 | 204 | T. J. Houshmandzadeh * | Wide receiver | Oregon State | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Jeff Boyle | Defensive tackle | Wyoming |
| Kenny Bryant | Cornerback | Jackson State |
| Jeff Chase | Guard | Texas A&M–Kingsville |
| Chris Edmonds | Linebacker | West Virginia |
| Rashad Harris | Linebacker | Louisville |
| Jared Lee | Safety | BYU |
| Calvin Lewis | Defensive tackle | Memphis |
| Freddie Moore | Tackle | Florida A&M |
| Ramondo North | Wide receiver | North Carolina A&T |
| Duke Pettijohn | Linebacker | Syracuse |
| Dave Puloka | Linebacker | Holy Cross |
| Chris Rosier | Wide receiver | William & Mary |
| Kamal Shakir | Linebacker | Memphis |
Personnel
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 9 | New England Patriots | W 23–17 | 1–0 | Paul Brown Stadium | 51,521 |
| 2 | September 23 | Baltimore Ravens | W 21–10 | 2–0 | Paul Brown Stadium | 51,121 |
| 3 | September 30 | at San Diego Chargers | L 14–28 | 2–1 | Qualcomm Stadium | 56,048 |
| 4 | October 7 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 7–16 | 2–2 | Heinz Field | 62,335 |
| 5 | October 14 | Cleveland Browns | W 24–14 | 3–2 | Paul Brown Stadium | 64,217 |
| 6 | October 21 | Chicago Bears | L 0–24 | 3–3 | Paul Brown Stadium | 63,408 |
| 7 | October 28 | at Detroit Lions | W 31–27 | 4–3 | Pontiac Silverdome | 69,343 |
| 8 | Bye | |||||
| 9 | November 11 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 13–30 | 4–4 | Alltel Stadium | 57,161 |
| 10 | November 18 | Tennessee Titans | L 7–20 | 4–5 | Paul Brown Stadium | 63,865 |
| 11 | November 25 | at Cleveland Browns | L 0–18 | 4–6 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 72,918 |
| 12 | December 2 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 13–16 (OT) | 4–7 | Paul Brown Stadium | 52,135 |
| 13 | December 9 | Jacksonville Jaguars | L 10–14 | 4–8 | Paul Brown Stadium | 44,920 |
| 14 | December 16 | at New York Jets | L 14–15 | 4–9 | Giants Stadium | 77,745 |
| 15 | December 23 | at Baltimore Ravens | L 0–16 | 4–10 | PSINet Stadium | 68,987 |
| 16 | December 30 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 26–23 (OT) | 5–10 | Paul Brown Stadium | 63,751 |
| 17 | January 6 | at Tennessee Titans | W 23–21 | 6–10 | Adelphia Coliseum | 68,798 |
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. New England Patriots
Week 1: New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Bengals | 0 | 10 | 13 | 0 | 23 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Date: September 9
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 79 °F (26 °C)
- Game attendance: 51,521
- Referee: John Smith
- TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson, Brent Jones, Sam Wyche
- Box score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 2: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Week 2: Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ravens | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Bengals | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 21 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Date: September 23
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Partly cloudy, 73 °F (23 °C)
- Game attendance: 51,121
- Referee: Ed Hochuli
- TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Solomon Wilcots
- Box score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 3: at San Diego Chargers
Week 3: Cincinnati Bengals at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Chargers | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
- Date: September 30
- Game time: 4:15 p.m. EDT/1:15 PDT
- Game weather: Clear and sunny, 78 °F (26 °C)
- Game attendance: 56,048
- Referee: Dick Hantak
- TV announcers (CBS): Bill Macatee, Trevor Matich, and Scott Kaplan
- Box score
Week 4: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 4: Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Steelers | 0 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: October 7
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Party cloudy, 46 °F (8 °C)
- Game attendance: 62,335
- Referee: Larry Nemmers
- TV announcers (CBS): Bill Macatee and Trevor Matich
- Box score
Week 5: vs. Cleveland Browns
Week 5: Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Bengals | 3 | 0 | 10 | 11 | 24 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Date: October 14
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 57 °F (14 °C)
- Game attendance: 64,217
- Referee: Mike Carey
- TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui, Steve Tasker
- Box score
Week 6: vs. Chicago Bears
Week 6: Chicago Bears at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Bengals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Date: October 21
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Partly cloudy, 68 °F (20 °C)
- Game attendance: 63,408
- Referee: Bernie Kukar
- TV announcers (Fox): Curt Menefee, Brian Baldinger, and Dan Jiggetts
- Box score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 7: at Detroit Lions
Week 7: Cincinnati Bengals at Detroit Lions – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | 7 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 31 |
| Lions | 3 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 27 |
at Pontiac Silverdome, Detroit, Michigan
- Date: October 28
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: None (played indoors)
- Game attendance: 69,343
- Referee: Johnny Grier
- TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson, Brent Jones
- Box score
Standings
| AFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |||
| (1) Pittsburgh Steelers | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 352 | 212 | W1 | ||
| (5) Baltimore Ravens | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 303 | 265 | W1 | ||
| Cleveland Browns | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 285 | 319 | L1 | ||
| Tennessee Titans | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 336 | 388 | L2 | ||
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 294 | 286 | L2 | ||
| Cincinnati Bengals | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 226 | 309 | W2 | ||
Team leaders
Passing
| Player | Att | Comp | Yds | TD | INT | Rating |
| Jon Kitna | 581 | 313 | 3216 | 12 | 22 | 61.1 |
Rushing
| Player | Att | Yds | YPC | Long | TD |
| Corey Dillon | 340 | 1315 | 3.9 | 96 | 10 |
Receiving
| Player | Rec | Yds | Avg | Long | TD |
| Peter Warrick | 70 | 667 | 9.5 | 33 | 1 |
| Darnay Scott | 57 | 819 | 14.4 | 49 | 2 |
| Corey Dillon | 34 | 228 | 6.7 | 17 | 3 |
Defensive
| Player | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | FF | FR |
| Takeo Spikes | 109 | 6.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Reinard Wilson | 37 | 9.0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Artrell Hawkins | 59 | 0.0 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Kevin Kaesviharn | 25 | 0.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking and punting
| Player | FGA | FGM | FG% | XPA | XPM | XP% | Points |
| Neil Rackers | 28 | 17 | 60.7% | 24 | 23 | 95.8% | 74 |
| Player | Punts | Yards | Long | Blkd | Avg. |
| Nick Harris | 84 | 3372 | 57 | 1 | 40.1 |
Special teams
| Player | KR | KRYards | KRAvg | KRLong | KRTD | PR | PRYards | PRAvg | PRLong | PRTD |
| Curtis Keaton | 42 | 891 | 21.2 | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peter Warrick | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 116 | 6.4 | 31 | 0 |
| T. J. Houshmandzadeh | 10 | 185 | 18.5 | 23 | 0 | 12 | 163 | 13.6 | 86 | 0 |
Awards and records
- Corey Dillon, 5th 1,000 yard rushing season[3]