Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. Cincinnati 3 at Atlanta 30 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Cincinnati Bengals: Gus Frerotte looked really bad in this game before getting the hook. He was replaced by Jon Kitna who fared only slightly better. Corey Dillon continues to rush while facing defenses that crowd the line. It is truly amazing that he gets the yardage that he does. On the bright side, Dillon stayed involved in the passing game, and it is clear that the Bengals are comfortable throwing the ball to him more often than prior years. The Bengals wide receivers didn't look very good and dropped a number of passes. Michael Westbrook was shut down in this game, and Peter Warrick did not do anything to impress. TJ Houshmandzadeh continues to get looks in the offense and looks poised to emerge as a threat. However, a large part of the WR problems is the result of bad QB play and until that improves, it is buyer beware. The Bengals defense was under pressure from the start because the offense was so ineffective. If the offense continues to struggle, expect the defense to struggle as well as a result of fatigue and opponents field position. Atlanta Falcons: Mike Vick is flat out good. While he is occasionally inaccurate, Vick has an incredibly strong arm and throws well on the run. He also calls his own number running the ball, so you will continue to see good rushing statistics. This guy is very dangerous and every bit as good as advertised. Doug Johnson replaced Vick late in the fourth quarter after the game was in hand. Running backs Warrick Dunn and TJ Duckett split carries in this game with Duckett getting 10 more carries this time. ESPN's Joe Thiesman indicated that the Falcons have implemented specific packages where Duckett plays. Duckett was a little slow to scrimmage in the first half, but ran with much more authority in the second half. Warrick Dunn looked fine, and was able to turn a couple of runs into gains from nothing. However, his numbers will obviously suffer if Duckett continues to touch the ball more, so monitor the situation. Brian Finneran looked good in this game and was a primary target of Vick. Finneran worked hard to get open on plays when Vick bought more time with scrambling. Willie Jackson also saw passes thrown his way, but had some bad luck connecting. PK Jay Feely was 3/3 on FGs but should have had another. He made a 48 yard FG but it was called back due to a holding penalty and the Falcons punted. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Cincinnati Bengals QB: Gus Frerotte's first pass from scrimmage should have been intercepted for a probable Falcons touchdown and his second pass was intercepted. He did not look good early in the game. Frerotte led the Bengals on a number of three-and-outs and as a result the Falcons dominated time of possession early. Frerotte got the hook in favor of Jon Kitna early in the second quarter based on his poor play. He did not complete a pass before leaving the game. Jon Kitna's first series started at the Bengals two-yard line and he also went three-and-out. His second series was a long drive that resulted in a field goal. Kitna did fumble on the drive, but the Bengals recovered. In the second half, Kitna threw an interception on the first series. Though he was more accurate than Frerotte, he was not able to move the offense consistently. WR: Michael Westbrook dropped what looked to be a catchable pass early in the second quarter. He was not able to get open in this game and was not a preferred target. Peter Warrick dropped a third down pass at the end of the first quarter that he should have caught. Warrick finally made the Bengals first catch of the game with seven minutes left in the half for three yards. He stayed involved in the passing game, but did not do anything special. TJ Houshmandzadeh was open on a deep route in the second quarter and Frerotte over threw him. He continued to receive looks throughout the game, though he only finished with three catches for 36 yards. Houshmandzadeh looks poised to emerge as a preferred WR for the Bengals, but the QB situation is preventing better numbers. Chad Johnson was not part of the Bengals offensive game plan, and looks to be the fourth option. He had one catch in the game in the fourth quarter. RB: Corey Dillon was dropped for a loss of three yards by DE Brady Smith on his first carry to set the tone and finished the first quarter with only four yards. The complete lack of passing game is really hurting Dillon and it is amazing he gets the yards he does. Opposing defenses will continue to crowd the line of scrimmage, but Dillon still gives the Bengals the best chance to move the ball. Dillon also continued to look good catching the ball out of the backfield, and it is clear that the Bengals' signal callers are comfortable throwing the ball to him. TE: Matt Schobel made a catch for six yards, and it was the first catch by a Bengal tight end this year. Nothing to see here. K: Neil Rackers made a field goal from 24 yards for the Bengals only score. Bengals Pass Defense: The Bengals defense held early when the Falcons got the ball on the Bengals 15 yard line after a Frerotte interception. The coverage looked decent, but they really didn't get much pressure on Vick as he was moving around quite a bit in the backfield. Justin Smith finally sacked Vick toward the end of the third quarter. The Bengals defense was under pressure from the start because the offense was so ineffective. If the offense continues to struggle, expect the defense to struggle as well as a result of fatigue and opponents field position. Bengals Rush Defense: The defense took a taunting penalty on the first play of the game. Overall, this unit did a decent job containing Duckett and Dunn in the first half, but could not contain Vick on his called run plays. In the second half, the defense was fatigued and wasn't able to stop the Falcons from running the ball effectively. Takeo Spikes finished with nine tackles and led the team. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Atlanta Falcons QB: Mike Vick indicated that he needed to protect himself more in the pregame interview with Suzy Kolber. He looked good early, and made a terrific pass while on the run to find Brian Finneran with a tight spiral. In the same series, Vick showed off his legs on a called run for seven yards and a first down. He finished the touchdown drive off with another great run and a bullet to Finneran in the end zone. His second touchdown to Finneran in the first half was another fastball on the run. A few of his passes in the first half were thrown high or low, but overall he looked great. Vick also called his own number on rushing plays, so you can expect his running numbers to continue. The second half brought more of the same, and Vick looked comfortable inside the pocket and running the ball. Doug Johnson came in late in the second half to rest Vick once the game was in hand. WR: Brian Finneran ran a nice post route on his touchdown catch and Vick hit him right in stride. He continued to receive looks from Vick throughout the game, and didn't miss many opportunities. When Vick used his scrambling ability to buy more time, Finneran work hard to get open. He finished the game with six catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns. Willie Jackson was targeted quite a bit throughout the game despite his final statistics. He looked fine, but was simply not able to connect with Vick on his opportunities. More than anything, it appeared to be bad luck and Vick's accuracy was off when he looked to Jackson. RB: Warrick Dunn started the game split wide with Duckett in the backfield. Dunn turned a couple of runs into gains after it looked like he would be tackled for losses. He stayed involved in the game both as a runner and as a receiver. His touchdown came on a fourth and short when Duckett had run the ball for most of the series. In this game, Dunn split the workload with Duckett and received fewer carries than Duckett, so continue to monitor the situation. TJ Duckett got the first two carries of the game, both negated due to Bengals' penalties. Joe Thiesman indicated that the Falcons have implemented specific packages where Duckett plays. Duckett continued to receive early carries and finished with five carries and three yards in the first quarter. He seemed slow to the line of scrimmage during the first half. In the second half, Duckett continued to get touches and ran the ball with much more authority. He looked to be difficult to tackle when turning his shoulders and running downfield. TE: Alge Crumpler was not targeted in the first half. He finally made a catch late in the third quarter on a nice crossing pattern. K: Jay Feely connected on his first two field goals. His third attempt was good from 48 yards, but was called back on a holding penalty and the Falcons punted. He added another field goal in the fourth quarter. Falcons Pass Defense: CB Juran Bolden dropped what should have been an easy interception and score on Frerotte's first pass from scrimmage. The Falcons got pressure on Frerotte early in the game and didn't let the Bengals move the ball in the air. The coverage was tight throughout the game, and DE Brady Smith's sack in the second quarter was a coverage sack. Falcons Rush Defense: The Falcons crowded the line of scrimmage all night to stop Dillon. The Bengals even lined up once in the spread offense and moved Dillon to the backfield to try to keep the Falcons from lining up to stop him. LB Keith Brooking was busy on the field and shadowed Corey Dillon for much of the night. He finished the game with 10 tackles.