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 would turn out to be an important year for the team, as players such as Justin Smith, Chad Johnson, Rudi Johnson, and T. J. Houshmandzadeh were drafted, all those players would be important to Cincinnati in later years. One bright spot for the Bengals that year was they defeated the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the season opener.
Offseason
NFL draft
[2]
Undrafted free agents
Personnel
2001 Cincinnati Bengals staff
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Front office
- President – Mike Brown
- Executive vice president – Katie Blackburn
- Vice president – John Sawyer
- Senior vice president of player personnel – Pete Brown
- Vice president of player personnel – Paul Brown
- Directors of pro/college personnel – Jim Lippincott, Duke Tobin
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
- Strength and conditioning – Kim Wood
- Strength and conditioning assistant – Rodney Holman
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Roster
Regular season
Schedule
Week
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Date
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Opponent
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Result
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Record
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Venue
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Attendance
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1
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September 9
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New England Patriots
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W 23–17
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1–0
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Paul Brown Stadium
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51,521
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2
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September 23
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Baltimore Ravens
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W 21–10
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2–0
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Paul Brown Stadium
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51,121
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3
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September 30
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at San Diego Chargers
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L 14–28
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2–1
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Qualcomm Stadium
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56,048
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4
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October 7
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at Pittsburgh Steelers
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L 7–16
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2–2
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Heinz Field
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62,335
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5
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October 14
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Cleveland Browns
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W 24–14
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3–2
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Paul Brown Stadium
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64,217
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6
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October 21
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Chicago Bears
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L 0–24
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3–3
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Paul Brown Stadium
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63,408
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7
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October 28
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at Detroit Lions
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W 31–27
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4–3
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Pontiac Silverdome
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69,343
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8
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Bye
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9
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November 11
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at Jacksonville Jaguars
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L 13–30
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4–4
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Alltel Stadium
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57,161
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10
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November 18
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Tennessee Titans
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L 7–20
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4–5
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Paul Brown Stadium
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63,865
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11
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November 25
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at Cleveland Browns
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L 0–18
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4–6
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Cleveland Browns Stadium
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72,918
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12
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December 2
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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L 13–16 (OT)
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4–7
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Paul Brown Stadium
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52,135
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13
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December 9
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Jacksonville Jaguars
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L 10–14
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4–8
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Paul Brown Stadium
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44,920
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14
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December 16
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at New York Jets
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L 14–15
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4–9
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Giants Stadium
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77,745
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15
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December 23
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at Baltimore Ravens
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L 0–16
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4–10
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PSINet Stadium
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68,987
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16
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December 30
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Pittsburgh Steelers
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W 26–23
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5–10
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Paul Brown Stadium
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63,751
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17
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January 6
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at Tennessee Titans
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W 23–21
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6–10
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Adelphia Coliseum
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68,798
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Game summaries
Week 1: vs. New England Patriots
Game information
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First quarter
Second quarter
- NE – Troy Brown 14-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Adam Vinatieri kick), 14:55. Patriots 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 68 yards, 6:44.
- CIN – Neil Rackers 36-yard field foal, 11:22. Patriots 7–3. Drive: 8 plays, 12 yards, 3:33.
- NE – Adam Vinatieri 39-yard field goal, 6:04. Patriots 10–3. Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 5:18.
- CIN – Corey Dillon 5-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), 2:16. Tied 10–10. Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 3:48.
Third quarter
- CIN – Neil Rackers 47-yard field goal, 12:05. Bengals 13–10. Drive: 5 plays, 42 yards, 1:49.
- CIN – Neil Rackers 33-yard field goal, 6:01. Bengals 16–10. Drive: 9 plays, 44 yards, 4:23.
- CIN – Tony McGee 25-yard pass from Jon Kitna (Neil Rackers kick), 0:06. Bengals 23–10. Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 3:18.
Fourth quarter
- NE – Jermaine Wiggins 8-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Adam Vinatieri kick), 5:29. Bengals 23–17. Drive: 11 plays, 94 yards, 3:48.
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Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
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Week 2: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Week 2: Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Game information
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First quarter
- BAL – Matt Stover 38-yard field goal, 4:22. Ravens 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 37 yards, 2:58.
Second quarter
Third quarter
- CIN – Corey Dillon 1-yard pass from Jon Kitna (Neil Rackers kick), 11:38. Bengals 7–3. Drive: 6 plays, 18 yards, 3:09.
- CIN – Jon Kitna 2-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), 8:10. Bengals 14–3. Drive: 6 plays, 33 yards, 2:58.
Fourth quarter
- BAL – Patrick Johnson 2-yard pass from Elvis Grbac (Matt Stover kick), 13:40. Bengals 14–10. Drive: 4 plays, 17 yards, 1:28.
- CIN – Takeo Spikes 66-yard interception return (Neil Rackers kick), 6:04. Bengals 21–10.
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Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
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Week 3: at San Diego Chargers
Week 4: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 4: Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
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
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Week 6: vs. Chicago Bears
Week 6: Chicago Bears at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Game information
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First quarter
- CHI – Paul Edinger 48-yard field goal, 4:29. Bears 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, 2 yards, 0:53.
Second quarter
- CHI – Fred Baxter 1-yard pass from Jim Miller (Paul Edinger kick), 12:51. Bears 10–0. Drive: 3 plays, 51 yards, 1:28.
Third quarter
- CHI – Marty Booker 13-yard pass from Jim Miller (Paul Edinger kick), 3:25. Bears 17–0. Drive: 6 plays, 67 yards, 3:22.
Fourth quarter
- CHI – Anthony Thomas 23-yard run (Paul Edinger kick), 9:05. Bears 24–0. Drive: 9 plays, 71 yards, 5:09.
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Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
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Week 7: at Detroit Lions
Standings
Team leaders
Passing
Player |
Att |
Comp |
Yds |
TD |
INT |
Rating
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Jon Kitna |
581 |
313 |
3216 |
12 |
22 |
61.1
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Rushing
Receiving
Defensive
Kicking and punting
Player |
FGA |
FGM |
FG% |
XPA |
XPM |
XP% |
Points
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Neil Rackers |
28 |
17 |
60.7% |
24 |
23 |
95.8% |
74
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Player |
Punts |
Yards |
Long |
Blkd |
Avg.
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Nick Harris |
84 |
3372 |
57 |
1 |
40.1
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Special teams
Awards and records
References
External links
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Franchise | |
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Stadiums | |
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Culture | |
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Lore | |
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Rivalries | |
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Division championships (11) | |
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Conference championships (3) | |
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Retired numbers | |
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Ring of Honor | |
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Media | |
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Current league affiliations | |
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Former league affiliation | |
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