Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Josh Johnson (8) is pursued by Tennessee Titans defensive end Kamerion Wimbley (95) in the second half of an NFL preseason football game, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2013, in Cincinnati.CINCINNATI – Andy Dalton got a little diversity into the Bengals’ offense.
With All-Pro receiver A.J. Green watching again, Cincinnati’s offense had an impressive first half in a 27-19 preseason victory over the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night. Everybody got involved.
Rookie running back Giovani Bernard started, carried seven times for 37 yards and a touchdown, and turned a short pass into a 22-yard gain, giving the Bengals (2-0) the diversity they’re seeking out of the backfield.
After failing to score in the first quarter of a 34-10 win in Atlanta last week, the Bengals’ starters piled up 220 yards in the first half on their way to a 17-3 lead. Dalton was 9 of 14 for 115 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown pass to Mohamed Sanu in the back corner of the end zone.
“I think we were a little bit hungry tonight,” Dalton said. “After last week, we wanted to put points on the board with the (starters) in there. So we go out of this game feeling a little bit better than last week.”