| 2001 Cincinnati Bengals season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Head coach | Dick LeBeau |
| Home field | Paul Brown Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 6–10 |
| Division place | 6th AFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | RBCorey Dillon |
| |
The 2001 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise’s 34th year in professional football and its 32nd with the National Football League. In the first full season with Dick LeBeau as head coach, 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.
| 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 | |||||
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
| 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 | atSan Diego Chargers | L 14–28 | 2–1 | Qualcomm Stadium | 56,048 |
| 4 | October 7 | atPittsburgh 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 | atDetroit Lions | W 31–27 | 4–3 | Pontiac Silverdome | 69,343 |
| 8 | Bye | |||||
| 9 | November 11 | atJacksonville 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 | atCleveland 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 | atNew York Jets | L 14–15 | 4–9 | Giants Stadium | 77,745 |
| 15 | December 23 | atBaltimore Ravens | L 0–16 | 4–10 | PSINet Stadium | 68,987 |
| 16 | December 30 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 26–23 | 5–10 | Paul Brown Stadium | 63,751 |
| 17 | January 6 | atTennessee Titans | W 23–21 | 6–10 | Adelphia Coliseum | 68,798 |
Week 1: New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Bengals | 0 | 10 | 13 | 0 | 23 |
atPaul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 2: Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ravens | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Bengals | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 21 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 3: Cincinnati Bengals at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Chargers | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
atQualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
Week 4: Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Steelers | 0 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
atHeinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Week 5: Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Bengals | 3 | 0 | 10 | 11 | 24 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Week 6: Chicago Bears at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Bengals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 7: Cincinnati Bengals at Detroit Lions – Game summary
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | 7 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 31 |
| Lions | 3 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 27 |
atPontiac Silverdome, Detroit, Michigan
| 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 | ||
| Player | Att | Comp | Yds | TD | INT | Rating |
| Jon Kitna | 581 | 313 | 3216 | 12 | 22 | 61.1 |
| Player | Att | Yds | YPC | Long | TD |
| Corey Dillon | 340 | 1315 | 3.9 | 96 | 10 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
|
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Franchise |
|
| Stadiums |
|
| Culture |
|
| Lore |
|
| Rivalries |
|
| Division championships (11) |
|
| Conference championships (3) |
|
| Retired numbers |
|
| Ring of Honor |
|
| Media |
|
| Current league affiliations |
|
| Former league affiliation |
|
|
| |
|---|---|
| |
Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance |
