SLEIGHT OF HAND
Trick play highlights Bengals’ rout of Titans
CINCINNATI — Andy Dalton, pass catcher?
Why not? The way things are going for the Bengals, even the most risky play turns out right.
And yes, that includes the Bengals quarterback trying to emulate Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Green.
Dalton became the first Bengals quarterback to catch a touchdown pass on Sunday, the signature play in a 33-7 victory over the Tennessee Titans that kept Cincinnati unbeaten heading into its bye week. And feeling pretty good, too. ‘‘I was joking with the guys all week: Who’s going to catch the first TD pass, me or one of the other guys?’’ said Dalton. ‘‘In practice, that [defender] wasn’t out there. I thought I was going to get hit.’’
Cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson missed the chance to deck the quarterback, who slipped off him and went 18 yards for the touchdown, diving just in- side the pylon.
There was a lot more to the win than just the Dalton-turned-receiver trickery. The defense nearly pitched a shutout.
The Bengals (3-0) are off to their best start in eight years. They got a lot of big plays, a few breaks, and plenty of help.
The Titans (1-2) committed a safety after being called for holding in the end zone on a punt, missed two field goals, snapped the ball before Jake Locker was ready in shotgun formation, and whiffed on the game’s defining play.
On the final play of the first quarter, Dalton flipped the ball to receiver Mohamed Sanu, who ran to his right while the quarterback sneaked toward the other side of the field. Sanu stopped and threw a cross-field pass that hung in the air.
Wreh-Wilson misplayed it, bumping Dalton as he ran past. Dalton became the first quarterback to score on a catch since Kansas City’s Tyler Thigpen in 2008.
‘‘I saw the guy and said, ‘Oh, God,’ ’’ Sanu said. ‘‘But [Dalton] went up and made the play. I was scared for a moment.’’
Dalton threw his first interception — Cincinnati’s first turnover of the season — with 44 seconds left before halftime. But Locker forced a throw into coverage in the end zone for an off-setting interception that left the Bengals with a 19-0 halftime lead.
Dalton was 15 of 23 for 169 yards and wasn’t sacked for the third straight game.
Giovani Bernard had a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs. His dive with 1:58 left in the third completed a 14-play, 80-yard drive that lasted 7 minutes, 18 seconds.
The Titans ended the shutout on Shonn Greene’s 1-yard TD run with 6:09 to go.