DaytonDailyNews.com

CINCINNATI — Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson conducted his weekly "Chad's Corner" interview for Channel 19, the local FOX affiliate, then split — but not before speaking to the Dayton Daily News.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen sparked controversy before the game when he said on "Sunday NFL Countdown" that sources within the Bengals organization told him that Johnson could be trade bait in the offseason.

Bengals fans were vocal in their criticism of Johnson all week on sports talk shows, saying Johnson's on-field antics are wearing thin.

"You know me," Johnson said. "So there's no need to pay that any attention. It's the nature of the beast. When you're against me, you add fuel to my fire."

Johnson caught three passes for 102 yards with a long gain of 56 in Sunday's 38-31 victory over the New York Jets, pushing his season totals to 39 receptions for 680 yards, a 17.4-yard average.

'Us against the world'

Johnson said head coach Marvin Lewis delivered an uplifting message after the game.

"It was a very positive speech," Johnson said. "He said, 'It's us against the world. We can't worry about anything happening on the outside. All we have is each other.' "

Dorsey's debut

DeDe Dorsey, a second-year pro who earned a Super Bowl ring playing special teams for Indianapolis last season, got his first NFL action at tailback and responded with seven rushes for 23 yards.

He kept a scoring drive alive with a 5-yard run for a first down at 0:43 of the third quarter.

"It felt good," Dorsey said. "I've been waiting for a while. Kenny (Watson) needed a breather. I got in and tried to help out in any way I could. I've got to continue to build confidence (with the coaches), so they'll continue to put me in."

Botched snap

What happened on New York's shotgun snap that resulted in a fumble recovery by the Bengals?

"It was just miscommunication," said center Nick Mangold, whose snap bounced off quarterback Chad Pennington's leg. "Obviously, he wasn't ready for it and that's something we can't have. You never want it to happen, so it's extremely difficult when it does."

Last laugh

Bengals middle linebacker Anthony Schlegel recorded four tackles (3 solos) against his former team.

"We were out there battling, and it felt good to thump on them a little bit," Schlegel said. "It feels good to see all the work we've been putting in come together. We fought back and got a win. That's the most important thing."

Quick hitters

• "I'm tired of giving the same speech," Jets coach Eric Mangini said. "I am tired of us walking in after a game where we have only played one good half. I am tired of seeing us play poor in the second half."

• Bengals wide receiver Glenn Holt gave a strong effort — four catches for 54 yards and four kickoff returns for 77 yards.

• Defensive end Justin Smith led the Bengals with eight tackles, while tackle John Thornton and safety Chinedum Ndukwe each had a sack.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2253 or cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Next game

Who: Steelers (4-2) at

Bengals (2-4)

When: 1 p.m. Sunday

Radio: WTUE-FM (104.7),

WLW-AM (700).

TV: WHIO (CBS, Channel 7).