But it was the defense that put an emphatic stamp on the team’s victory in Week 1 with a game-ending goal-line stand that preserved a 21-14 triumph against Phoenix.
The Cardinals had first and goal at the Cincinnati 1-yard line with 1 minute and 15 seconds remaining, but the Bengals dropped running back Stump Mitchell for a loss on first and third down and forced quarterback Neil Lomax to throw an incompletion on second down.
Facing fourth-and-9 with 8 seconds to go, Lomax never got off a pass as Jason Buck dropped him for a 10-yard sack to seal the win.
“I remember us celebrating like no other game,” Bengals defensive back Solomon Wilcots recalled. “It sort of validated our expectations of ourselves. I was so happy for our defense because everyone always gave our offense a lot of credit.”
Wilcots, who works as a broadcaster for the NFL Network and CBS, said the first play of the game was nearly as exhilarating as the last.
“I’m just a young kid in my second year, and on the very first play Stump Mitchell breaks right through the middle untouched and it’s he and I,” Wilcots said. “He comes smoking right at me. I’m 20 yards deep, and those are the hardest tackles to make in football – straight up the gut, no one touches him, a gaping hole. If he makes me miss he’s going to go for a touchdown on the first play of the season.”
But Wilcots made the open-field tackle and the Cardinals eventually punted. They ultimately did take an early lead when Lomax hit Mitchell with a 4-yard TD pass midway through the second quarter, but Esiason got the Bengals even in the final minute before halftime with a 25-yard TD pass to James Brooks.
The Cardinals regained the lead early in the third, but the Bengals answered again when Esiason hit Eddie Brown for a 61-yard score.
Esiason’s third TD was a 15-yarder to Mike Martin early in the fourth quarter that ended up being a game-winner thanks to the defense’s goal-line stand in the closing seconds.
And the Bengals went on to win their next five games to get off to a 6-0 start.
“That opener was a huge confidence builder,” Wilcots said. “A lot of people like to pretend that they’ve got the confidence to begin with, but I’m willing to admit that we needed an early moment of validation to build on, and we got it. I would have rather us won that way with a goal-line stand than with a blowout.”
Game 1
Cincinnati Bengals 21, Phoenix Cardinals 14
Sept. 4, 1988
Riverfront Stadium
Phoenix 0 7 7 0 — 14
Cincinnati 0 7 7 7 — 21
SCORING SUMMARY
Second quarter
P: Stump Mitchell 4 pass from Neil Lomax (Al DelGreco kick), 8:05
C: James Brooks 25 pass from Boomer Esiason (Jim Breech kick), 14:17
Third quarter
P: Roy Green 29 pass from Lomax (DelGreco kick), 5:40
C: Eddie Brown 61 pass from Esiason (Breech kick), 8:25
Fourth quarter
C: Mike Martin 15 pass from Esiason (Breech kick), 3:45
PASSING
Phoenix – Neil Lomax 21-31-2-237; Cincinnati – Boomer Esiason 17-26-1-271
RUSHING
Phoenix – Stump Mitchell 22-110; Earl Ferrell 6-28; J.T. Smith 1-15; Tony Jordan 2-11; Neil Lomax 2-3
17; Cincinnati – James Brooks 9-75; Stanley Wilson 11-47; Boomer Esiason 4-22; Ickey Woods 3-8
RECEIVING
Phoenix – J.T. Smith 7-98; Roy Green 4-75; Earl Ferrell 4-19; Stump Mitchell 3-18; Robert Awalt 3-17; Cincinnati – Eddie Brown 6-143; James Brooks 3-43; Rodney Holman 3-19; Tim McGee 2-34; Mike Martin 2-22; Ira Hillary 1-10
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