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Bengals, Panthers play to tie

Oct 13, 2014 - 2:11 AM Cincinnati, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Mike Nugent and Graham Gano each kicked field goals in overtime, but Nugent missed a potential game-winner as the Cincinnati Bengals and Carolina Panthers played to a 37-37 tie.

Nugent opened the extra session with a 42-yard kick, and his counterpart Gano knotted the score with a 36-yarder on Carolina's possession.

Cincinnati took over with just over two minutes to play in OT, and Andy Dalton's 24-yard completion to James Wright near the right sideline set up Nugent's 36-yard attempt with four seconds to play, which was pushed wide right as the clock hit zero.

"You want to come up with a victory there. That's a shame," said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis.

Gano forced overtime with a 44-yard field goal as time expired in regulation.

Dalton completed 34-of-44 passes for 323 yards with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions for the Bengals, who were coming off a humbling loss to the Patriots in New England. Giovani Bernard shook off a shoulder injury to run for 137 yards and a touchdown.

"I've never been part of a tie before," said Dalton. "We had our chances. ... We played hard, that definitely showed today. Guys fought really hard."

Cincinnati (3-1-1) had its 11-game regular-season home win streak come to an end.

Cam Newton had his best effort of the season for Carolina (3-2-1), compiling 391 total yards -- 284 passing and 107 rushing -- with three total touchdowns.

Newton, who has battled injuries, only had 42 rush yards for the season entering Sunday.

"You talk about the missed opportunities, we had a number of them," said Carolina coach Ron Rivera. "We had opportunities to win this football game."

The Panthers burned more than nine minutes off the clock on the opening drive, which ended with a short touchdown reception by Kelvin Benjamin. Carolina converted three third downs and was aided by a roughing the passer penalty on Vontaze Burfict, who returned to the Bengals defense after missing the previous two games with a concussion. On 3rd-and-goal from the 3, Newton fired a pass to Benjamin, who got open on a quick slant and absorbed a crushing blow in the back of the end zone.

Dalton completed four third down passes on Cincinnati's first series, which took the game into the second quarter. On the second play after switching sides, Dalton tossed a swing pass to Brandon Tate, who dove over the left pylon to tie the score.

Following a Carolina three-and-out, Bernard took a handoff and wiggled out of traffic before sprinting 89 yards down the left sideline. The speedy second- year back shook off a defender at the goal line and fell in for the longest TD of his career and second longest in franchise history.

Gano and Nugent traded field goals, and the Bengals took a 17-10 lead into the break.

Dalton's 20-yard keeper highlighted the first series of the second half, but pressure on the quarterback forced him to float a pass on third down in Panthers territory. Antoine Cason made an easy interception and picked up blocking downfield, taking it all the way to the Cincinnati 10.

Fozzy Whitaker's first career touchdown run came two plays later.

Newton scrambled for a 12-yard touchdown run on the next Panthers series to give the visitors their first lead.

After Gano missed a 38-yard field goal that would have made it a 10-point game, Dalton connected with Mohamed Sanu on a 34-yard score to tie it. Sanu filled in admirably for injured star A.J. Green as the No. 1 wideout, making 11 catches for a career-best 120 yards.

Panthers tight end Greg Olsen found the end zone with 4:50 remaining in the fourth, but Adam Jones fielded the ensuing kickoff on the goal line and darted through Carolina's special teams, taking it 97 yards to set up Jeremy Hill's game-tying touchdown run right up the gut.

Newton then took a big hit and overthrew Benjamin on third down. Reggie Nelson went to the ground to pick off the pass, and he took it to the back to the Panthers 24.

Two plays into Cincinnati's possession, Hill broke a touchdown run off right tackle, but a holding penalty on Andre Smith negated the go-ahead score. Smith was then whistled for a false start, pushing the Bengals back to the 37, but Sanu came up with a 17-yard reception on a tipped pass to set up Nugent's 38-yard field goal.

Battling an arm injury he sustained on the previous drive, Newton led the Panthers into field goal range with a textbook two-minute drill. Gano forced overtime with a 44-yard kick as time expired.

Game Notes

Corey Dillon owns the longest run in Bengals history with a 96-yarder in 2001 ... Green is week-to-week with a toe injury ... Whitaker and Darrin Reaves gained 40 yards combined on the ground, while starting running backs DeAngelo Williams (ankle) and Jonathan Stewart (knee) both missed the game ... Bengals linebacker Ray Maualuga left with a hamstring injury ... This was the first tie in Panthers franchise history, and the highest scoring tie in league history.