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Watson, Bengals snap four-game losing sreak, beat Jets

Oct 22, 2007 - 2:05 AM CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- A big second-half defensive effort and backup running back Kenny Watson finally got the Cincinnati Bengals back into the win column.

Watson ran for a career-high 130 yards and three touchdowns and Cincinnati forced two key second-half turnovers as the Bengals snapped a four-game losing streak with a 38-31 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday.

After giving up 170 yards through the air to Chad Pennington in the first half, the much-maligned Cincinnati defense held the Jets to just 124 yards of offense over the final two quarters in erasing a 23-10 deficit.

"We needed the win and came out in the second half and started to do things better collectively," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "It's all about being consistent. We have some talented guys that need to be playing better. On defense we need to play better on first and third down."

T.J. Houshmandzadeh began a string of 28 unanswered points for the Bengals when he caught his eighth touchdown of the year on a 3-yard score late in the third quarter.

Watson scored on a 2-yard touchdown run to give Cincinnati (2-4) a 24-23 lead early in the fourth quarter.

His 31 carries were the most for the sixth-year pro at any level.

"I had 27 carries once in high school," Watson said. "It was a point of emphasis to run the ball. It was a pride thing. We need to have a balanced attack."

"Every time you give Kenny a chance, he makes the best of it," Lewis said.

The Bengals then recovered a fumble near midfield after Pennington wasn't ready for the snap in a shotgun formation.

It was the first fumble the Jets lost this season in seven games.

With Rudi Johnson inactive with a hamstring injury, Watson capped another Cincinnati drive with a 1-yard plunge to give the Bengals a 31-23 lead with just over six minutes left to play.

"They were not going to let us throw the ball to T.J (Houshmandzadeh) and Chad (Johnson)," Palmer said. "Kenny's a great back. He's had to fight for his opportunities."

Attempting to lead his team down the field for a chance to tie the game, Pennington was intercepted by cornerback Jonathan Joseph, who returned it 42 yards for a touchdown with 37 seconds left for a 38-23 lead.

"I am going to look at film. I am going to assess every situation and every player," New York head coach Eric Mangini said. "The conversations I have with players are internal. There is plenty of accountability to go around. I am tired of us walking in after a game where we have only played one good half of football."

Pennington, who threw touchdown passes of 57 and 36 yards in the first half to Laveranues Coles, finished with 272 yards and three touchdowns with one interception on 20-of-31 passing.

Jerricho Cotchery caught a 32-yard touchdown pass on a Hail Mary at the end of the game to cap the scoring for the Jets (1-6), who have lost four games in a row.