Bengals Add Another Touchdown, Lead 19-3

The Redskins have quite an unauspicious debut to the 2006 preseason and limp away from Cincinnati with more than a 19-3 defeat. They face the loss of Clinton Portis, for at least the rest of the preseason, with a separated shoulder. They also face numerous questions about the offense, most notably who is most capable of earning the backup quarterback position.

Todd Collins, acquired from the Chiefs in the preseason, was quite underwhelming but threw well when given plenty of time. Jason Campbell also appeared raw, but displayed the poise and rifle arm that made the Redskins trade two first-round picks to select him in the 2005 NFL Draft. He also elicited praise from NBC announcer Johm Madden, who said he liked Campbell's poise and presence in the pocket.

The Redskins will face the Jets at FedEx Field in Landover next Saturday night in their next preseason test.

Jason Campbell is unable to move the ball down the field and the Redskins' defense surrenders a touchdown pass from Doug Johnson to Kelley Washington to highlight the third period for the Bengals.

The Bengals head into the fourth quarter with a 19-3 lead.

Another area of concern for the Redskins, the kicking game, has so far played to mixed results as John Hall made his only field goal, but Derrick Frost's punts have often fluttered and fallen short.

After a disastrous opening period, the Redskins settled down in the second quarter and, despite a running game crippled by the loss of Clinton Portis to injury and the absence of Ladell Betts, finally got on the scoreboard and trailed the Bengals, 12-3.

Cincinnati tacked on a field goal at the 9:32 mark of the second period to take a commanding 12-0 lead, but the Redskins rebounded with a crisp 38-yard field goal from John Hall to trim the deficit to 12-3 at the 4:01 mark of the half. The Redskins and the viewing audience at home also learned that running back Clinton Portis separated his left shoulder making a tackle in the opening period, but that his shoulder reportedly popped back in and may not keep Portis out of the lineup for long.

Quarterback Todd Collins took over the offense and was less-than-impressive with sporadic results. He delivered many ill-conceived passes but also connected with rookie wideout Mike Espy from Ole Miss on a couple of sweet intermediate routes and one with James Thrash.

The Redskins received a scare on their first possession of the preseason. After marching down the field, Mark Brunell lobbed a ball towards the sideline that was picked off by the Bengals.

Redskins running back Clinton Portis then hustled back to make the tackle at the 30-yard-line. After pinning the defensive back to the ground, Portis got up slowly with an apparent shoulder injury. He was taken to the locker room shortly threreafter.

The Redskins defense was very impressive in its first appearance on the field. Given a short field to work with, the Bengals were pushed backward and forced into a three-and-out following Shawn Springs's sack of Cincinnati's Anthony Wright on third down.

Playing without star quarterback Carson Palmer, still not back from a devastating knee injury sustained in last year's playoff loss to the Steelers, the Bengals struggled offensively early in the first quarter.

Redskins newcomer Brandon Lloyd made an immediate impression with a spectacular diving catch on the team's first series.

In relief of Portis, third-string running back Rock Cartwright (backup Ladell Betts did not make the trip to Cincinnati because of a minor injury), delivered a non-descript performance.

Washington's starting quarterback Mark Brunell exited after just two series to make way for veteran backup Todd Collins.

On his first throw, Collins made a poor decision to try and throw a screen pass and it was picked off at the line of scrimmage for the Bengals' second interception.

In his second possession, Collins made another bad decision and was called for intentional grounding in the end zone, resulting in a saefty for the Bengals.

Cincinnati added a touchdown from Anthony Wright to Chris Henry and ended the first quarter with a 9-0 lead.