by By JOHN McCLAIN, HOUSTON CHRONICLE , The Houston Chronicle

Situation Play

1st-10, Cin 35, 10:13 in 3rd quarter

Cushing forces Cincinnati's

Dan Coats to fumble at the end of

a 21-yard pass from Carson

Palmer. Antonio Smith recovers.

2nd-4, Cin 35, 5:50 in 4th

Cushing forces Cincinnati's

J.P. Foschi to fumble after a

6-yard pass from Palmer.

Bernard Pollard recovers.

1st-10, Hou 26, 1:48 in 4th

Cushing intercepts a Palmer pass

intended for Andre Caldwell at

the Texans' 11.

CINCINNATI - The Bengals had authored a four-game winning streak that included three consecutive last-minute victories, so the predicament they faced Sunday was not insurmountable.

Trailing 28-17 with 1:55 remaining, the Bengals had a first down at the Texans' 26-yard line. A touchdown would have preceded a twopoint attempt and an onside kick - another opportunity for an improbable victory.

Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer dropped back and threw hard over the middle for receiver Andre Caldwell, but rookie outside linebacker Brian Cushing intercepted at the 11 to ruin the comeback.

"They needed a big play, and I knew they liked to throw the deep over-the-middle route, so I was able to cheat, read Carson's eyes and make the interception," Cushing said. "He threw it hard, but I would have been real mad at myself if I didn't catch it."

Cushing forced three turnovers - two fumbles before the interception - and two were in the fourth quarter. He had nine tackles, second to linebacker DeMeco Ryans' 12.

"It's something I expect from myself," Cushing said about his performance that helped the defense limit the Bengals to 296 yards, including 78 in the second half. "It's who I am. It's why I play the game. As soon as I was drafted, I wanted to be an impact player in everything I do."

Draft pick justified

Cushing, who played at USC, has been everything the Texans expected him to be when they selected him with the 15th pick.

"He makes his biggest plays during the toughest times in games," coach Gary Kubiak said. "He's a tough competitor. It probably stems from the types of games he played in week-in and weekout in college."

Cushing, Ryans and others in the front seven played another excellent game against the run. They held Oakland to 45 yards, Arizona to 44 yards and Cincinnati to 46.

Cedric Benson entered the game as the NFL's leading rusher, and he finished with 44 yards on 16 carries - a 2.8-yard average per carry. He got 10 yards on a TD run.

"We knew his capability," Cushing said. "He'd been tearing defenses up. We came in knowing we had to shut down their run. My job is to go out there and make plays. They are a downhill-running team. I had the opportunity to force fumbles and make an interception when they had to fire away at us."

Subtract Benson's TD run and he averaged 2.2 yards on 15 carries.

"It was swarm tackling - everybody going after him," cornerback Dunta Robinson said. "We stopped him and turned them into a one-dimensional team."

One reason the Texans played such good run defense is because they've gotten lighter but more active and aggressive in the defensive line. The kept five ends and three tackles - Jeff Zgonina, Amobi Okoye and Frank Okam - active. Antonio Smith and Tim Bulman played inside as part of the rotation.

"We rallied to the ball and put a lot of hats on him (Benson)," Zgonina said. "It helped that we could chill a little on the bench while the offense was moving the ball so well. We were fresh."

Zgonina was impressed with Cushing's interception.

"That ball he intercepted wasn't easy," Zgonina he said. "It was a laser, and he caught it and held on to it."

Considering Cushing missed all four preseason games because of a knee injury, his six-game performance is even more remarkable.

Praise from Bush

"He's smart and aggressive, and he plays with the type of temperament that we like," defensive coordinator Frank Bush said. "He's not a guy that will take chances, but he's the guy who will get off of blocks and make plays."

john.mcclain@chron.com

Copyright 2009 The Houston Chronicle Publishing Company All Rights Reserved
	Terms & Conditions     Privacy Copyright © 2009 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.