CINCINNATI, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Brad Johnson threw for 277 yards and three touchdowns Sunday and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rolled to a 35-7 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
It marks the third time in the last four years that the Bengals (0-4) have endured a winless September.
Johnson completed 19 of 30 passes to seven different receivers, including a 65-yard pass to Keenan McCardell that snapped a 7-7 tie with 7:34 to play in the second quarter.
"I'm really proud of our team," Tampa Bay Coach Jon Gruden said. "We had a short week and we showed a lot of poise. We got blitzed a lot. We protected well at times, but we have to get a little better. When we did protect we allowed Brad to make some big plays."
Tampa Bay (3-1) compiled 115 yards of total offense in the first quarter compared with Cincinnati's 23, but trailed after Johnson was picked off by linebacker Brian Simmons, who returned it 51 yards for a touchdown.
It was the first interception Johnson had suffered this year ended a streak of 187 passes without one.
"He'll hold the ball and take a hit," Gruden added. "You can't coach that or simulate it in practice. He exemplifies true grit."
Johnson quickly atoned with a 35-yard touchdown pass to tight end Rickey Dudley seven seconds into the second quarter.
"They threw everything at us but the kitchen sink but we didn't panic," Johnson said. "We stayed aggressive with our play calling and hit some big plays. When they bring a lot of guys, they expose themselves to big plays. They would blitz every which way, but when the throws are there downfield, we're going to take them.
McCardell caught four passes for 108 yards and was the first Bucs receiver to reach the century mark in yards through the first four games.
Akili Smith started his first game since Dec. 16, 2000 for Cincinnati and showed plenty of rust. The third overall pick in the 1999 draft, Smith completed just 12 of 32 passes for 117 yards, fumbled once and threw an interception that was returned 25 yards for a score by linebacker Shelton Quarles with 52 seconds left in the half. That gave Tampa Bay a 21-7 lead.
"Everybody saw what they did to the Rams on Monday night," Smith said. "That's a difficult front four there. I had the opportunity to throw some balls when we had some scoring opportunities, but I played poorly today. I just didn't get it done."
Smith was sacked three times, including a pair by Pro Bowl defensive tackle Warren Sapp.
"They didn't score on us," Sapp said. "That's what I like about this team. We're not going to let them dictate to us. We're going after them."
Corey Dillon rushed for 59 yards to become the Bengals' all-time leading rusher with 6,452 career yards, passing James Brooks who had 6,447 from 1984-1991.
The Bengals (0-4), who converted only two of 17 third down opportunities, have scored only one offensive touchdown and 23 total points in their four losses.
"It was a game of too many mistakes. We have to find a way to score some points," Bengals coach Dick LeBeau said. "We couldn't move the ball. We had two sillly plays on defense that gave them touchdowns, and you're not going to win on at this level with those types of mistakes."
