Carolina rookie quarterback Cam Newton took a step back on his road to NFL stardom. Cincinnati's Andy Dalton, another rookie, took a huge leap forward. Dalton, Cincinnati's second-round draft pick from Texas Christian, led four first-half scoring drives and the Bengals held on for a 24-13 preseason victory Thursday night. Dalton was an efficient 11 of 17 for 130 yards and a touchdown for Cincinnati (1-2), putting together a 107.5 quarterback rating, a vast improvement over the 30.9 figure he took into the game. He credited a running game that finished with 191 yards, 63 in the first quarter, which he said helped open up the passing game. Cedric Benson gained 68 yards on 16 carries, all in the first half, and Bernard Scott gained all 63 of his yards on six carries in the second quarter. Read more: http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=310825004
