Dillon’s replacement runs for 101 yards

CINCINNATI – A traffic accident prevented Corey Dillon from playing Sunday, one more disappointment for the Cincinnati Bengals’ disgruntled running back.

Dillon was headed to Paul Brown Stadium with his family on Sunday when he was involved in an accident. No one was hurt, but the running back was emotionally shaken.

The Bengals’ first-year coach, Marvin Lewis, decided not to play Dillon, who was late getting to the stadium because of the accident. Dillon was inactive for the game.

“He called me in a panic,” said Lewis, who decided to let backup Rudi Johnson play instead.

Dillon eventually arrived at the stadium, then left. He wasn’t on the sideline as Johnson ran for a career-high 101 yards and won over fans’ hearts – they chanted “Rudi! Rudi!” – during a 27-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

Bengals quarterback Jon Kitna said he saw Dillon briefly prior to the kickoff and that Dillon was walking.

“We all wanted him back there, but you can’t feel sorry for yourselves,” said Kitna, who threw for 240 yards and two touchdowns. “You have to keep playing.”

Before the game, fans showed they were upset over Dillon’s midweek outburst. Dillon told reporters Wednesday that he felt unappreciated in Cincinnati and wants to leave in the offseason.

Several fans wore Dillon jerseys to the game with tape blocking out his name above the No. 28. One fan covered “DILLON” with tape and wrote “CRYBABY” over it.

Dillon is one of just four players in NFL history to run for 1,000 yards in each of his first six seasons. His seventh season has been sidetracked by injuries – a hyperextended knee and a strained groin have limited him for a month.

The Bengals (3-4) have won three of their last four games despite getting little from Dillon, who has just 203 yards on 62 carries.

“We want our horse in there,” said offensive tackle Willie Anderson, who questioned the timing of Dillon’s outburst last week. “He’s been our horse for seven years, and we’re still going to ride him when he’s healthy.”

Dillon didn’t practice last week because of the groin injury, but expected to play Sunday before he was involved in the accident.

Johnson, meanwhile, became the first Bengal other than Dillon to rush for 100 yards since Ki-Jana Carter in 1997.

“There was no pressure,” said Johnson, who had not run for more than 69 yards in a game. “Corey didn’t practice during the week, so it was a matter of going out and doing what we did during the week in practice.”

Johnson found out less than an hour before kickoff that he would start.

“It didn’t really change my mindset,” he said. “I just had to drink more fluid. That was the only thing because I always go in the game prepared, regardless. It was just about me going in there and executing my part of the offense.”