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CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- For nearly 30 minutes, the Cincinnati Bengals looked like a legitimate NFL team under the guise of new coach Dick LeBeau. But they just couldn't get to the half. The Bengals raced to a 13-0 lead before suffering an awe-inspiring collapse that included a fumble return for a touchdown on the last play of the first half en route to a disheartening 31-16 loss to the Miami Dolphins. The crowd of 61,535 at Paul Brown Stadium had to be inspired when the Bengals came out and drove 80 yards on 13 plays to take a 7-0 lead when Akili Smith hit first-round pick Peter Warrick with a nine-yard scoring strike just under seven minutes in. Cincinnati (0-4) had been outscored, 74-7, in its previous three games. Neil Rackers added a pair of field goals as Cincinnati built a 13-0 lead 1:47 into the second quarter. Leading 13-3 after Olindo Mare's 40-yard field goal got Miami on the board, the Bengals appeared to be heading into the locker room with a 10-point cushion. But disaster struck in the form of Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor. LeBeau astonishingly called for a pass deep in his own territory just 17 seconds before intermission. Taylor, a speedy outside rusher, dashed into the backfield and forced Smith to fumble at his own 29 before picking up the ball and rumbling into the end zone as time expired for an improbable touchdown that cut the deficit to 13-10. "He came through on my blind side and I didn't see him," Smith said. "The worst thing that can happen, happened. It was coach LeBeau's call. If he says throw, that's what I have to do." "We talked all week about how he holds the ball a little sloppy," Taylor said. "I think the ball bounced off Trace Armstrong and Smith had his hand down and somebody touched the ball and it just popped up and I caught it. I knew if I got caught by the quarterback, I'd never hear the end of it." Smith could not bring Taylor down and Cincinnati did not recover. "In hindsight, I wish we hadn't thrown the ball," LeBeau said of his first head coaching blunder. "We ran on first down to see what they were going to run. We were going to try to get into field goal range. The worst thing that could happen, happened. (Offensive coordinator) Kenny Anderson and I talked about it. It's my responsibility on whether to throw it. "We have to be able to withstand that," he added. "We were still up 13-10. Would I do it again? No." Lamar Smith's third-quarter touchdown run put the Dolphins ahead to stay and Jay Fiedler threw a pair of touchdown passes to Oronde Gadsden as the Dolphins quickly pulled away from the suddenly lifeless Bengals. "We knew they were going to play with a lot of emotion with the new coach coming in," Fiedler said. "We had a real sluggish first half on both offense and defense. Jason made a huge play for us that put the game close and we knew we had the ball coming out at halftime with a lot of momentum." Fiedler, a former Bengal, completed 14-of-21 passes for 155 yards and Smith carried 12 times for 66 yards as the Dolphins (4-1) won their ninth straight against Cincinnati dating to a 23-17 loss at Riverfront Stadium on November 20, 1977. "I still know a few guys over there that were around when when I was here," said Fiedler, who spent the 1996 season in Cincinnati. "I have a couple of friends on this team. I wish them the best. It's always fun to play against guys you know." Having said goodbye to coach Bruce Coslet, who resigned after last Sunday's 37-0 loss at Baltimore, the Bengals began LeBeau's tenure with their sixth straight loss dating to last season. Smith converted three third-down passes on the opening drive, including a 3rd-and-7 from the 30 with an 18-yard strike to Warrick, before finding the fourth overall pick in the 2000 draft from nine yards out for the game's first score. Smith, who was questionable for today's game after suffering a concussion last week against the Ravens, continued to look sharp. He guided the Bengals 72 yards on 11 plays before Rackers' 23-yard field goal with 46 seconds left in the first period. The Bengals' first-round pick in 1999, Smith completed 20-of-37 passes for 178 yards without an interception, but could not overcome his lone fumble of the afternoon. After Taylor's fumble return, the Dolphins came out like a team possessed in the second half. Fielder hit Jeff Ogden with a 12-yard pass and found Gadsen with a 15-yard toss before Smith broke loose for an 18-yard TD run that gave Miami the lead for good, 17-13, with 7:15 left in the third quarter. Cincinnati cornerback Artrell Hawkins was flagged for pass interference, aiding a three-play, 54-yard drive that culminated in Fiedler's seven-yard TD pass to Gadsen that made it 24-13 with 4:38 left in the period. Gadsen and Fiedler sucked the life out of the Bengals when they hooked up for a 21-yard touchdown on a seven-play, 73-yard march that was higlighted by a 29-yard run from Smith. Gadsen caught six passes for 73 yards. "We took a big step today," Cincinnati running back Corey Dillon said after gaining 110 yards on 22 carries. "According to everyone else, we didnt' have a chance. We came right out after them."
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