CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Jake Plummer expected to have more help around him with his new team, while Marvin Lewis had to envision a huge challenge with his new club. Both were apparent Sunday.
Clinton Portis ran for 120 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Denver Broncos overcame three interceptions by Plummer and routed the Cincinnati Bengals.
Portis carried 13 times for 90 yards and scored twice in the first half as Denver (1-0) built a 20-3 lead and was never threatened.
"In the first half I did reach my goals but in the second half I didn't put up the numbers," Portis said. "In the first half, we knew they'd leave the nickel (back) out there and we wanted to run against it. In the second half they played a gap over and messed us up a little. We got a little relaxed because the defense was playing so well."
Plummer, who signed a seven-year, $40 million deal with Denver to replace Brian Griese, completed 12-of-25 passes for 115 yards.
"We could have played better on offense, but the defense played great and we won," Plummer said. "That's what it's about. I was excited about playing my first game for this team. I won't play it down and say it was another game. The score was 30-10, so we beat them by 20 and we could have played better so that's encouraging.
"My numbers don't matter. I've had games with great numbers and we've lost and I didn't feel as good as I do now."
Denver limited Corey Dillon to 34 yards on 14 carries and defeated Cincinnati (0-1) for the ninth time in the last 10 meetings. Broncos wide receivers Rod Smith and Ashley Lelie combined for more yards rushing than Dillon, producing 35 yards on five carries off end-arounds.
"We had to shut Corey down first of all," said linebacker Al Wilson, who had seven tackles. "We knew that. They talked a lot of trash throughout the week about how they were going to rush and do this and that, but we weren't having it today."
A defensive coordinator for seven years and a linebackers coach for four, Lewis took over a team that has not made the playoffs since 1990 and was an abysmal 19-61 over the last five years.
"I was disappointed in how we played in every area," Lewis said. "Obviously, we didn't play very well today. The Denver Broncos outplayed us. You can't expect to beat a football team when you give up 180 yards rushing. We turned the football over today, which put us behind. We have to play better. We played a good football team, who beat us. There are no moral victories. We expect to win and we are going back to work."
Jon Kitna was 20-of-37 for 264 yards and a touchdown for Cincinnati. But Kitna threw a pair of interceptions, with linebacker Ian Gold returning one for a touchdown to give the Broncos a 27-3 advantage 4:42 into the third. Kitna also lost a fumble in the fourth quarter, leading to a 39-yard field goal by Jason Elam to make it 30-3.
"It gives us a boost as far as an interception goes, but we've got a long way to go," said Gold, who led Denver with eight tackles. "It's a long season, we can't dwell on this game. We have to move on. I don't get all the credit. The defensive line did a great job. All the guys on the field did their job."
The Broncos managed only a 51-yard field goal by Elam in the first quarter before Portis got going in the second. Last season's Offensive Rookie of the Year, Portis gave the Broncos a 10-0 lead with a two-yard plunge 4:06 into the second quarter. Portis ran six times for 34 yards on the 46-yard drive.
The Bengals closed within 10-3 on a 26-yard field goal by Shayne Graham, but the Broncos went back to Porter and answered on the ensuing possession. Porter broke off a 23-yard run and scored from eight yards out to push the lead to 17-3 with 73 seconds left in the second quarter.
"It's frustrating because you wait so long for the season opener," Kitna said. "You work for eight months for that game and when it doesn't go the way you want it to go, it's a disappointment. It's disappointing but it's one game and we have to get back to work tomorrow. We couldn't get anything going. It was a combination of things. We couldn't get anything consistent moving."
Brandon Bennett fumbled the kickoff and Jashon Sykes recovered it on the Cincinnati 29 to set up Elam's 27-yard field goal that made it 20-3, 15 seconds before the break.
Kitna fired a 41-yard pass to Chad Johnson for Cincinnati's only TD with 3:04 left in the fourth.
