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Chiefs beat Bengals 41-39 in preseason opener

By WTOP Staff

DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Marvin Lewis only needed to see a few plays from Andy Dalton to feel good about his starting quarterback — and the new contract that will keep him in Cincinnati for a while.

Dalton was sharp in the Bengals’ preseason opener Thursday night, hitting A.J. Green on a deep pass to set up the game’s opening field goal. And while he watched the rest of the night as the Kansas City Chiefs rallied for a 41-39 victory, the short stint left an impression.

“I liked the crispness of the first units,” Lewis said. “Andy looked good.”

As for the rest of the show?

“You can’t have the sort of explosive plays we gave up,” Lewis said.

Sean Smith and Malcolm Bronson returned interceptions for scores, and De’Anthony Thomas brought back a punt 80 yards for another touchdown. Kansas City added two more offensive scores and a couple of field goals before holding on in the waning seconds for the win.

Dalton, whose six-year deal could keep him with Cincinnati through the 2020 season, said he knew that there would be a lot of attention on him given the news of the week.

“So it felt good to get out there and have things go pretty well, even though it was brief,” he said. “We hit a couple passes to A.J. but of course we would have liked to have finished it off with a touchdown instead of a field goal.”

Dalton quickly gave way to backup Jason Campbell, and he was just 6 of 15 for 72 yards. And while he threw a pair of TD passes, Campbell also was responsible for the touchdowns by Smith and Bronson before getting banged up midway through the third quarter and exiting the game.

“Jason had an errant throw early,” Lewis said, “but he came back and made a couple plays.”

The Bengals were forced to use several backups to plug holes caused by injury. Starting offensive linemen Andrew Whitworth, Clint Boling and Andre Smith, tight end Jermaine Gresham, wide receiver Marvin Jones and defensive tackle Geno Atkins all sat out the game.

Chiefs safety Eric Berry and defensive tackle Mike DeVito also did not suit up.

Alex Smith, in negotiations on his own long-term deal, struggled along with the rest of the Chiefs’ first-team offense. They went three-and-out on their opening series, and Smith was strip-sacked on their next possession to set up Campbell’s short TD toss to Brandon Tate.

“That’s certainly not playing up to our expectations,” Smith said. “You have to bounce back. You have to have a short memory in this league. Mistakes are going to happen.”

Albert Wilson returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yards to set up Ryan Succop’s short field for Kansas City. After the Bengals stalled on their next possession, Thomas fielded the punt and spun away from Kirkpatrick before racing 80 yards for a tying touchdown.

On the next offensive play, Campbell was intercepted by Sean Smith — a former starter trying to win his job back — and he returned it 36 yards to give Kansas City a 17-10 lead.

“I had tight coverage. He slipped a little bit and the ball was placed in a position where it was 50-50 for both of us,” Smith said. “I guess I wanted it more.”

Kirkpatrick atoned for his special teams flub when he intercepted a badly thrown ball by Chiefs backup Chase Daniel and returned it 40 yards for a TD. And after the Chiefs added another field goal, Campbell connected with Dane Sanzenbacher for another score and a 24-20 lead.

In the waning seconds of the half, Daniel found tight end Travis Kelce running open down the seam. The tight end, who missed his rookie season to injury, hauled in the 69-yard TD pass.

Bronson returned his pick-6 early in the second half to give the Chiefs a 34-24 lead, and the teams traded fourth-quarter TDs before Cincinnati scored another touchdown in the final seconds.

“There were a lot of good things and some things we need work on,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, “but we’ll get those corrected. That’s why we’re doing the preseason here.”

Notes: Bengals first-round pick Darqueze Dennard made a sack on a cornerback blitz early in the game. He later left with an undisclosed injury. … Dalton finished 3 of 5 for 71 yards. Smith was 3 of 5 for 19 yards. … Succop and Cairo Santos, in a battle for the Chiefs kicking job, each hit their only field-goal attempt.

___

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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