Marvin Lewis said in his press conference on Monday that the team would resign running back Kenny Watson this week. Watson wasn't going to be on the active roster on Sunday, so the team terminated his contract to make room for Chris Henry.

IRVING, Texas -- Cedric Benson watched his new team from the sideline and saw them take an early 17-0 hole before he ever got a chance to step on the field.

But when he did, on the Bengals’ first play from scrimmage in the second quarter, he certainly made an impact. The Bengals handed Benson the ball six consecutive times and he gained a total of 25 yards, rolling off runs of 6-, 3-, 2-, 10-, 3- and 1-yards, setting up a Shayne Graham field goal.

“I’m very excited and my motor was running high at first, but after a while I started to feel good,” Benson said following the team’s loss.

With Kenny Watson and DeDe Dorsey injured, the Bengals signed the former first-round pick out of Texas on Tuesday. He got in three practices with his new team before making his debut on Sunday. The Bengals placed Dorsey on the Reserved-Injured list on Tuesday and terminated the contract of Watson on Saturday to make space for Chris Henry, leaving Benson as the only backup at halfback.

“It’s tough -- he’s only at practice, two, three days. To come in and you don’t play in OTAs, in training camp, in preseason, in the first four weeks and it’s pretty tough to come right in and play,” quarterback Carson Palmer said. “To play the way he did, it’s obvious he’s a top pick for a reason. Hopefully we’ll find more packages for him and Chris or get him more series, because he was definitely a spark for the offense.”

Benson had four more carries for a total of five yards, but showed that he could help the offense, especially when starter Chris Perry had another costly fumble.

“This is just the beginning,” Benson said. “I’m sure next week I’ll have a couple of more series. I’m just going to take it week-by-week and improve.”

Sunday, he played mostly on running plays, with Perry in more for the passing plays because he knew the protections better than the newcomer.

Benson, who was released by the Bears in June, could become a bigger presence in the next couple of games. He said he likes what he sees so far from his new team.

“I think it’s a solid team that can really get it turned around, we’re probably just missing that one little edge,” Benson said. “We just had a few things that didn’t roll our way. We had a couple of mishaps on offense and then the fumble hurt us a lot.”

Although he said he was nervous at first, those nerves quickly settled. Now with a  second chance, he’s just hoping to help new team improve.

“I knew all we needed was a spark,” Benson said. “That’s what I’m here for.”

IRVING, Texas -- From the Bengals locker room:

Carson Palmer: "When you’re not a very good football team and you come into a very good football team’s house, you’ve got to play perfect. We’re at a situation now that we can’t play decent, we can’t play good, we’ve got to play great. If anything spells it out, it’s that last touchdown they had. Things aren’t going our way right now and when they’re not going your way, you have to find a way to be perfect. We certainly weren’t perfect tonight. We’ve just got keep working to play that perfect game and when we do, we’ll get a win."

On Texas Stadium: "It looks better on TV."

On T.J. Houshmandzadeh: "He’s a smart football player, he’s a coach on the field, he plays with a chip on his shoulder at times, like on that penalty, but that’s why you like playing with a guy like that."

Special teams coach Darrin Simmons on the return game: "We’re a big middle team. We’re not a big sideline return team. Sometimes you get tendencies and we have to change them up. I don’t think that caught them off guard, because we’ve still got to block them.  Folk is an outstanding kicker and does a good job to kick it wide, he does a good job of getting the ball outside the numbers."

On the onsides kick:  "We were talking about it the whole game, it’s something we talked about in the first halYou try to take advantage of some things a team does. Some weeks it’s better than others, and this week was better than most."

Bobbie Williams: "There’s no consolation in losing. That’s what we’re supposed to do – give him time. That’s what we’re supposed to do. But we’re supposed to do it for four quarters, not three-and-a-half or three-and-three-quarters."

"No doubt there’s a belief. There’s going to be a belief until the last game is up. There’s no quitters in this locker room, there’s no quitters on this team. We’ve got a bunch of hard-nosed guys that are dedicated to this organization and we’re going to come to play every Sunday."

Marvin Lewis: "I know you guys think that in the NFL there’s the haves and have-nots, and I think it’s a little closer across the board than you believe. We have to play better each and every week because we haven’t won a football game and that’s the key thing."

Chad Ocho Cinco: "I don’t have time to get frustrated. We’re 0-5. Frustration isn’t going to get it done. I’m going to work – that’s it. That’s all I can do. Work. It’s going to come. I keep saying the same thing week in and wekk out, it’s going to come. We keep losing, but at some point it’s going to come."

IRVING, Texas -- Chris Perry didn’t have to be told anything or asked anything. He felt like he had the game in his hands, only to have it punched away by Tank Johnson.

Perry’s fifth fumble of the season’s five games (and third lost) couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Bengals. After the Bengals pulled to within a point at 17-16 in the fourth quarter, the team recovered an onsides kick, putting momentum square on the side of the Bengals.

“We were going down to score,” said quarterback Carson Palmer. “We felt they couldn’t stop us and they really hadn’t stopped us. There wasn’t a guy that didn’t think we weren’t going to go down and score.”

Palmer and company certainly looked like it – he hit T.J. Houshmandzadeh for six yards on first down and then went to Chad Ocho Cinco for nine yards and a first down at the Cowboys’ 37. The next play was Perry around the left end. Wrapped up by Tank Johnson, the Cowboys’ defensive tackle knocked the ball out of Perry’s hands, recovered by Dallas linebacker Anthony Spencer.

“Every time you tackle somebody, you try and force a fumble,” Johnson said. “I just went for the ball and it came out. I had probably the worst game in my life and the big play so I guess it kind of evens out. I saw where he had the ball at and when I tackled him, I went for the ball. I didn’t know if it came out or not, but when I saw it rolling, I was like, ‘we got it!’”

Perry lost a crucial fumble last week in the loss to the Browns and said it was a mental lapse, something he had to work on. His tune didn’t change on Sunday.

“I got away from the fundamentals of carrying the ball and I fumbled it,” said Perry, who finished with 31 yards on 13 carries. “I just didn’t take care of the ball and it cost us the game.”

Palmer wouldn’t go that far – noting his interception on the first play from scrimmage and several other plays that just didn’t bounce the team’s way, but the fumble certainly didn’t help.

“There’s a number of reasons we lost. A number of turnovers, a number of bad plays, one fumble definitely didn’t decide the outcome of this game,” Palmer said. “When we don’t play perfect, we’re not going to win a football game.”

The Cowboys took advantage, scoring on their second play after Perry’s fumble on Terrell Owens’ 57-yard touchdown to make it 24-16. The Bengals answered with a touchdown of their own, but after missing the two-point attempt, Dallas scored again to end the Bengals’ upset hopes.

“We had control of the game and then I helped us lose control,” Perry said.

IRVING, Texas -- Do you believe in improbability?

Bengals start the fourth quarter down 17-13, with the ball on the 22.

Chatman slips on the screen on first down, no gain. Second down, T.J. slips out of his break. Palmer incomplete to T.J. Perry was open. Not a great game for Palmer.

40-yard attempt by Graham. Good.

Cowboys 17, Bengals 16, 14:02 left

What a call by Marvin Lewis! Rashad Jeanty recovers! Wow

Bengals 1&10 at the Bengals' 48: Great coaching call. Complete to T.J. for 6. Palmer to Ocho Cinco. To the 37. Give the line some credit today. They've really blocked well. They've been better than Palmer. Perry fumbles.

Cowboys 1&10 at their own 41: Barber for 2. TO. 57 yards. Chris Perry is officially your goat.

Cowboys 24, Bengals 16

Another great return by Holt. Down to the Cowboy 37. Holt hurt.

 Bengals 1&10 at the Cowboy 37: Benson for 3. Palmer to Coats to the 23. Benson ahead for 1.

Holt took a hit to the head, his return is questionable. Really, really nice job by T.J. Palmer scrambles, T.J. coming back and gets the first down at the 13. Great job by a veteran receiver. Perry for no gain. He hangs onto the ball. For 3 on the draw. Is this ? I don't hit Score. T.J.

Touchdown!

Going for 2

Incomplete to Utecth, really nice play by Keith Davis

Cowboys 24, Bengals 22, 7:39 left: Delay, Cowboys. Barber for 7. Romo-Barber to the 28. 3&2. Romo scrambles for 3. That could have been the play of the game. Felix Jones ofr 7. They're so tough.Jones to the Bengals' 43, facemask on Marvin White. Down to the Bengals' 29. Barber for 4. Barber for 3. 3&3. 7-13 for Dallas on 3rd. This could be the game.... Dagger. Romo to Witten to the 14. Barber for no gain. Timeout by the Bengals. Loss of 1 by Romo, 2-minute warning at 1:59. 3rd and 11.

 Pass goes through Miles Austin's hands and into Crayton's hands in end zone for a score.

Cowboys 31, Bengals 22, 1:52

Sack of Palmer on second down. That was the first sack of the day. Big gain to Houshmandzadeh. Flag. Cowboys in neutral zone. Declined. Down ot the Bengals 48. Another sack. The second of the day. The only two were here late. Nice job by the O-line today, really. 4th&9.

Incomplete. Ballgame.