IRVING – Who would have guessed that linebacker Greg Ellis would get the Cowboys' first interception of the season?

"If you took that to Vegas, you'd be really, really rich right now," Ellis said. "You'd be able to retire right now."

Ellis' interception came on the game's first offensive play, and the Cowboys had more big plays late. But several players looked at what happened in the middle and felt the defense had an uneven performance.

The Bengals had 269 total yards, 208 through the air. Receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh had two touchdown catches that kept the Bengals in the game. The Cowboys didn't put it away until they forced Cincinnati to turn the ball over on downs with 18 seconds remaining.

"At the end of the day, when it's time to make plays, the defense is there," DeMarcus Ware said. "But I think the thing is we've got to make more plays at the beginning instead of the end."

The Cowboys built a 17-0 lead in the second quarter, but the Bengals got two field goals before halftime. Houshmandzadeh scored on an 18-yard catch in the third quarter that helped Cincinnati draw within four.

The Bengals took over at the Cowboys 41-yard line after Tony Romo's interception with 38 seconds left in the third quarter. Chad Johnson's sliding 19-yard catch set up another field goal.

Trailing by one in the fourth, Cincinnati gambled and recovered an onside kick. Three plays later, Tank Johnson forced a Chris Perry fumble and, for the moment, the Cowboys breathed easily.

"Little things like that add up," defensive coordinator Brian Stewart said. "That's what we tell our guys. You do the little things, and the big things happen."

Glenn Holt's 60-yard kickoff return gave the Bengals excellent field position after Terrell Owens' 57-yard touchdown catch. Carson Palmer found Houshmandzadeh wide open in the middle of the field on a 10-yard touchdown catch.

The Bengals went for the two-point conversion, hoping to tie the score. Again, the Cowboys got a stop. Safety Keith Davis broke up a pass intended for Ben Utecht in the corner of the end zone.

"I didn't see the ball. I was watching his eyes," Davis said. "When his hands went up for the ball, I just put my hands between his hands and tried to get the ball out of there."

The Cowboys finished the game with two sacks on the Bengals' final drive. Even that wasn't enough to change some opinions.

"I don't know if we got better today, including myself," Zach Thomas said. "We've got to go back to the drawing board. ... At least we're getting our wins."