I knew it wouldn’t be easy for the Cleveland Browns today. The Bengals are a talented team having a disappointing season. That is a good sign they will be the type of team that would love to be a spoiler. I figured they would play with the attitude of "if we can’t make it, let’s stop someone else from making it, too". Cincinnati did play hard, and the result was a 19-14 defeat of the Browns that leaves the brown and orange looking for help to make the post season.
Derek Anderson did not play well and threw four interceptions, two of them turning a 6-0 potential halftime deficit into a 19-0 one. The Bengals played a very soft zone defense taking away the deep throws he completes so well, and made the Browns throw underneath. Anderson’s accuracy could also been affected by the gusty winds at Paul Brown Stadium, as many of his tosses sailed on him. However, he did get the Browns into a position to win with five minutes remaining in the game, throwing two TD passes to Braylon Edwards to trim the Bengal lead to 19-14.
It was then that the Browns’ weakness on defense reared its ugly head. The inablility to stop the run. After Carson Palmer’s second interception to Leigh Bodden put the good guys in a position to get back into the game, coordinator Todd Grantham had to know Cincinnati was not going to take any chances. However, reverse running back Kenny Watson, subbing for an injured Rudi Johnson, simply ran the ball right down the Browns’ throats. Cincy did mix in one gadget double reverse, but otherwise it was good old fashioned smash mouth football. The Bengals moved forty yards on the ground until Watson fumbled on the Cleveland 18 with under two minutes to go.
The Browns had to go 82 yards, but an offensive pass interference call on Edwards nullifying a long game moved them back further. Anderson’s pass to give the Browns a victory fell incomplete in the Cincinnati end zone, and forced the Browns to wish and hope. It seemed like Cleveland had the ball the entire game, and they did control the clock holding the ball for 33 minutes compared to 27 for Cincinnati. The Browns ran 21 more plays than their opponent, but the four turnovers and the inability to stop the running game tilted the contest in our southern neighbors’ favor.
Not that it had any effect on the contest, once again, the NFL officiating was not up to par. What was the official on the goal line looking at in the second quarter when he called a touchdown for Chad Johnson? Johnson didn’t come close to catching the ball, let alone cross the plane. The thing that irks me is he was right on the play. What did he see? Another mistake was after the Bengals return man called a fair catch on the kickoff on his own 18, yet the officiating crew marked the ball on the 21 yard line. How can a mistake like that be made?
The Browns play another team going nowhere next weekend, but this time at home in the San Francisco 49ers. A win puts Romeo Crennel’s team at 10-6, the most wins by a Browns team since 1994. Yet, without help, they will be home for the playoffs. Tennessee currently has the edge for a playoff spot, and they play Indianapolis on Sunday. Normally, that would be a good thing, except the Colts have absolutely nothing to play for. They are the #2 seed, and cannot move up or down. Therefore, they will probably play a Jim Sorgi led Colt team.
The Browns put themselves in this spot because the weakness of this team since 1999 came back and bit them once again. If you cannot stop the run, it’s tough to win in the NFL.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 