Bengals Defense gives up 51 and loses to the Browns, despite great effort from Bengals offense! 

Bengals  45
Browns 51

The Bengals defense resembled a back yard little league football team on Sunday when it gave up 51 points in a losing effort to the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland.  Say what you want about the great defensive performance we saw on Monday Night Football because that defense was no where to be found on Sunday in Cleveland. 

Consistency is always big in the NFL and today the Bengals Defense was consistent.  Consistently missing tackles, consistently giving up big plays, consistently having no pressure on the Browns Quarterback, and simply out right consistently bad!  Embarrassing is a better word to describe the performance put on by the Bengals Defense in Cleveland today!

Bengals try to avoid letdown vs. Browns

After a big win over Baltimore, Cincinnati goes on the road to face a struggling Cleveland team. The Cincinnati Bengals say that they're not taking Cleveland for granted. Seeing will be believing when they invade the Dawg Pound known as Cleveland Browns Stadium today.  The Bengals will face a Cleveland squad eager to rebound from last week's embarrassing 34-7 home loss to Pittsburgh.  The Bengals also will try to give a Heisman Trophy-like stiff-arm to the "Monday Night Jinx."  Cincinnati holds a 34-33 edge in the "Battle of Ohio" rivalry and owns a 4-4 record the week after Monday night victories.

Do the Bengals have to avoid a letdown?

"Yeah, you do, anytime you come off a big Monday night game, a big division game, a physical matchup like we had," quarterback Carson Palmer said. "But I think this team is excited where we're at. Whether we're playing the New England Patriots, the Indianapolis Colts or the Cleveland Browns, we're going to be ready."  "Who's taking them lightly?" said wide receiver Chad Johnson. "This is a divisional game, man. Early wins will help us at the end of the season, where other games we play don't matter as much. If we win early, we'll be fine toward the end."  Overconfidence was a reason the Bengals were upset 14-13 at Tampa Bay last year.  "We've been down that road before," defensive end Robert Geathers said. "Our attitude is, 'Let's just go in there and get the job done.' "

Ugly losses, poor drafts, coaching instability and a losing mentality.  These words described the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1990s. Today, it describes the Cleveland Browns.

Although the Browns are in their ninth season since rejoining the NFL in 1999, a strong case can be made that the new Browns are the old Bengals. The in-state, AFC North rivals will meet today in Cleveland Browns Stadium, with the Bengals heavily favored. They have won five straight in the series.

Isaac Curtis set the Bengals' receiving yards record with 7,101 during a brilliant career from 1973-84.  But that record is about to fall at the hands of Chad Johnson, who stands 82 yards away from becoming the club leader.  Teammates called Curtis "The Ice Man" because of his blazing speed and smooth, graceful style. He made uniform No. 85 famous before Johnson was born in 1978. He also played his best games against the Cleveland Browns.  Curtis, who turns 57 on Oct. 20, is semi-retired as national sales director for Winegardner & Hammons Inc., a hotel management company based in the Cincinnati suburb of Blue Ash. His No. 1 hobby is golf, but he also hunts birds, deer and wild turkey in Eastern Ohio.

Q Your record stood for 23 years. You must be proud?   A I'm really surprised it's lasted this long with the number of catches these guys come up with these days. When I came into the league, there were 14 games. I thought Carl Pickens, Eddie Brown or Tim McGee would knock it down. It was a good run.

The Cincinnati Bengals are 4-4 the week after Monday Night Football victories. They haven't won after a MNF triumph since 1989. That year, Cincinnati beat the Browns in prime time in late September and followed up with a victory at Kansas City.