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The Bengals enjoy their first shutout since 1989 and a fifth straight win in the series.
The 67th "Battle of Ohio" was neither a slugfest nor a tug-of-war. It was more like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The Cincinnati Bengals dominated every facet of the game and rolled to an easy 30-0 victory over the bewitched, bothered and bewildered Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Cincinnati (6-5) enjoyed its club-record fifth straight triumph over the Browns (3-8); grabbed a 34-33 lead in the series; and generated its first shutout since Dec. 3, 1989 — a 21-0 victory at Cleveland.
Bengals tailback Rudi Johnson softened up the Browns defense with 30 yards on six carries and a 1-yard touchdown plunge in the first quarter. Then quarterback Carson Palmer played pitch and catch with wide receivers Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chris Henry. Palmer threw three TD passes, two to Henry and one to Houshmandzadeh, and hooked up with Chad Johnson seven times for 123 yards, giving Johnson a combined 573 yards over a three-game stretch. "Thank you, Carson. That's all I can say," Johnson said. The Bengals' much-maligned defense entered the game ranked 32nd and dead last in the NFL, giving up 377.6 yards a game. But the unit responded, holding the host Browns to 203 yards and generating four interceptions. "That stuff doesn't matter to us — rankings or what people say," Bengals defensive end Justin Smith said. " It was just a total defensive effort." And a total meltdown by the Browns, who didn't show any emotion. "That's the way it looked," coach Romeo Crennel said. "If you're looking for excuses, you can say that is one. We didn't play very well. We couldn't stop them on defense. We couldn't move the ball on offense, and it got away from us. It wasn't very pretty." The only bummers for the Bengals? Tailback Chris Perry suffered a broken bone in his right foot and will have season-ending surgery. And kicker Shayne Graham — who had never missed a PAT in his NFL career — had his extra-point streak snapped at 186 overall and 158 for the Bengals. Star of the game Bengals cornerback Tory James had two interceptions, giving him three on the season. James' second pick led to Palmer's 10-yard TD pass to Henry for the game's final score — the Bengals only points off five turnovers. Goat of the game Browns quarterback Charlie Frye passed for 186 yards, suffered four sacks and four interceptions for a 40.9 passer rating. Turning point Linebacker Landon Johnson's 8-yard sack of Frye, ending the Browns' first series. It was all Bengals from there. Dayton Daily News http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/pro/bengals/2006/11/26/ddn112706bengals.html |
