Browns-Bengals Preview

SCOUTING REPORT

Bengals showed heart last week and should win this weekThese two winless Ohio franchises are surrounded with question marks right now. Both are in grave danger of becoming afterthoughts in the AFC North. The Bengals visited the Super Bowl-champion Giants last week and played into overtime but could not pull out the win. There is room for optimism, though, because Cincinnati gave the Giants all they could handle, and the connection between QB Carson Palmer to WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh began to come back to life. It does need to be noted that although the Bengals are 0-3, the three opponents they've lost to are a combined 8-0.

· Full Scouting Report

Matchup
	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	DIV	CONF
CLE	4-12	232	350	1-7	3-5	1-5	3-9
CIN	4-11	204	364	3-4	1-7	1-5	3-9
· Complete Standings

Individual Leaders

Cleveland Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Quinn 53.1 1339 8 7 Anders... 44.5 888 3 10

Cincinnati Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Palmer 60.5 3094 21 13 O'Sull... 36.4 40 0 0

Cleveland Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Harris... 194 862 4.4 5 Lewis 143 500 3.5 0

Cincinnati Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Benson 301 1251 4.2 6 Scott 74 321 4.3 0

Cleveland Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Massaq... 34 624 18.4 3 Harris... 34 220 6.5 2

Cincinnati Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Ochoci... 72 1047 14.5 9 Coles 43 514 12.0 5

Full Player Stats: Cleveland | Cincinnati

TEAM AVERAGES & NFL RANKS
TEAM OFFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Total Yards	CLE	249.0
	CIN	245.0
Yards Passing	CLE	148.8
	CIN	150.4
Yards Rushing	CLE	100.3
	CIN	95.0
TEAM DEFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Yards Allowed	CLE	356.5
	CIN	325.5
Pass Yds Allowed	CLE	204.6
	CIN	205.4
Rush Yds Allowed	CLE	151.9
	CIN	120.1

HEAD TO HEAD MATCHUPS (SINCE 2001)
Cincinnati leads 9-7
Dec 23, 2007	CLE 14, CIN 19
Sep 16, 2007	CLE 51, @CIN 45
Nov 26, 2006	CLE 0, @CIN 30
Sep 17, 2006	CLE 17, CIN 34
Dec 11, 2005	CLE 20, CIN 23
Sep 11, 2005	CLE 13, @CIN 27
Nov 28, 2004	CLE 48, CIN 58
Oct 17, 2004	CLE 34, @CIN 17
Dec 28, 2003	CLE 22, CIN 14
Sep 28, 2003	CLE 14, @CIN 21
Nov 17, 2002	CLE 27, CIN 20
Sep 15, 2002	CLE 20, @CIN 7
Nov 25, 2001	CLE 18, @CIN 0
Oct 14, 2001	CLE 14, CIN 24

Ohio's two professional football teams are both off to 0-3 starts, but the Cincinnati Bengals' latest loss at least has them encouraged that they're headed in the right direction.

The Cleveland Browns, on the other hand, don't seem to know quite where they're headed -- or who's going to lead them.

The Bengals will try to take the positives from a tight loss to the defending Super Bowl champs into their matchup Sunday with the visiting Browns, who appear to be on the verge of a quarterback controversy.

Though winless, Cincinnati has improved each week since an opening loss in Baltimore in which it gained only 154 yards and didn't score an offensive touchdown. The Bengals didn't figure to have much of a chance Sunday in East Rutherford against the New York Giants, but gave the reigning Super Bowl champions all they could handle.

They took a 20-16 lead late in the fourth quarter, and though they ultimately fell 26-23 in overtime, the Bengals found reason for optimism.

Cincinnati gained 347 yards against the Giants' vaunted defense, just 22 fewer than it had in the first two games combined.

"A lot of positives," receiver Chad Ocho Cinco said. "A lot of good things. A couple of missed assignments across the board -- you know, it was always one thing on every play, which it usually is when plays break down. But we had a lot of positives, man. We looked really good on film."

Any film of Cleveland's season would likely be in the horror genre.

The Browns have the NFL's worst offense (207.3 yards per game) after finishing with the league's ninth-ranked unit (360.1 ypg) last season behind Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Anderson.

So far, Anderson hasn't looked anything like the player who threw 29 touchdowns passes in 2007. He's thrown for two scores and five interceptions through three games, and his 43.5 passer rating is 31st in the league.

Anderson's struggles have prompted speculation that 2007 first-round pick Brady Quinn will take over. While coach Romeo Crennel said Wednesday that Anderson would start under center against the Bengals, he didn't rule out Quinn seeing action -- perhaps soon.

"We have to look at all of the positions," Crennel said. "We'll definitely try to get the other guy ready and get him ready to go and we'll see how it progresses from there."

Quinn has only attempted eight regular-season passes, none of them this season.

"If we decided to go with (Quinn)," Crennel said, "we'd just have to put it on the fact that what we've seen in practice and what we feel he's able to do.

"Because there's no hard evidence that says he'd have more success."

Cincinnati doesn't have a quarterback controversy brewing, but it would like to see more production from Carson Palmer, a two-time Pro Bowler who threw for 228 yards total in the first two games.

Palmer looked sharp against New York, though, going 27-for-39 for 286 yards and a touchdown to T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

"We were much sharper in a lot of areas in the passing game," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "We still have to work it and make sure we're being exact and give (Palmer) the opportunity to deliver the ball where he thinks it ought to be delivered."

Houshmandzadeh had 12 catches for 146 yards last week to help Palmer get going, but the flamboyant Ocho Cinco has only eight catches for 88 yards this season and hasn't scored.

He has four career 100-yard games against the Browns, including an 11-catch, 209-yard performance with a pair of touchdowns on Sept. 16, 2007, in a 51-45 loss at Cleveland.

Palmer threw six touchdowns in that memorable game and Anderson five, marking the third time in NFL history that two quarterbacks threw at least five TD passes in the same game.

The Bengals won the rematch 19-14 on Dec. 23, a loss which ultimately kept the Browns out of the postseason. Cincinnati has won four straight at home against Cleveland.

Whoever loses this week will be alone at the bottom of the AFC North with little chance of making the playoffs

"I mean, what better week to get a win than against the Browns, you know?" Ocho Cinco said. "What better week?"

Ocho Cinco isn't the only wideout who's failing to live up to his reputation. Browns receiver Braylon Edwards caught 16 touchdowns in 2007, but hasn't pulled one in this season and has dropped numerous Anderson passes.

Edwards, who caught four TD passes against the Bengals last season, suited up last week after being listed as questionable with a shoulder injury. He is expected to play Sunday.

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