Week 3 In The NFL-Rivals Weekend

Indy Colts just can't get cut a break, but who really cares. They face the Steelers on Sunday. So, the hometown fans won't have much to cheer about unless Manning, due to frustration from watching the massacre, runs out onto the field and grabs the ball from Kerry to take the snaps. It's a good thing there isn't any snow to make snowballs, if you get my drift. The rest of the games are not as obvious when it comes to picking the winner. I was 14-2 in Week Two.

The Houston at New Orleans game features two strong offenses. Houston's number one rated defense against the pass will be put to the test by Brees, but he has the uncanny knack of finding the open man. To prevent that from happening, the Texans will have to keep Brees from leaving the pocket and gaining extra time. In the Dome, at New Orleans, I give the edge to the Saints.

The New York at Philadelphia matchup is a division rival game with no real clear winner. Michael Vick is scheduled to start, but whether he will finish this one will be up to the Giants defense, who will be looking to take him out. The Eagles will be looking to establish a running attack, but that is the Giants defensive strength. The Giants receiving core is battered, so they will be relying on Jacobs and Bradshaw to set the tempo. If that fails, Eli Manning will be hard pressed to establish any kind of passing attack making him an easier victim to the turnover.

The New England at Buffalo matchup is a good one to watch. The Bills have a strong run game with Jackson, so if they can keep Brady off the field, their chances of surviving definately increases. That being said, Brady doesn't need alot of time because he can strike quickly with the deep on talent receiving core he has to work with. Both teams can put up the points, but the Patriots will put up more.

Another rival game is Green Bay at Chicago. Jake Cutler will have to avoid the turnover if the Bears want any kind of chance to win this one. The Packers will be putting the heat on Cutler, so the Bear offense will have to get Forte involved more to prevent that from happening. As seen in the Saints game, the Packers secondary can be picked apart by a capable quarterback. Aaron Rodgers will be facing a tougher defense in the Bears than he has faced in the first two games.

Finally, the Washington at Dallas game. The question at hand, will Tony Romo survive, if he plays? The Dallas line will have to protect him alot better than they have in prior games. If they do, Dallas will come off the victor. The Redskins have a balanced offensive attack, so the Dallas defense will have their hands full. Rex Grossman has been getting the job done, but will have to avoid making that crucial mistake, which he has conmmitted three times in the past two games.

Its going to be a good weekend of NFL football. There are alot of evenly matched teams where it could go either way, and that includes the Baltimore at St Louis game, considering what happened to the Ravens last Sunday. It is also good to see the Detroit Lions finally giving their fans a legitimate reason to cheer. Jacksonville's new slogan, "You're darn tootin', we gotta blitz Cam Newton. One game to keep a close eye on is the Miami at Cleveland. Will the Browns make in two in a row? It's Henne-one's guess, so to speak.

SUN, SEP 25	TIME (ET)	TV	RESOURCES	LOCATION
Houston at New Orleans W	1:00 PM	CBS	Tickets | Travel	Superdome
NY Giants at Philadelphia W	1:00 PM	FOX	Tickets | Travel	Lincoln Financial Field
Jacksonville at Carolina L	1:00 PM	CBS	Tickets | Travel	Bank of America Stadium
New England at Buffalo L	1:00 PM	CBS	Tickets | Travel	Ralph Wilson Stadium
Miami at Cleveland W	1:00 PM	CBS	Tickets | Travel	Cleveland Browns Stadium
San Francisco at Cincinnati L	1:00 PM	FOX	Tickets | Travel	Paul Brown Stadium
Denver at Tennessee W	1:00 PM	CBS	Tickets | Travel	LP Field
Detroit at Minnesota W	1:00 PM	FOX	Tickets | Travel	Mall of America Field
Baltimore at St. Louis W	4:05 PM	CBS	Tickets | Travel	Edward Jones Dome
NY Jets at Oakland W	4:05 PM	CBS	Tickets | Travel	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Kansas City at San Diego W	4:05 PM	CBS	Tickets | Travel	Qualcomm Stadium
Arizona at Seattle W	4:15 PM	FOX	Tickets | Travel	CenturyLink Field
Atlanta at Tampa Bay L	4:15 PM	FOX	Tickets | Travel	Raymond James Stadium
Green Bay at Chicago W	4:15 PM	FOX	Tickets | Travel	Soldier Field
Pittsburgh at Indianapolis W	8:20 PM	NBC	Tickets | Travel	Lucas Oil Stadium
MON, SEP 26	TIME (ET)	TV	RESOURCES	LOCATION
Washington at Dallas W	8:30 PM		Tickets | Travel	Cowboys Stadium

Week Two-First Victory In The Book For The Browns

Can one person make that much difference in a way a team succeeds? If your name is Peyton Manning, apparently it does. The Browns were able to get on the road of victory after taking advantage of that fact. The Steelers beat up on a what-a-difference-a-year-makes 0-2 Seahawks. The Lions and Bills happily maintain their winning ways. New England, Green Bay, and New Orleans continue to offend or is it, continue to be offensive. There were some blowouts and there were some close ones. All-in-all it was a good weekend of football.

In one recent article by a certain sports website, the Browns were referred to as a "below-average team". Well, the below-average Browns walked away from Indy with a win with the help of Peyton Hillis. Hillis ran for 94 solid yards and two touchdowns. Colt McCoy had just an ok day throwing for 211 yards and one touchdown. The Brown's defense was more alert for this one and it was Reggie Wayne who got caught taking a nap on a third down interception by Usama Young.

On the negative side, the Browns had a serious case of the muffs, but fortunately only lost one of them. The offense is still missing that crucial piece of the puzzle called a premier wide receiver. I am still at a loss as to why Joshua Cribbs is not being used more as a wide receiver. Are they afraid he might get hurt or something?

Going against Miami this weekend, the Browns can prove they are more than just a below-average team. Colt McCoy has an opportunity here to have a greater impact with a Miami defense that is 30th against the pass, but that rating may be slightly deceiving since New England racked up huge passing yardage against them in the first game. No doubt the Browns will also try to test the waters of a weak-on-the-run Miami defense and establish the run game early with Hillis. It is definately a plus the Browns are playing at home on top of it.

All this having been said, Miami will not be a push over after losing their first two games. Chad Henne was superb against New England, but abysmal against Houston. It depends on what Henne will show up.

The Browns Blew Into Philadelphia And Lost To The Eagles 24-14

This game showed the Browns have a ways to go. The offense was a no-show, which brings us to the next glaring observation and an obvious problem.  The Bowns offense is in trouble against a team that knows how to play the West Coast offense. With that having been said, all of this preseason stuff is like watching the Weather Channel predict the track of Hurricane Irene. It changes day by day, hour by hour. At times it is pretty laughable and sometimes pathetic. Nobody knows exactly where it is going, until it goes there.

Colt McCoy threw his first interception of the preseason and couldn't put the ball across the goal line. The Eagle defense kept him out of sinc. The running game wasn't much of a help, but with the preseason nearing an end they were being shuffled in and out like a bad hand of five card stud. At least, Hillis is back into the mix. Now it is up to him as to what impact he may have. No stand out among the wide receivers in this one, except maybe Robiskie. The only two scores came late in the game on passes to Alex Smith and Chris Matthews. Joshua Cribbs was out with an injury and will remain out. That is an ouch.

The Browns may have lost, but the defense didn't look that bad. Two Eagle touchdowns came from quarterback runs and another off a short screen pass. A glaring weakness that needs to be looked at very seriously so future opponents can't exploit it.  The Browns Phil Taylor forced a fumble out of Vick on the Eagles 18 early in the game, but the Browns offense couldn't put the ball in for a score and the field goal attempt was blocked.

Where are the Browns going? The various prediction models show the possible track the Browns may take. It will change month by month, week by week. It may get pretty laughable and sometimes pathetic. You won't know where the Browns are going until they go there. So stay tuned, not to the Weather Channel, which turns people into zombies, and watch the Browns to see where they will go. My prediction, I will let you know.

No Offense, No Surprise-Browns Get Trashed By Ravens 20-10

This season is looking all to familiar once again as the Browns continue their losing ways in a sad but not surprising loss to Baltimore. The trash talking Ravens pretty much had their own way on both sides of the ball. The final statistics verify that final and concise summary. Delhomme or McCoy, the outcome is all the same. The illusion of capable passing or running was not discernable. The unexplainable case of the disappearing Joshua Cribbs from the offense still remains unsolved. Man-Hougini dug down deep into his nearly empty bag of tricks for a brief moment to dazzle the home town fans one final time with a Massaquoi to Robiskie touchdown surprise. A precursor to his up coming concluding curtain call and escape.

Colt Mccoy showed up with no bullets in his gun and threw three interceptions. He accumilated only 149 yds from 15 completions out of 29 attempts. It all added up to a rating of 27.0. Definately not something you would write home about. Peyton Hillis didn't fair much better. He only had 35 yds on 12 carries. Hillis was used sparingly, touching the ball a total of 12 times running and only one reception. A far cry from previous games where he was the go to guy. All-in-all it added up to very little offense when considering possession time was almost split evenly between both teams.

Obviously Baltimore made better use of its time. The Ravens pounded out the majority of its offensive yards on the ground. Ray Rice ran for 92 yds on 25 carries. McGahee, Mclain, and Flacco added another 69 yds for a total of 161. Joe Flacco threw two touchdowns on a scant 102 yds of passing, but the glory goes to the trash talking defense led by Ray Lewis. In the days leading up to the game they taunted the Browns and scoffed that Hillis would not repeat his 144-yard performance against them in Week 3. The Browns failed at proving their taunts to be nothing but hot air. Ed Reed burned McCoy twice and delivered some of the games hardest hits.

It doesn't get any easier as the Browns close out their season against Pittsburgh, another defensively hard hitting team. What almost looked like a promising year turned out to be no different than all the rest. More than likely the Browns will finish 5-11. Joshua Cribbs remains a mystery. Man-Hougini continues to leave him out of the offensive scheme. Hopefully Man-Hougini will go out swinging with everything he's got. A win against the Steelers would give the fans some gratification and 6-10 looks better than 5-11. A parting gift perhaps before he makes his escape from the shackles of mediocrity called the Cleveland Browns. Next year things will be different. It will be a breakout year for the Browns, and there's this property along the the shores of Lake Erie near the Cuyahoga River I would like to sell you. A fantastic deal you cannot pass up.

The Curious Case Of An Inept Cleveland Browns-Lose to Buffalo 13-6

The weather wasn't as bad as expected, but the Browns were worse. Still in the hunt for a playoff spot, although remote, Cleveland played their most disappointing game of the season. They were riddled with inept ball handling and presented a subpar second half offense. The game was never for the Browns out of reach of winning, but the goal line was out of reach, not even scoring one time. Late in the fourth quarter Mohamed Massaquoi was wide open going down the right side, but a break down in the protection of Delhomme caused his pass to fall short and it was intercepted, thus thwarting what could have tied the game. End of game, end of story.

Peyton Hillis figured to be dominant in this game. Hillis did have a hundred yard effort running for 108 yards. His efforts were overshadowed by three fumbles, one of which occurred at a key moment shortly after Buffalo turned over the ball with a mistake of their own on their end of the field in the first quarter. Jake Delhomme only had a total of 86 yards of passing and threw one interception with no touchdowns. Hillis seemed to be his primary target again and Watson only caught one pass through the whole game. Jake only averaged a little over 4 yards per completion and compiled only two first downs passing. That pretty much sums it up as to what went wrong, no offense. Defensively the Browns hung in there and provided a gift for the offense, a gift they squandered. The gift was a Fiztpatrick fumble caused by a Chris Gocong sack that put the ball on the 25 yard line of the Bills. Hillis returned the gift on the very next play. Thanks but no thanks.

The Bills offense could only muster up one touchdown, but that is all they needed. Fred jackson had a good day running with 112 yards. Ryan Fitzpatrick spread 142 yards between 7 receivers. David Nelson caught an 11 yarder for the only score for the Bills. Ryan Lindell kicked two field goals to account for the other 6 points. The Bills were happy to get this win when considering all the close games that haven't gone their way all season long.

Joshua Cribbs was again unexplainably missing from the offensive scheme, not even used to return kickoffs. He was thrown to only once and ran the ball once, which almost ended disastrously. The Browns have been sidelining a key element in Joshua Cribbs. The Browns are lacking the long ball threat where Cribbs could be used and have abandoned something that worked quite well last year, the wildcat offense. I am not saying Mangini should rely on the wildcat, but he should be incorporating it at key moments. I am not saying Mangini should be going long all the time, but at least do something the opponents aren't expecting because judging by past performances, they certainly don't expect the Browns to go vertical. Mangini needs to unleash the offense or maybe he lacks confidence in his own offenses capabilities. You have to do what you have to do to win, or has he given up on this season?

Week 13 NFL Picks-The Best Is Yet To Come

What a week in NFL football. One player should have kept on running into the stadium tunnel and out the gates and one official should have lost himself in the crowd. The player was Buffalo Bills wide receiver Steve Johnson verses the Steelers. A perfectly executed pass in overtime landed right into his hands in the end zone and he dropped it. One of those defining moments when a thin line separates you from being a  hero or a goat. As quickly as the ball slipped through his hands so to the game for the Bills. An official missed an obvious pass interference on Reggie Wayne that ended up with Wayne on the ground and Eric Weddle of the Chargers running 41 yards with a pick into the end zone. Mistakes like that by officials definately impact the final outcome of a game. Alright, you could argue Indy was being manhandled by the Chargers, but at that juncture in the game it was still only 19-14 and who knows what could have happened with the proper call and the Colts having a fresh set of downs at midfield.

Week 12 is now in the books and I was 9-7. New Orleans is at Cincinnati and an easy call, unless the Bengals finally play to the potential that was expected of them. Roll on Big O's, Cincinnati's stars of Follywood. Chicago is firing on all cylinders. Detroits spark plugs are a bit fouled causing them to stall out at crucial moments. Still, the Bears can't allow themselves to get caught napping at the wheel because the Lions could suddenly surge unexpectedly. Buffalo is visiting Minnesota. The Bills are the hard luck team of the season. The dropped pass in the end against the Steelers in overtime epitomized that foregone conclusion. I give the edge to the Vikings only because it is a home game.

There are quite a few games of interest this week. Washington is at NY Giants. The Giants need a win to stay in contention with Philadelphia. The Giants defense is up to the challenge, but their offense needs to avoid making the game altering mistakes it has been prone to commit. Dallas is at Indianapolis. Dallas has vastly improved themselves and Indianapolis has been trying to overcome critical injuries in their running and passing attack. The frustration is written all over Manning's face. It's a must win for the Colts. Pittsburgh is at Baltimore. The Steelers showed their vulnerability against Buffalo. This game will be a fierce battle for the number one spot in the AFC North. The NY Jets at New England game will be a fight for dominance in the AFC East. The Jets have been fortunate for a good part of the season. They will need a heavy dose of fortunate against the Patriots because they are outmatched by the Brady machine. The Patriots defense will need to keep Ladanian Tomlinson in check and cover Santonio Holmes like a blanket in the final minutes.

Finally, Cleveland travels to Miami. Jake Delhomme will start for the Browns. Delhomme looked steady in the first half against the Panthers last week and then briefly lost it at the start of the second. Jake does not have a pass with alot of zip. He needs to stay away from trying to slip passes into close coverage or lofting it towards the sidelines. Peyton Hillis should get the ball often giving Cleveland a balanced attack and opening up opportunities for Jake to take advantage of. Miami is not the Panthers and are a formidable foe. The Jets strong spot, pass defense, will be matched against the Browns weak spot, pass offense. The Jets key to victory will be controlling Hillis. Good luck with that one Miami and hope to see more of Joshua Cribbs.

 

THU, DEC 2 TIME (ET)

Houston 20 at Philadelphia 28 8:20 PM NFL W 

Lincoln Financial Field

SUN, DEC 5 TIME (ET)

New Orleans 27 at Cincinnati 18 1:00 PM FOX W

Paul Brown Stadium

Chicago 24 at Detroit 23 1:00 PM FOX W 

Ford Field

San Francisco 17 at Green Bay 24 1:00 PM FOX W 

Travel Lambeau Field

Jacksonville 23 at Tennessee 15 1:00 PM CBS W

LP Field

Denver 20 at Kansas City 23 1:00 PM CBS W

Arrowhead Stadium

Cleveland 27 at Miami 24 1:00 PM CBS W 

Sun Life Stadium

Buffalo 20 at Minnesota 21 1:00 PM CBS W

Travel Mall of America Field

Washington 24 at NY Giants 27 1:00 PM FOX W

New Meadowlands Stadium

Oakland 21 at San Diego 28 4:05 PM CBS L 

Qualcomm Stadium

Carolina 18 at Seattle 24 4:15 PM FOX W 

Qwest Field

Atlanta 24 at Tampa Bay 20 4:15 PM FOX W 

Raymond James Stadium

St. Louis 20 at Arizona 23 4:15 PM FOX L

U of Phoenix Stadium

Dallas 20 at Indianapolis 34 4:15 PM FOX L

Lucas Oil Stadium

Pittsburgh 23 at Baltimore 24 8:20 PM NBC L 

M&T Bank Stadium

MON, DEC 6 TIME (ET)

NY Jets 20 at New England 33 8:30 PM W 

Gillette Stadium

Browns Narrowly Escape With A Win Over The Panthers 24-23

It was delightfully cruel to send former Panther quarterback Jake Delhomme out against his previous team. Although, the delightfully almost turned into frightfully when Jake blew a decent lead and nearly threw the game away with a costly pick that went all the way for a Panther score late in the third quarter and the lead. Jake tentively recovered in the fourth to beat his former team with the help of a Dawson field goal and a Kasay last ditch effort missed field goal.

The star of the game was not Delhomme, but Peyton Hillis. Hillis turned in another strong effort scoring all three touchdowns and grinding out 192 combined yards. He was the go to guy once again and remains the top target of Brown's quarterbacks. Delhomme spread the passes around to six different receivers and threw for 245 yards. It was good to see Robiskie and Massaquoi get an increase in production as they combined for 11 catches and 102 yards.The offense threw a few surprise plays into the mix, which was good to see. One was a Hillis pass attempt that fell short of its target in the end zone. If successful, it would have been the play of the game.

Carolina played a decent game. Jonathan Stewart put in a 98 yard game. Mike Goodson ran for 55 yards and racked up another 81 yards from catches. Goodson also scored the Panthers only offensive touchdown on a 26 yard run. Clausen got beat up by the Brown's defense and still managed to make a game of it. Their defense hung in tough and had two picks. One by Captain Munnerlyn for 37 yards and a score.

The Brown's are back on the winning track. Hillis continues to be the workhorse of the offense both in running and receptions. It was good to see Mangini using some imagination in the play calling. I saw a couple of plays that could have been big ground gainers if they were successfully executed. Mangini should continue to throw in the surprises. It was also good to see the wide receivers more involved. Still, the long ball is lacking and to be a legitimate offensive threat you must have in your possession the potential for quick strick capability. Joshua Cribbs was back retrieving kicks and punts, but was missing in the overall offensive scheme where he needs to be and possibly that potential quick strike. A team will not make it to the playoffs on running alone. Miami is next on the list.

Week Ten NFL Picks-Go Browns

It was a spectacle, a marvel. Just when you thought the Vikings were ascending into the deep abyss the hand of something, a something I can't give an identity because I don't know what to call it, reached down and pulled them out to play another day. Favre threw for a career-high 446 yards and completed 36 of 47 passes with two touchdowns. The Raiders topped the Chiefs in OT thus proving they are now legitimate contenders for their division title. Sebastian Janikowski took the game ball in this one. The Colts receiving core took another hit while Manning fell short in a last ditch effort in their loss to The Eagles. The Lions shot themselves in the foot again. An over aggressive hit on Tomlinson going out of bounds put the Jets in a position to tie the game in the last seconds of regulation. Then in overtime you could have blinked your eyes and missed the final outcome. That's how quickly the Jets moved into field goal range for Nick Folk to kick the winning score. Dare I mention the results of the Dallas Cowboys game? Does the new movie with Denzel Washington "Unstoppable" bring anything to mind? Another weekend in the books.

I was 10-3 for Week Nine. I am getting closer to the perfect score. Some last minute heroics changed the outcome of several games, otherwise I could have been 7-6. Week to week you think the picks should be easy, but this year is anything but easy. Baltimore at Atlanta is first on the list since it is a Thursday night game. Atlanta is coming off a big win and feeling their Cherrios or Wheaties, whichever one you favor. This one will be entertaining. Atlanta has only one weakness and that is passing defense. Baltimore is steady across the boards offensively and defensively. Atlanta is playing at home, that is the edge in this one. Cincinnati showed a spark of life against the Steelers. Peyton Manning acquired a sliver called Michael Vick he is going to want to extract. Indianapolis should beat the Bengals despite their receIver woes. Dallas is going to New York to play the Giants. Nothing more needs to be said other than it will be brutal, the flight back for the Cowboys.

The two games I have selected as ones to watch are the New York Jets at Cleveland and New England at Pittsburgh. All Pittsburgh has to do is review the game highlights of the Patriots verses the Browns last weekend. It was a thing of beauty. Belichick no doubt is painfully reviewing them also, attempting to figure out how he can patch up the big whole in his defense. It won't be an easy victory for either team, but the Steelers will prevail in the end.
 
Finally, the match up between the Jets and Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Cleveland fans will be expecting a repeat performance. Hillis is coming off a huge display of running prowess, but the Jets are strong against the run. Colt McCoy will be tested in this game as to whether he can carry the the team to victory. My suggestion to Mangini is get Joshua Cribbs involved in a big way to give support to McCoy. Mangini has listened and gotten imaginative in the play calling and needs to continue to step it up. Do that and I will take the Browns all the way to the end.
 
THU, NOV 11 TIME (ET) 
Baltimore 20 at Atlanta 21 8:20 PM NFL W
Georgia Dome
SUN, NOV 14 TIME (ET)
Detroit 23 at Buffalo 20 1:00 PM FOX L 
Ralph Wilson Stadium
Minnesota 24 at Chicago 21 1:00 PM FOX L
Soldier Field
NY Jets 24 at Cleveland 27 1:00 PM CBS L 
Cleveland Browns Stadium
Tennessee 23 at Miami 18 1:00 PM CBS L 
Travel Sun Life Stadium
Cincinnati 20 at Indianapolis 30 1:00 PM CBS W 
Lucas Oil Stadium
Houston 23 at Jacksonville 24 1:00 PM CBS W 
EverBank Field
Carolina 15 at Tampa Bay 24 1:00 PM FOX W 
Raymond James Stadium
Kansas City 28 at Denver 17 4:05 PM CBS L 
Invesco Field at Mile High
Seattle 18 at Arizona 24 4:15 PM FOX L
U of Phoenix Stadium
Dallas 14 at NY Giants 28 4:15 PM FOX L
New Meadowlands Stadium
St. Louis 23 at San Francisco 16 4:15 PM FOX L
Travel Candlestick Park
New England 24 at Pittsburgh 28 8:20 PM NBC L 
Heinz Field
MON, NOV 15 TIME (ET) 

Philadelphia 27 at Washington 24 8:30 PM W 

FedEx Field

Browns Continue To Amaze With Victory Over The Patriots 34-14

The Cleveland Browns accomplished the unimaginable, a convincing win over the hot New England Patriots. It was a treat for Brown's fans everywhere, but a special gift to the fans at Cleveland Browns Stadium, easing some of their pent up frustrations. The offense and defense were as steady as a rock in this one playing smashed-mouthed football from beginning to end.

Colt McCoy had one of his better days topping Brady in the rating column. He was 14-19 for 174 yards. McCoy didn't have a passing touchdown, but did take one in on a 16 yard run. Most of the offense was accumilated by Peyton Hillis on the ground. He had 29 carries for 184 yards and 2 touchdowns. Adding to the success of McCoy and Hillis, you have to give alot of credit to the offensive line for creating the opportunities and not allowing a single sack or even a hit on McCoy. The Browns also controlled the clock.

The defense and special teams of the Browns also played an acceptional game. One interception was recorded against Hoyer, but two fumble recoveries were key where one prevented a Patriot score and another set up a Browns score. The defense kept Brady and Company out of sync and stymied their run game. The Patriots were 3-11 on third down efficiency, which forced them to punt 5 times.

The Cleveland Browns have now shocked the Saints and dominated the Patriots. Three weeks ago you would have said this was an impossible outcome and things were looking all too familiar. Now, in light of these two latest convincing victories one has look forward with a different perspective in mind on the rest of the season. Next week the Jets come to Cleveland Town. The Jets have been stumbling somewhat, just barely edging out the mistake proned Lions. Do it again Browns and make us all believers.

Browns Top Bengals 23 to 20-One Giant Step Forward

The Bengals were ripe for the taking and the Browns did just that, they took it to them by a TKOwens and Browns fans everywhere finally had something to celebrate. Despite the win, the Browns were dominated across the board in every category of offense by the Bengals except one. But if you can't put it across the goal line it means nothing. Seneca Wallace again still did not impress me with a 74.9 rating and the bright spot of the offense for the second straight week was Hillis.

It was imperative to keep the ball out of Palmer's hands near the waining minutes of the fourth quarter with the game close. Peyton Hillis was called upon to grind out the final four minutes and he did exactly that. In those minutes Hillis had a 24 yard scamper. Hillis had 102 yards and one touchdown for the day. Seneca Wallace had 184 yards and one touchdown with an interception thrown in for good measure. Phil Dawson scored 11 points and was perfect with three good field goals. I would say it was a good combined offensive effort after all is said and done.

The game ball however goes to the defense this week even though Owens continuously burned the secondary with 222 yards but amazingly only one score. They pretty much harassed Carson Palmer with seven QB hits and four sacks. That harassement resulted in two Palmer fumbles that went the Bowns way. The last one came at a crucial time and gave the ball to the Browns to finish out the game.

The Bengals have been floundering since the beginning of the season despite what should be a one-two punch in their receiving core, Owens and Ochocinco. Todays loss to Cleveland puts them at 2-2. The road ahead for the Browns is treacherous and slippery.
 
Pittsburgh was stunned by Baltimore and host Cleveland next. The Steelers no doubt will have fresh in mind the loss Cleveland handed them in their last meeting and this weeks stinging loss. It looks to be a punishing game. An opportunity presents itself for the Browns with Roethlisberger still out and contigent on whether they will be able to weather the Steelers defensive onslaught. After that they face the stumbling New Orleans Saints in the Superdome who barely survived Carolina. First, Cleveland will have to ground the Falcons this weekend. If the Browns prevail over the next three weeks, expectations will heighten and anything can be possible.