Johnson, Bengals, Visit Cleveland

Nov 23, 2006, 5:25 GMT

- Chad Johnson takes his entertaining act back to the road again this Sunday for the Cincinnati Bengals, who visit the Cleveland Browns in the latest edition of the Battle of Ohio.

Right after publicly chastising his coaches for failing to utilize him as a deep weapon, Johnson has put together back-to-back awesome performances for the up-and-down Bengals. The All-Pro wide receiver racked up a team-record 260 yards on 11 catches and scored two touchdowns in Cincinnati's wild 49-41 loss to San Diego in Week 10, then followed up with a six-reception, 190-yard, three-touchdown effort in last Sunday's 31-16 win at New Orleans.

Johnson's 450 combined receiving yards established a new NFL individual record for consecutive games. The all-time professional mark for receiving yardage over a three-game span is 612, set by Charley Hennigan of the AFL's Houston Oilers in 1961.

Cincinnati's primary focus right now isn't on the record books, however. At 5-5, the defending AFC North champion Bengals are currently on the outside looking in of the conference playoff picture, and had lost three straight games prior to their victory over the Saints.

The Browns are sitting in their customary spot at the bottom of the AFC North, but Romeo Crennel's young club has been showing signs of progress lately. Cleveland had won twice in a three-game stretch heading into last week's battle with rival Pittsburgh, and was on its way to another victory until a Ben Roethlisberger touchdown pass to Willie Parker with 32 seconds remaining lifted the Steelers to a dramatic 24-20 triumph.

The close loss continued a recurring trend for the Browns this season, as five of the team's seven setbacks have been by eight points or less. Cleveland's largest margin of defeat in 2006 came to Cincinnati back in Week 2, when the Bengals cruised to a 34-17 decision at Paul Brown Stadium.

SERIES HISTORY

The all-time series between the Bengals and Browns is knotted, 33-33, with Cincinnati evening the series by virtue of its win earlier in the season. The Bengals have now won four straight in the series, including a sweep of last year's home-and-home. Cleveland's last win in the series was a 34-17 triumph at home in 2004.

Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis is 5-2 against the Browns in his career, including 2-1 in games held in Cleveland. Crennel is 0-3 against both Lewis and the Bengals as a head coach.

BENGALS OFFENSE VS. BROWNS DEFENSE

Moving the football hasn't been a problem for Cincinnati, which stands fifth in the NFL in scoring (24.7 ppg), sixth in passing yards (241.3 ypg) and eighth in total offense (342.5 ypg). The combination of Johnson (57 receptions, 7 TD), who now leads the league with 932 receiving yards, and quarterback Carson Palmer (2,593 passing yards, 18 TD, 7 INT) has been especially lethal to opposing secondaries lately. Palmer backed up a career- high 440-yard performance during the shootout with San Diego by throwing for 275 yards and producing his second straight three-touchdown game in the New Orleans win. The steady T.J. Houshmandzadeh (48 receptions, 591 yards, 5 TD) provides an excellent complement to Johnson, while Chris Henry (22 receptions, 379 yards, 4 TD) is a dangerous third receiver when the oft-troubled wideout has been able to take the field. Palmer was only sacked 19 times during his breakout 2005 campaign but has been knocked down 27 times already this year, primarily because his offensive line hasn't been able to stay healthy. Cincinnati could be without three regulars on the front wall come Sunday, including standout left tackle Levi Jones, who's been sidelined since Week 6 because of a knee problem.

Despite suffering a rash of injuries at the cornerback position, Cleveland has defended the pass surprisingly well throughout the year. The Browns have limited enemy quarterbacks to a 52.9 percent completion rate, the second-best mark in the league, and rank seventh overall in passing yards allowed (190.8 ypg). The star of the unit has been strong safety Sean Jones (55 tackles, 7 PBU), who has five of the team's impressive total of 13 interceptions. Daven Holly (34 tackles) has filled in ably at one corner since veteran Gary Baxter tore the patellar tendon in both his knees last month. The second-year pro picked off two passes last week and returned one 57 yards for a touchdown. On the other side, Leigh Bodden (18 tackles, 1 INT, 9 PBU) has missed the last two games because of a sprained ankle and is questionable to play Sunday. Either Ralph Brown (23 tackles, 7 PBU) or swingman Brodney Pool (39 tackles, 2 INT) will start if Bodden again can't go. Rookie outside linebacker Kamerion Wimbley (35 tackles, 6.5 sacks) has been the Browns' best pass rusher, while 34-year-old Willie McGinest (21 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 INT) can still make plays on the strong side.

Cincinnati's offensive line depletions have also had some effect on the ground game, although Rudi Johnson (826 rushing yards, 7 TD) is putting together another fine season. The bruising running back is coming off a 27-carry, 111- yard effort versus the Saints and ripped through Cleveland's shaky rush defense for a season-high 145 yards and two touchdowns back in September. As a team, the Bengals are just 23rd in the NFL in rushing yards (101.2 ypg), but that figure is partly due to the offense's emphasis on the pass.

Stopping the run hasn't been Cleveland's forte this season, although the defense did hold Pittsburgh's Parker to 46 yards on 16 attempts a week ago. Still, the Browns are surrendering nearly 137 yards on the ground (28th overall) while giving up an average of 4.8 yards per rush for the year. The front seven is led by inside linebacker Andra Davis (69 tackles, 2 INT), who's always around the football, while 11-year veteran Orpheus Roye (31 tackles, 1 INT) remains productive from his defensive end spot.

BROWNS OFFENSE VS. BENGALS DEFENSE

Crennel's rebuilding plan has been impeded by a sluggish offense that has shown only slight improvement in the four games since Cleveland fired coordinator Maurice Carthon and replaced him with offensive line coach Jeff Davidson. The Browns' average of 256.9 total yards per game is the second- worst in the NFL, and the offense failed to score a touchdown in last week's loss to the Steelers. Running the ball has been the biggest problem area, as Cleveland ranks 30th overall in that category (83.0 ypg) and is averaging a meager 3.3 yards per carry. Making matters worse, leading rusher Reuben Droughns (472 rushing yards, 3 TD) could miss his second straight contest because of a sprained foot, which would leave seldom-used Jason Wright (113 rushing yards) as the primary ball carrier. Wright did have a solid game in Droughns' place last week, amassing 74 yards on 18 attempts.

The Browns may be able to move the ball better when they face a Cincinnati defense that has surrendered the most yards in the league (377.6 ypg) and was shredded for an eye-popping 595 yards by New Orleans last Sunday. While the majority of that total came through the air, the Bengals haven't been exactly smothering against the run either, as injuries and Odell Thurman's season-long suspension have wreaked havoc on the linebacking corps. Brian Simmons (29 tackles, 1 INT), the team's best linebacker, has sat out three straight games with a neck problem, while projected strongside starter David Pollack suffered a season-ending broken neck in Week 1. Caleb Miller (74 tackles) recorded 14 stops against Pittsburgh and will again take over in the middle if Simmons remains sidelined. For the season, Cincinnati stands 21st overall versus the run (123.2 ypg).

Cleveland has the makings of a dangerous pass offense, but the continued growing pains experienced by second-year quarterback Charlie Frye and shaky protection by the offensive line have limited the Browns' potency in that area. It's hard to fault the receivers for Cleveland's No. 25 ranking in passing yards (173.9 ypg). Kellen Winslow leads all NFL tight ends with 60 receptions and 597 yards, Braylon Edwards (41 receptions, 612 yards, 3 TD) has a wealth of big-play ability and Joe Jurevicius (16 receptions, 186 yards, 2 TD) is a seasoned big target who Frye can count on in clutch situations. Edwards is coming off a monster game at New Orleans in which he posted career- highs of seven catches and 137 yards. Frye (1,959 passing yards, 9 TD, 62.7 comp pct) has displayed toughness and a strong arm, but needs to cut down his 12-interception total for the season and make quicker decisions. The Browns have allowed an unacceptable 39 sacks so far, but not all can be blamed on their mediocre o-line.

Cincinnati's leaky secondary enabled New Orleans' Drew Brees to pass for 510 yards, the sixth-highest individual total in league history, last week. However, the unit did redeem itself somewhat with three huge interceptions that impacted the outcome. Two of the picks came in the end zone by safeties Madieu Williams (49 tackles, 3 INT) and Kevin Kaesviharn (39 tackles, 4 INT), and other was returned for a game-changing touchdown by backup Ethan Kilmer. Still, the backfield clearly missed the presence of Pro Bowl corner Deltha O'Neal (33 tackles, 1 INT, 7 PBU), who sat out with a sore right shoulder and is questionable to play Sunday. Raw rookie Johnathan Joseph (28 tackles, 10 PBU) has shown flashes of being a playmaker, but noticeably struggled while filling in for O'Neal last week. The Bengals have compiled a decent total of 22 sacks for the year, with ends Justin Smith (55 tackles, 6.5 sacks) and Robert Geathers (24 tackles, 7 sacks) the leaders of the pass-rush contingent.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

While its chances of catching Baltimore for the AFC North crown are remote, Cincinnati remains in the thick of the playoff race and sorely needs this game. It won't be a gimme, however, considering all the injuries the Bengals have endured, their repeated breakdowns on defense and Cleveland's penchant for playing its competition closely. Although Winslow presents a serious matchup problem for the Bengal secondary, the Browns will be hard pressed to stop either of the Johnsons, and don't possess enough firepower on offense to keep up with Cincinnati's high-powered attack.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Bengals 31, Browns 23

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