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Cleveland (4-8) at Cincinnati (9-3)
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Cleveland (4-8) at
Cincinnati (9-3)</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER type="block" width="1" height="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
Preview - Box Score - Recap
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Game Info: 1:00 pm EST Sun Dec 11, 2005
TV: CBS </TD><TD noWrap align=right>
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Cincinnati Bengals have not measured up among the NFL's elite for 15 years.
Now, they are staring down their first playoff spot since 1990 as they play the
Cleveland Browns.
Long considered one of the leauge's laughingstocks, the Bengals can clinch the AFC North with a win and a loss by the
Pittsburgh Steelers to the
Chicago Bears. Cincinnati already clinched its first winning record since the 1990 season with Sunday's 38-31 win over Pittsburgh.
"My dream has always been that this organization would be one that year-in and year-out would be in this position, and no more talking about what happened 14 years ago, that that was your last winning season," 10th-year offensive tackle
Willie Anderson said Monday.
The Bengals extended their lead to two games over the Steelers with Sunday's victory. A win in this game would give Cincinnati a superior division record to Pittsburgh, further strengthening its chances for the division title.
It's a game we had to win to control the division," said Bengals quarterback
Carson Palmer, whose offense averages an NFL-high 374.3 yards. "You can say all you want about how we had to beat Pittsburgh, we just needed to win this game."
The Bengals' last four opponents have a combined record of 20-28, and only the
Kansas City Chiefs have a winning record.
In his sophomore season, Palmer leads the NFL in completion rate (68.7 percent) and touchdowns (26). He is second to Colts quarterback
Peyton Manning with a 106.6 passer rating. Palmer was 22 of 38 passing for 227 yards and three touchdowns against the Steelers.
Wide receiver
Chad Johnson, who leads the AFC in receptions (71) and receiving yards (1,139), has been one of Palmer's favorite targets. The Bengals boast a balanced offensive attack with running back
Rudi Johnson rushing for 88.8 yards per game and nine touchdowns on the season, including two Sunday.
Defensively, the Bengals continue to be aggressive. They lead the league with 26 interceptions, 10 more than any other team and eight shy of the franchise record.
Deltha O'Neal grabbed his NFL-leading eighth interception of the season against the Steelers, and rookie middle linebacker
Odell Thurman notched his fifth.
Although the Bengals are 28th in the league in yards allowed at 337.4 per game, they have an NFL-best plus-24 turnover differential.
The Browns will give rookie
Charlie Frye his second start at quarterback in place of
Trent Dilfer, who is out with a knee injury.
"It ends up being another test for Charlie," Browns coach Romeo Crennel said. "He knows he's the starter early in the week. Everybody else knows he's the starter early in the week. We'll see how he handles the situation."
Frye played well in his first start, a 20-14 loss to the
Jacksonville Jaguars in which he completed 13 of 20 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns.
Rookie wide receiver Braylon Edwards caught both touchdown passes, but also tore the ACL in his right knee later in the game and will be out the remainder of the season.
"It's just part of football," Crennel said. "We'll overcome it and move forward." The Browns average just 15.2 points and rank last in the NFL in red-zone touchdown efficiency (27.6 percent).
Reuben Droughns rushed for 88 yards in the loss to become the first Browns running back to reach 1,000 yards in a season since 1985.
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