Quick take: Bengals keep playoff hopes alive, beat Browns 45-22
T.J. Houshmandzadeh pays no heed to the fat Dawg gnawing at his ankles
It was over when...
Backup HB Chris Perry scored from 14 yards out to give Cincinnati a 38-22 lead with just over 3 minutes left in the fourth quarter. On the drive, the Bengals ran the ball 8 consecutive times for a total of 77 yards. Adding insult to injury, CB Jonathan Joseph intercepted Derek Anderson a few plays later and ran the ball back for a TD (his second of the season) to put the final nail in the Browns’ coffin.
Game ball
Pro Bowl WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh had another spectacular game, catching 9 balls for 154 yards and 2 TDs. He is now among the top 3 in the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving TDs.
Key stat
With the Bengals’playoff hopes on the line, the notoriously vulnerable pass defense played well under pressure, limiting Derek Anderson to a 39% completion rate and only 140 passing yards.
Noteworthy
The Bengals played a very sloppy first two quarters, and went into halftime with only a very slim 17-16 lead... Jamal Lewis broke through the middle and ran for a 78 yard TD in the second quarter, but was held in check for most of the rest of the day... Cedric Benson rushed for over 100 yards, but he also had another costly fumble deep in Bengals territory (his ninth of the season)... Despite some hiccups, Cincinnati’s offense was a model of efficiency, accumulating 24 first downs, a 75% conversion rate on third down, and scoring TDs on all 5 red zone appearances.
