Monday, October 15, 2001
Bengals 24, Browns 14
Teammates rally behind Spikes
By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer
For all of his 52 consecutive NFL starts, Bengals linebacker Takeo Spikes has been the torchbearer who refused to accept the team's losing ways. Sunday, when Spikes was forced to miss the game because of his father's death, his teammates came up with an emotional performance worthy of their defensive captain and defeated Cleveland 24-14.
The Bengals held the Browns to 40 yards rushing and 171 yards passing, and the Bengals scored on four consecutive second-half possessions to erase a 7-3 halftime deficit.
“We wanted to go out and win it for Spikes and his family, and we showed character and heart and pulled it off,” said tailback Corey Dillon, who ran for 140 yards on 31 carries and a 5-yard touchdown.
Spikes' father, Jimmie Spikes, died Friday in Georgia. He had been diagnosed with a brain tumor in February. It was the first game Spikes has missed as a Bengal.
Enough was already riding on the game for the Bengals, who had lost two in a row to fall to 2-2, and they turned their grief into a resolve to win the game in order to present Spikes with the game ball. They are
only given out after victories. The Bengals dedicated the game to Spikes.
His replacement at outside linebacker, Adrian Ross, tied for the team lead with five tackles with another of Spikes' close friends, middle linebacker Brian Simmons.
Ross got a two-way radio call from Spikes Friday.
“I sent my blessings to him,” Ross said. “He sent back for me to play my (butt) off.”
The Bengals are now 3-2, their best record five games into a season since the 1990 team started 4-1. They are tied for second place in the AFC Central with Cleveland and Baltimore. Pittsburgh is 3-1 and in first place.
The Bengals also won for the fifth consecutive time at home, before a sellout crowd of 64,217, the largest in 11 games at Paul Brown Stadium. They are 6-4 at home under coach Dick LeBeau and are beginning to establish a home-field advantage.
LeBeau didn't give his team a “win-one-for-Takeo” speech, but he did discuss Spikes' absence.
“I talked with Takeo (Saturday night),” LeBeau said. “We missed him, and our hearts were all with Takeo.”
Spikes was one of three defensive starters missing for most of the game. Defensive tackle Tony Williams was lost for a month after suffering a foot injury last week at Pittsburgh, and cornerback Rodney Heath was lost for the season Sunday when he tore his hamstring making a tackle on the Browns' first possession.
“We're fortunate to have more depth than we have in recent years, and I think that showed today,” LeBeau said.
The defense rebounded from last week, when it gave up 274 yards rushing to the Steelers, and forced the Browns into a one-dimensional pass offense. The pass rush sacked Browns quarterback Tim Couch three times and pressured him consistently.
Rookie defensive end Justin Smith had one of the sacks, his second.
“We knew we were a great player down and knew we were going to have to step it up,” Smith said.
Still, the Bengals trailed at halftime in spite of outgaining the Browns 173-85 yards.
After an 18-yard Nick Harris punt gave the Browns the ball on the Bengals 30-yard line, Couch hit Kevin Johnson in the back of the end zone.
The Bengals drove 63 yards on their final possession of the half, but Neil Rackers was wide right on a 22-yard field goal attempt. He had made one from 27 yards on the Bengals' first drive, and the three first-quarter points were the Bengals' first of the season and the first time in five games they had scored first.
Rackers rebounded to make two second-half field goals, from 42 and 21 yards. They were part of a four-possession scoring run that was similar to the five straight scoring drives the Bengals laid on New England in their opening victory.
“We were moving the ball. We were stopping them,” LeBeau said. “It just wasn't up on the scoreboard.”
The Bengals forced the Browns to punt on their first four possessions in the second half. Cincinnati scored on its first drive, which was set up by a 31-yard punt return by Peter Warrick, his first big return of the season.
The 10-play, 54-yard drive ended when quarterback Jon Kitna threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Darnay Scott, his only reception.
“He really exploded to the ball. And when I threw it, I thought I overthrew it,” said Kitna, who was 20-for-38 passing for 201 yards and the touchdown pass, his sixth. The Bengals led 10-7.
The Bengals received a gift when Couch and running back James Jackson collided on a handoff and fumbled. Defensive tackle Glen Steele recovered on the Browns 31. Rackers made his 42-yarder for the 13-7 lead.
After another Cleveland punt, the Bengals drove 80 yards on nine plays, with Dillon scoring his fifth career rushing touchdown against the Browns from the 5. He had a 22-yard run on the drive, and Kitna and Warrick hooked up for a 33-yard pass play.
Dillon's 140 yards gives him 678 career against Cleveland.
“Corey has done this to a lot of teams,” said Browns coach Butch Davis, who declined to pursue Dillon in free agency in the offseason, even through the Browns' front office wanted to make a run at him.
Dillon was more focused on the victory.
“We took some losses on the road,” he said. “We didn't want people to let that mentality creep into their brains that we're the same old Bengals.”
The Bengals' last scoring drive consumed 7:25 and ended with Rackers' 21-yard field goal. The Bengals moved from their 20 to the Cleveland 4.
In the end, the Bengals ran 80 plays to the Browns' 50 and had the ball for 12 more minutes.
“This whole thing works kind of in concert,” Kitna said. “Special teams play well and give you good position. Then you have the chance to stay within your playbook and gameplan. And when the defense is doing a good job, they give you more and more chances.”
During the game, Kitna said he thought of Spikes and was hoping the defensive captain was enjoying the defense's performance.
“They played a great game, and they were missing their emotional leader,” he said. “All I can say is I'm just praying for him that he can make some sense out of this.”
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Bengals 24, Browns 14 
