Rush offense, C: The Bengals ran 24 times for 84 yards. Corey Dillon had 63 yards but only seven yards on six carries in the second half. They ran the ball just eight times for 12 yards in the second half, even though they trailed by just 12 points late into the fourth quarter.

        Pass offense, F: The five interceptions thrown by Jon Kitna and Scott Mitchell tied the franchise record, done five times previously and most recently in 1978. The Browns' 118 yards in interception returns were more than the Bengals' 107 net passing yards. Three of the interceptions led directly to 12 Cleveland points. Wide receiver Peter Warrick lost a fumble after a 22-yard reception.

        Rush defense, A: As the Bengals did in the first game, they stuffed Cleveland's running game. The Browns had just 78 yards on 39 rushing attempts with a long of nine yards. The Cincinnati defense played well. They forced one fumble. Six Cleveland possessions started in Bengals territory, five of them at the 30-yard line or closer.

        Pass defense, C: Browns wide receiver Kevin Johnson had his fourth career 100-yard receiving game against the Bengals and caught the game's only touchdown, a 10-yard pass from quarterback Tim Couch. But Couch was intercepted twice and sacked three times.

        Special teams, D: The bad — Neil Rackers missed field goals from 43 and 47 yards on a windy day next to Lake Erie, and rookie punt returner T.J. Houshmandzadeh lost a fumble trying to make a fair catch. The good — Houshmandzadeh had an 86-yard punt return, and Nick Harris had a 44-yard punting average with three balls downed inside the 20.

        Coaching, D: The Bengals played all three of their quarterbacks and every active player on their roster. The defensive game plan was good and executed well. They might have given up too quickly on the running game. The decision to go for the TD on fourth down from the Browns 2-yard line early in the fourth quarter was a good one but the play call was not. Browns coaches suspected the naked bootleg was coming after having seen film of the Bengals running it at Detroit, and every receiver was covered, forcing Mitchell to run before he was sacked.

        — Mark Curnutte

Browns 18, Bengals 0 Kitna will start next week Bengals report card Sullivan: Destination Oblivion Bengals-Browns statistics Houshmandzadeh sets punt return mark Rackers blows it in the wind Akili: 'I'll be back' Browns defense savors first shutout Sunday Night Game: Bears 13, Vikings 6

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