CLEVELAND — For at least a week, Dwayne Rudd won't get asked about his helmet. He kept it strapped on tight Sunday as the Cleveland Browns rebounded from his costly fling and got their season headed in the direction they wanted.

        A 20-7 victory over the Bengals allowed the linebacker to slip into the background after being the talk of the town for one nightmarish week.

        Slow-to-forgive Browns fans might even forget about Rudd's blunder — throwing his helmet in a premature celebration against Kansas City — if Sunday's win turns out to be the start of something big.

        “It only shuts the door if we are able to go out and do what we are capable of, and that's making the playoffs,” Rudd said. “We won't want to be one win away from the playoffs and have everybody look back to last week as the reason we didn't make it.”

        The Browns (1-1) didn't exactly look like a playoff team Sunday in front of the biggest crowd in their stadium's four-year history. They didn't have to play great to beat a team that's having another relapse.

        Quarterback Kelly Holcomb played another solid game Sunday as the fill-in for Tim Couch, who is expected back this week.

        While Couch watched from the sideline in uniform, Holcomb went 17-of-30 for 198 yards with two touchdown passes. In his two starts, Holcomb has completed 64 percent of his passes for 524 yards and five touchdowns.

        “If Tim is 100 percent, Tim is the starting quarterback,” coach Butch Davis said after the game.

        Holcomb won't be surprised if he's soon a backup.

        “I wouldn't be human if I said it didn't bother me, but the realistic point of view is, that's my job,” Holcomb said.

        Notes: Browns DE Courtney Brown was inactive for the game because of a sore neck. ... Davis screamed at DE Mark Word for celebrating by taking off his helmet just before he reached the sideline late in the game. Word wasn't penalized. ... Phil Dawson kicked two field goals, including one from 52 yards that was a career best.

Browns 20, Bengals 7 Photo gallery DAUGHERTY: Bengals invent bizarre ways to be bad LeBeau hesitant to change QB Bengals-Browns stats Bengals Week 2 Report Card By the numbers: Why Bengals are 0-2 Botched fake field goal is oh so Bengals Bengals get helmet penalty Bengals Notebook: Tight ends still invisible Browns get past helmet fiasco Falcons feel Bengals' pain Raiders 30, Steelers 17

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