By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Bengals highlights

1. Corey Dillon breaking Walter Payton's 23-year-old mark for most rushing yards in a single game with 278 in a 31-21 victory over Denver on Oct. 22, 2000. It was the Bengals' first victory in Paul Brown Stadium and first for good-guy head coach Dick LeBeau.

2. Beating Detroit 31-27 on Oct. 28, 2001, to enter the bye week at 4-3. It was the team's best November mark since 1990 and fueled optimism that the Bengals could get back into the playoffs. LeBeau got close to getting the Bengals over the hump, but the franchise has lost 24 of 28 games since.

3. Upsetting defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore 21-10 on Sept. 23, 2001. The Bengals were 2-0 for the first time since 1995.

4. Drilling the rival Browns 44-28 on Dec. 12, 1999, in the last NFL game in Cinergy Field/Riverfront Stadium. The Bengals were 128-100-0 in 30 seasons in the original Jungle.

5. The hiring of Marvin Lewis on Jan. 14 to signal the start of legitimate change within the league's most backward and losing franchise.

Browns highlights

1. Scoring 14 fourth-quarter points Dec. 29 last season to defeat Atlanta, and waiting for two other games to go their way to make the playoffs. Insiders say that moment was the first that felt like the old days.

2. Sweeping owner Art Modell's Ravens in 2001, each by 10 points. Cleveland fans will never forgive Modell for taking their team.

3. Winning their first game on Halloween in 1999 at the Superdome on a Hail Mary pass from Tim Couch to Kevin Johnson. The 21-16 win came after seven losses and was the first for the Browns in three years, 10 months.

4. Speaking of the Hail Mary, Couch to Quincy Morgan at the gun at Jacksonville last year for a 21-20 victory in Game 13. The Browns finished 5-2 and ended up as a 9-7 wild-card playoff team.

5. Beating Modell's Ravens in Game 15 at Baltimore (second straight year) to keep the Browns' improbable playoff drive alive.

Bengals disappointments

1. Losing the first game in Paul Brown Stadium, 24-7 to Cleveland on Sept. 10, 2000, and looking awful in the process.

2. Losing a franchise-record 14 games in 2002, despite coming off a hopeful 6-10 season that ended with consecutive victories and a No. 9-ranked defense. The out-of-shape Bengals were hammered 34-6 by San Diego in their 2002 opener.

3. Turning down New Orleans' offer to trade all of its draft picks for the No. 3 overall choice in the 1999 draft. The Bengals drafted quarterback Akili Smith and rushed him into the starting lineup, helping him to wreck his NFL career.

4. Losing 37-0 at Baltimore on Sept. 24, 2000. Bruce Coslet resigned as coach the next morning, leaving LeBeau little to work with.

5. Bottoming out in home attendance with a Paul Brown Stadium-low 42,092 tickets distributed for Game 14 against Jacksonville on Dec. 15 last season.

Browns disappointments

1. Losing the first game back, on Sept. 12, 1999, 43-0 to the rival Steelers. Bill Cowher poured it on at Cleveland Browns Stadium. (Revenge was sweet later that season in a 16-15 victory at Pittsburgh.)

2. Losing 48-0 at Jacksonville in Game 14 of 2000, the loss that essentially got coach Chris Palmer fired. The forgettable Spurgeon Wynn started at quarterback.

3. Losing 15-10 to Jacksonville on Dec. 16, 2001, and fans losing their heads by pelting game officials and opposing players with plastic beer bottles. The refs blew the call, though, by allowing a review of a Morgan catch after another play had been run.

4. Losing 33-13 in Week 2 this season to Baltimore and allowing Jamal Lewis to set a single-game rushing record of 295 yards.

5. The 2002 opener vs. Kansas City. Linebacker Dwayne Rudd took off his helmet in celebration of a supposed victory, only to be penalized, allowing the Chiefs to kick a winning field goal in a 40-39 loss.

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