By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Bengals should win today.

A loss to the Browns, however heated the intrastate rivalry, would rival only the loss to Arizona as the season's biggest disappointment.

The Bengals should be able to run the ball effectively against the league's 24th-ranked rush defense. Corey Dillon and Rudi Johnson should be able to move the chains and open up the pass game for Jon Kitna and Chad Johnson.

Controlling the ball would keep the increasingly leaky Bengals defense off the field as much as possible against a Browns offense that's productive only through the air.

QUARTERBACK

Depending on the decision made before next season by Bengals coaches and management, Kitna might be making his final start as the team's regular quarterback. Carson Palmer waits in the wings.

The Bengals win when Kitna avoids mistakes. He has 20 touchdown passes and one interception in Cincinnati's eight victories.

Tim Couch also could be making his last start with the Browns. He survived a quarterback battle with Kelly Holcomb to throw for seven touchdowns and 1,204 yards in seven starts.

Edge: Bengals

RUNNING BACKS

Dillon might be making his final appearance with the Bengals. He probably will get a good chunk of the carries as long as he is productive. Rudi Johnson needs 95 yards for 1,000.

Jamel White is likely to get the start for the Browns, but expect to see a lot of rookie Lee Suggs, who had 68 yards on 20 carries against the Ravens last week.

Edge: Bengals

RECEIVERS/TIGHT END

Chad Johnson is aiming for his sixth 100-yard receiving game this season, which would add that franchise record to his resume. Peter Warrick moved well in practice Friday and will be a game-time decision. Kitna should be able to get the ball to his tight ends today.

The departure of Kevin Johnson adversely affected the Browns' receiving corps. Third WR Dennis Northcutt leads them with 61 receptions, and Andre Davis has five touchdowns.

Edge: Bengals

OFFENSIVE LINE

A testament to the talent of rookie guard Eric Steinbach is how much he was missed last week at St. Louis. It's 50-50 he'll play today. The Browns' defensive front seven are a better matchup for the Bengals' offensive line, although Cleveland's front four are talented.

The Browns had to alter their offensive line 15 times this season. It will be 16 today when Paul Zukauskas misses the game because of a sprained knee.

Edge: Bengals

DEFENSIVE LINE

The Browns had given up one 200-yard rushing game in the team's history prior to this season - to Pittsburgh's John Henry Johnson in 1964. They have given up three this season, two to Jamal Lewis of Baltimore and one to LaDainian Tomlinson of San Diego.

Still, the Bengals' rush defense is only 2.9 yards a game better than Cleveland's. The Browns are 13th in points allowed, the Bengals 29th.

Edge: Browns

LINEBACKERS

Riall Johnson will start in place of outside linebacker Adrian Ross, who was put on injured reserve because of a knee ligament injury. One stat that supports the outstanding play of the Browns' front seven is their red-zone defense. They are second in the league in touchdowns allowed on possessions inside the 20-yard line (16-for-45, 35.6 percent). Offensively, the Bengals are seventh in the league in red-zone touchdowns (26-for-44. 59.1 percent).

Edge: Browns

DEFENSIVE BACKS

The Browns have a stronger defense front to back. They are statistically better in every category except rush defense. The biggest gap is in pass defense, where the Browns are ranked fifth at 179.3 yards a game - that's 40 yards a game better than the Bengals and their 23rd-ranked pass defense.

Edge: Browns

SPECIAL TEAMS

With the exception of punter Kyle Richardson's inconsistency, the Bengals' special teams units are among the most improved in the league. Even without the injured Warrick last week, the Bengals nearly made the game's biggest play on a Jeff Burris punt return. Kicker Shayne Graham has missed only two of 24 field goal attempts.

Edge: Bengals

COACHING

Marvin Lewis will have the Bengals ready to play and has done a masterful job of keeping them focused on the next game. They have avoided losing consecutive games since beating Cleveland in Week 4. Butch Davis and the Browns are a mess compared to where they were a year ago.

Edge: Bengals