Carson Palmer decided that he couldn’t give it a go today due to a sore elbow so Ryan Fitzgerald got the start at QB and he was awful.  He completed 21 of 35 passes for 156 yards with 1 TD pass and 3 interceptions.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 41 yards (10.3 ypc) but he lost a fumble on a sack.  Chris Perry had another bad game rushing for 28 yards on 12 carries (2.3 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 15 yards (3.0 avg).  Perry also lost a fumble in this football game.  T.J. Houshmandzadeh led the Bengals in receiving again this week with 6 grabs for 50 yards (8.3 avg).  Chad Johnson caught 3 passes for 28 yards (9.3 avg) with a TD grab and he also recovered a Eric Wright fumble on a interception return for the Browns.  The Bengals finished up with 69 yards rushing on 16 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 35 passes for 142 yards.

The defense actually didn’t play that bad against the Browns today.  Linebackers Dhani Jones (9 tackles) and Keith Rivers (8 tackles) led the way for the Bengals on defense in this game.  Safety Chinedum Ndukwe also was very active for the Bengals in this game with 6 tackles, a sack and a interception.  The Browns finished up with 134 yards rushing on 40 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 24 passes for 127 yards.  The Bengals fell to 0-4 on the season with this loss.

The Battle of Ohio has lost some of it’s luster this season as both the Bengals and Browns are both 0-3 on the season.  Still, this is a crucial game for both teams as they need to turn things around soon before the season is lost.  If the Browns’ coaches have been watching the game film of the Bengals’ defense (questionable) then they will no doubt want to run the football in this game.  The Bengals are allowing a stunning 174.3 yards rushing per game this season and Jamal Lewis has torched them many times in his career.  The Bengals only have 1 sack this season so Derek Anderson will likely have a lot of time to throw the football tomorrow so he has no excuses left.  If he starts this game poorly he will get yanked for 2nd year QB Brady Quinn.  The Browns should focus the passing game around TE Kellen Winslow seeing how Braylon Edwards hands appear to be made of concrete this season.

The Bengals will probably come out firing the football around the field as long as Carson Palmer’s elbow holds up.  The Browns don’t have much of a pass rush and they are starting two second year CBs who are on a learning curve.  Chad Johnson is barking that he’s feeling better and is ready to breakout but I’ll believe it when I see it.  T.J. Houshmandzadeh is back based on his great game of last week and he will likely give the Browns’ secondary fits tomorrow.  The Bengals feel that Chris Perry could have a big game against a Browns’ defense that is allowing 145.0 yards rushing and 4.1 yards per carry this season.

PREDICTION:  CINCINNATI BENGALS 31, CLEVELAND BROWNS 20

The Bengals have signed 29-year old CB Jamar Fletcher to a 1-year contract.  Due to the injury to Jonathan Joseph the Bengals had to add another CB.  Fletcher played in 10 games (2 starts) for the Texans last season and he made 19 tackles and defensed 3 passes.  Fletcher has now played in 94 games (10 starts) in his NFL career and he has made 177 tackles, has 1 sack, defensed 23 passes and he intercepted 7 (including 1 that he returned for a TD). 

The Bengals will be without starting CB Jonathan Joseph tomorrow against the Cleveland Browns due to a ankle injury.  Joseph had 8 tackles, has defensed 4 passes and he has a fumble recovery that he returned for a TD this season.  He’s a playmaker while his replacement is not.  David Jones will start in Joseph’s place against the Browns who will be sure to throw the ball his direction.  Jones has 9 tackles and he has defended 1 pass this season.

Carson Palmer got off to a rough start this season for the Bengals.  He has been sacked 9 times this season already and he had a tough time trying to figure out the defense of the Ravens and Titans in the first two weeks of the season.  But, Palmer played very well against the Giants last week and he owns the Cleveland Browns (this week’s opponent).  Palmer has completed 52 of 90 passes (57.8%) for 514 yards with 1 TD pass and 3 interceptions (63.8 QB Rating).  The Bengals lack of a running game (86.7 yards per game, 3.3 ypc) has not helped Palmer as teams are coming after him with blitzes.  Still, look for Palmer to really take off this week against the Browns.