BENGALS TOP STRUGGLING BROWNS

The Cincinnati Bengals 16-7 win over the lowly Cleveland Browns may not have been devastating, but it was historic.  For the first time in franchise history, the Bengals swept all of their divisional games compiling a 6-0 record in the AFC North.  Mercurial running back Larry Johnson ran for 107 yards and Carson Palmer played mistake free football in securing the victory.  The win improved Cincinnati’s record to 8-3 while Cleveland dropped to 1-10.

NFL football betting enthusiasts who took the Browns as +12’ road underdogs ended up cashing their tickets as Cleveland covered in a losing cause.  The Browns are now 5-6 against the NFL pointspread while Cincinnati is 6-5.  The 23 combined points scored went UNDER the posted total of 39. Cleveland has gone UNDER in 7 of their 11 games this year while Cincinnati has played UNDER the total in 6 of 11.

Johnson, who was released by the Kansas City Chiefs after a succession of run-ins with the law and coaching staff, was happy the Bengals were willing to give him a shot:

"I'm just glad they trust me to go in there, especially with the division and the playoffs on the line. I just came here for a second chance."

The Bengals rushing game rendered QB Palmer as little more than a spectator.  He only threw 24 times in the game, but said that it wasn’t boring in the least:

"Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Absolutely not. It was fun to watch."

Cleveland’s lone touchdown was caught by an unlikely receiver—quarterback Brady Quinn, on a trick play.  He talked about his touchdown play with Joshua Cribbs:

"I caught one my senior year in high school in our homecoming game. That definitely allowed us to stay in the game. At that point, we felt extremely confident."

Cincinnati now hosts another struggling team, the Detroit Lions, on Sunday afternoon.  The Bengals are a -13 home favorite with the total set at 42.  They’ll then take to the road for their next two games, facing the Minnesota Vikings and San Diego Chargers.  Cleveland will host the Chargers this Sunday as a +12’ home underdog and the total set at 43.  They’ll host the defending Superbowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, December 10 before traveling to play the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, December 20.