Useless nuggets of information from Sunday’s Browns game that you can certainly live without…
THE SKID CONTINUES: The Browns have now lost eight straight games and 11 of their last 12. The losing streak is their longest since dropping 10 in a row in 2008/2009.
GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT: After getting worse as the game went on last week, Brandon Weeden showed improvement over the course of the afternoon in Cincinnati. In the second half, he completed 17 of 22 passes for 201 yards and a pair of touchdowns for a passer rating of 134.9. His passer rating for the day was 114.9.
DIFFERENT JERSEY, SAME RESULT: The Browns hadn’t worn their brown jerseys for a game in Cincinnati since 2006.
DISCONNECT FOUR: The Browns have lost their last four games in Cincinnati. They’re one loss away from matching their five-game Cincinnati losing streak from 1988 to 1992. Sadly, a four-game losing streak in the Queen City is nothing new. The Browns also lost four straight in the Queen City from 1973-1976, 1982-1985, and 2004-2007.
THIRD-DOWN TURNAROUND: The Browns successfully converted seven of 15 third-down situations. By contrast, against the Eagles they were two for 13.
MUCH BETTER: A week after watching the Eagles run 88 offensive plays to the Browns’ 59, both the Browns and Bengals ran exactly 62 plays.
DIVISIONAL DOLDRUMS: The Browns have now lost 11 straight games to AFC North opponents as well as 11 straight divisional road games. Their last divisional win was over the Bengals in October of 2010; their last divisional road win was also over the Bengals in Cincy in September of 2008.
PROGRESS?: The Browns’ last five defeats have all been decided by seven points or less.
POSITIVE POTPOURRI: The Browns’ offense only had one three-and-out for the day, while the defense forced two...The Browns’ offense only allowed two sacks while the defense collected six...The Browns averaged 5.7 yards per rush while the Bengals averaged 3.2.
NEGATIVE POTPOURRI: The Browns’ defense was flagged for offsides three times (one of which was declined)...The Browns’ offense was flagged twice for false starts and three times for holding... A week after placing three punts inside the opponents’ 20, Reggie Hodges didn’t do it once in Cincinnati.
ACTION JACKSON: D’Qwell Jackson had a stellar afternoon, collecting three sacks and an interception along with five tackles, three quarterback hits, a pair of tackles for loss, and a defended pass.
TOPPING 20: This was just the third time in the Browns’ last 22 games that they scored more than 20 points. It was the most they’d scored in a losing effort since the 38-37 shootout in Detroit in 2009.
SNAPPED STREAK: Before Trent Richardson’s scoring scamper in the second quarter, the Browns’ offense extended its touchdown-less streak to nine straight quarters. Their previous touchdown was a Seneca Wallace-to-Evan Moore scoring pass in the fourth quarter of their loss in Baltimore last Christmas Eve.
THE 400 CLUB: The Browns’ 439 yards of total offense was their best showing since notching the same tally in Detroit in 2009. It was just the fifth time in the last four seasons they’ve topped the 400-yard mark.
BIG DIFFERENCE: By halftime Sunday, the Browns’ offense had rolled up 208 total yards - two yards short of matching their total for the entire contest against Philadelphia.
LIT UP: This was the most points the Browns had allowed in a game since surrendering 41 to Pittsburgh in the 2010 finale. And you have to go back to the legendary 51-45 shootout of 2007 for the last time the Bengals scored this many points against the Browns.
ANOTHER STREAK SNAPPED: Trent Richardson’s first score also marked the Browns’ first rushing touchdown since Peyton Hillis bulled into the end zone in Arizona in Week 15 last year.
SELF-INFLICTED WOUNDS: The Browns had accumulated more penalty yards by halftime on Sunday than they’d managed in four full quarters over their last 14 games.
ROOKIE RUNNERS: The last Browns’ rookie running back to rush for over 100 yards in a game was Lee Suggs in 2003 - ironically also against the Bengals in Cincinnati.
ROOKIE PASSERS: The last Browns’ rookie quarterback to throw for over 300 yards in a game was Eric Zeier in 1995 - ironically also against the Bengals in Cincinnati.
SEPTEMBER SLUMP: Over the past five years, the Browns have lost 12 of their 15 September games.
STILL MR. DEPENDABLE: Phil Dawson has now kicked 18 field goals of 50 yards or more in his career. Eight of those have come in the Browns’ last 15 games.
SCUFFLING IN CINCY: The Browns’ all-time record at Paul Brown Stadium dropped to 4-9, and they’ve lost eight of their last nine there. For what it’s worth, the Browns were 3-1 at Paul Brown Stadium when the playing surface was grass, then the bottom apparently fell out for the Browns when it was replaced by a synthetic surface in 2004.
NOT MUCH OF A DROUGHT: The Browns had only gone three games without allowing a punt return for a touchdown - Lardarius Webb did it for the Ravens in Cleveland last December.
ALMOST EERIE: In another ironic callback, the last time the Browns had a 300-yard passer and 100-yard rusher in the same game was the 51-45 fireworks show with the Bengals - exactly five years to the day earlier.
THE SERIES: The Bengals extended their lead in the all-time series to 42-36. Since 2003 under Marvin Lewis, they’re 14-5 against the Browns.
COUNTDOWN TO GROZA: Now with 1,174 career points, Phil Dawson is only 175 points away from surpassing Lou Groza as the team’s all-time scoring leader.
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