Written by Jesse Lamovsky

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Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals

Time: 1:00 pm, Sunday, December 19, 2010

Location: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Network, Announcers- CBS: Don Criqui and Steve Beuerlein

Line: Bengals by one. For the second consecutive week the Browns are a road ‘dog against a two-win opponent. They don’t call it the “smart money” for nothing.

Team W/L Records: Cleveland is 5-8; Cincinnati is 2-11.

Coaches: Eric Mangini is 33-44 overall, 10-19 in his second season with the Browns; Marvin Lewis is 58-66-1 in his eighth (and likely final) season with the Bengals.

Last Week for the Browns: Suffered their sickest loss of the season in Buffalo, 13-6. For maybe the first time all season Cleveland was out-everything’d offensively, defensively, and in the coaching staff. I’ve been squarely in Eric Mangini’s corner since late last season (after originally wanting him not just fired but drawn and quartered in Public Square), but he did not cover himself with glory last week. The decision to kick the field goal on fourth-and-goal from the one on the first drive was just weak, sorry BS. Yes, Cleveland had second-and-goal from the two and hadn’t punched it in- but on the road, when you’re 5-7, when touchdown opportunities are sure to be dear, you go for it.

Last Week for the Bengals: Melted down offensively in their tenth consecutive defeat at Pittsburgh, 23-7. After driving 69 yards to a touchdown on its first possession, Cincinnati amassed 121 total yards and turned it over three times, twice for defensive touchdowns. The tenth straight loss matched a franchise in-season record set by the 1993 team, which lost its first ten games on the way to a 3-13 record. You think the Cavaliers haven’t won in a long time? Cincinnati hasn’t won a football game since the final week of September. That’s a long time.

All-Time Series: Bengals lead, 38-36

Last Meeting- October 3: Peyton Hillis began to build his legend and Cincinnati began its current losing streak as the Browns broke into the win column for the first time, 23-20. Hillis battered the Bengals for 102 yards on 27 carries, scoring a touchdown, knocking two Cincinnati defenders out of the game and personally putting it away with six straight carries on Cleveland’s clock-eating, game-clinching final possession. Terrell Owens went dog-nuts at the beleaguered Eric Wright’s expense (10 catches, 222 yards and a 78-yard touchdown) but it wasn’t enough for Cincinnati, which outgained the Browns in defeat, 413-295.

Out, Doubtful or Questionable for Cincinnati: CB Jonathan Wade (knee) is doubtful; WR Terrell Owens (knee) are questionable.

Out, Doubtful or Questionable for Cleveland: LB Scott Fujita (knee) and TE Evan Moore (hip) are doubtful; LB Marcus Benard (shoulder), LB David Bowens (head), CB Sheldon Brown (shoulder), DE Kenyon Coleman (knee) and DT Shaun Rogers (ankle) are questionable.

What to watch for the Browns: The hounds have been at the heels of Eric Mangini almost as soon as he stepped off the plane in Cleveland and intensified their baying during the 1-11 horror show of a start to 2009 (and hard to blame them.) Those yelps were stilled somewhat by the 4-0 finish but were in full throat again when Mangini’s team started 0-3 this season. For a time afterward though, as the Browns got warm in October and destroyed the Saints and Pats back-to-back in the weekends sandwiching Halloween, it was kennel time for those who bark incessantly for the head coach’s dismissal.

But the overtime loss to the Jets and the awkward 2-2 stretch following have the hounds on the loose again seemingly close in arrears of Mangini’s considerably-less-meaty-than-before carcass. Things came to a head this week thanks to the ugly loss in Buffalo as well as behind-the-scenes reports from sources both somewhat legitimate and very much not so. The hunt is on, and this time Caine isn’t the prey. It’s Eric Mangini.

The only question is, why?

Now, I get firing Daboll. Personally, I think you could resurrect Sid Gillman and he’d have a tough time generating consistent forward motion out of this offense. Not to say the Browns don’t have their strengths- they occasionally block and run the ball very well (though not consistently)- but outside of Peyton Hillis ( one-half of a great rushing attack) and they have the threat of Joshua Cribbs, Most Valuable Decoy of 2010. Aside from that and the sturdy Ben Watson, the playmakers are lacking. But, the Browns 29^th in total offense and 28^th in scoring and someone has to pay. This kingdom won’t rise and fall on Brian Daboll’s chromium pate. He’s expendable. I’m just not sure why Mangini is.

Because Mangini has improved the team in each of his first two seasons. The improvement has been halting at times, but it’s there. It’s there in the record thus far- 4-12 to 5-11 to 5-8- and it’s there in the outliers of points scored and points given up. It’s there in the accomplishments, however meagre- first four game winning streak since the Return, first win over Pittsburgh, the most impressive back-to-back stretch since the Return. This is a better team than the one Mangini inherited. Complain about the conservatism, about Delhomme starting over Wallace, about the offensive coordinator, about losing winnable games, about in-game adjustments or whatever- this team is better.

Want Mangini fired? Clearly he hasn't lost the locker room, at least not at this point. Guys are still playing hard. We haven't seen the kind of lay-down-and-quit blowouts the Crennel team specialized in. The only logical reason would be if you think this would be a winning team, right now, with a different coaching staff. And that's the criteria that needs to be imposed on the new guy should Mangini be fired. Win- now. No more talk of processes and how this is going to take a couple of years. If you think Mangini isn't doing the job, clearly you think this team should be a winner in the here and now. There's no other reason that makes any sense whatsoever.  

I’m saying this now. But this isn’t a time to make final judgements- one the hounds are so eager to rush to. Three games remain- all against division opponents, with the final two at home against Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Colt McCoy is back in the saddle and he’s got a huge opportunity to succeed gloriously or fail ignobly. Chances are, based on what we’ve seen almost weekly since September, the Browns will have an opportunity to win any and all of these games. Things are still wide open. No need to go bonkers- we’ve got miles to go before we sleep.

Next Week for Both Teams: Cleveland hosts Baltimore; Cincinnati hosts the Chargers.

Trivia: The Browns haven’t swept the Bengals since 2002, when Cleveland defeated Cincinnati 20-7 in CBS and 27-20 in PBS.