CINCINNATI — At least the Browns lead the league in something: untimed downs.

Of course, they also lead in points allowed in those untimed downs. So don’t get carried away.

A routine 16-7 loss to the AFC North-leading Cincinnati Bengals featured a subplot interesting to impartial observers but infuriating to Browns coach Eric Mangini.

For the second straight week, the Browns (1-10) gave up pivotal points on plays that began with no time on the clock. Last week it was the winning touchdown in Detroit after a pass interference penalty on the final play. On Sunday in Paul Brown Stadium, it was a 53-yard field goal at the end of the first half.

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This time, nose tackle Shaun Rogers yanked down quarterback Carson Palmer by the top of the back of the jersey as he was headed out of bounds to end the half. The needless tackle gave the Bengals (8-3) 15 yards, just enough to move them into Shayne Graham’s range. He nailed the kick for a 13-0 halftime lead.

“It’s a three-point penalty,” Mangini said. “I coach aggressively against that stuff, and two weeks in a row it has resulted in points.”

Mangini, who yelled at the officials because he thought the Bengals had a late hit on the play, prides himself on instilling discipline and eliminating penalties. That’s why the Browns ran all those laps in training camp. They rank near the top of the league in fewest penalties committed, but have made a critical one two weeks in a row.

The Lions’ touchdown turned a win into a loss, and the three points Sunday also made a huge difference. The Browns never looked capable of scoring two touchdowns, so the Bengals stayed conservative, ran the ball down the Browns’ throats and added a third-quarter field goal to cement the game and a 6-0 record inside the division.

The explosion from Brady Quinn and Co. in Detroit suddenly looks like a product of the Lions defense rather than a maturation of the Browns offense. Cleveland finished Sunday with 169 total yards, the fewest allowed by the Bengals since 1983.

Quinn was 15-for-34 for 100 yards and a 51.3 rating. He was sacked once and ran 9 yards on a draw for his first career rushing touchdown. He was hurt by five drops – two by receiver Chansi Stuckey on third down in the first half – but was also inaccurate.

“When it comes down to it, we just have to make plays,” Quinn said. “We just didn’t execute the way we needed to.”

After stretching the field against the Lions’ league-worst pass defense, the Browns kept it short against Bengals cornerbacks Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph. Mohamed Massaquoi was well covered on one deep shot and got tangled up with Joseph on another incompletion down the sideline. That was the extent of the vertical game.

As usual, the short stuff didn’t work, either. Three straight passes to Joshua Cribbs in the flat in the fourth quarter resulted in a 1-yard gain, a drop, a 1-yard gain and a punt.

“They’re trying to get me the ball and make something happen,” he said. “I don’t fault them for doing it. But (the Bengals) were all on it, calling it out.”

The Quinn-Cribbs hookup worked better in reverse, as Cribbs took a handoff and completed an 18-yard pass to Quinn, who made a nice leaping catch in tough coverage. The trick play set up the touchdown.

That was the lone bright spot. The Browns were 4-for-14 in third-down conversions (29 percent) and managed 11 first downs to Cincinnati’s 21.

“I really felt like we had some opportunities,” Mangini said. “We had dropped balls – too many – and missed throws.
“Playing a team like Cincinnati, at Cincinnati, there is such a small margin for error.”

The score made it look like a solid outing from the defense, but numbers lie. The Bengals rushed 45 times for 210 yards, as Larry Johnson picked up 107 in his first significant action in Cincinnati.

Palmer completed 13 of 24 passes for 110 yards, a touchdown, a long of 19 yards and an 80.2 rating. When he needed a big throw on third down, he was able to spot somebody running open and deliver the ball. Palmer has always been able to find the overmatched Browns defensive back, and that job belonged to Hank Poteat on Sunday.

The 4-yard touchdown came with 1:10 left in the first half as he scrambled right and found tight end J.P. Foschi covered by Poteat, who was the goat last week for the pass interference penalty. Poteat couldn’t stay with Foschi after a fake inside and a move back outside.

The Bengals had the ball for 38:11, including 20:10 in the first half. They had drives of 14, 11 and 11 plays and looked like they could move the ball whenever they wanted.

“A 200-yard rushing game, that’s hard to swallow,” said defensive end C.J. Mosley, who filled in for the injured Kenyon Coleman.

As much as Mangini preaches no penalties, he stresses complementary football: The offense, defense and special teams must all come together to get a win. The Browns were 0-for-3.

Punter Reggie Hodges gave the Browns no field position edge, as he had a net of 34.4 yards and two touchbacks. And the Bengals made Cribbs a non-factor in the return game by constantly kicking away from him.

“The consistency is something we have to learn,” Mangini said.

The Browns finished the game without two-thirds of their defensive line, as nose tackle Shaun Rogers was carted off with what looked like a serious ankle injury and Coleman never returned from a knee injury. Outside linebacker Kamerion Wimbley left with a knee injury and will have tests today, and Brodney Pool didn’t return from what was announced as a head injury.

On a 1-10 team that can’t get to the finish line fast enough, season-ending injuries tend to pile up.

Maybe the Browns can lead the league in that category, too.

Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.

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