The Browns: More competitive, but still oh-and-4

The Browns lost in overtime, but played better against the Bengals than they did all season.

Then again, it wouldn’t have taken much to play better than the first three weeks.

But … you wonder if there would have been such an outcry had the Browns lost four games in four weeks this close.

It was as Mike Furrey stated: ""Not discouraging, but very frustrating."

The Browns had a lot going for them in losing 23-20.

They rebounded after being dominated in the first quarter, and held Cincinnati without a first down for two quarters and nine minutes — seven possessions.

They came back from a 14-0 deficit to take a 20-14 lead.

Josh Cribbs was outstanding — and he was used properly: As a returner and an occasional receiver.

Jerome Harrison ran well.

Mohammed Massaquoi was used as the second receiver, the way he should be used. And he responded.

Shaun Rogers blocked a field goal and an extra point.

Corey Williams and Brodney Pool had their best games as Browns.

And Derek Anderson showed why perhaps he might/should have been the choice all along for the Browns as quarterback.

Yet … the Browns lost.

Through all the positives and things to build on, they are an 0-4 team going on the road to play a 1-3 team in Buffalo that features receivers Terrell Owens and Lee Evans.

A better game? Yes.

It should stop some of the outcry about the coach, and should avoid another "worst hire in 25 years" story from appearing online.

But it still leaves the Browns winless and looking at a long season — with Buffalo, Green Bay and Chicago waiting before the bye.

The fourth loss was a better loss than the first three, but it was another loss.

Random thoughts

–There were some questionable decisions by the Browns in the game:

*** Taking timeout with 2:02 left in the game and Cincinnati lining up chaotically for a fourth-down play, down six.

The Bengals were not going to snap the ball prior to the two-minute warning, so taking the timeout was very costly. Especially because it was the Browns last timeout and it would have been more than vital on their last possession.

Eric Mangini said the timeout was called because his defense was not lined up right.

"I thought about letting it run to the two-minute warning," Mangini said. "But the last thing I wanted was to do was not call it, have them snap it and have a guy miss (an assignment). You never want to waste a timeout. I probably would do it again if it came up, just because we weren't in the right spots.

"It was too critical a point in the game."

Maybe … but it sure looked like Cincinnati was in more disarray than the Browns.

There was no way they could have gotten themselves aligned and set for a second before snapping the ball.

Taking it cost the Browns as their last drive ended at the Bengals 40 with 19 seconds left.

That timeout, which was called from the sidelines, might have meant the difference between winning and losing.

*** Late in the third quarter, the Browns had third-and-1 at the Bengals nine.

They ran Jerome Harrison over left guard, and he gained nothing. The game was tied, so the Browns eschewed going for it on fourth-and-inches and kicked a field goal.

"I did think about going for it," Mangini said. "We kind of lost a little bit on the third down play. It was third-and-inches. I think if it was fourth and inches we might have had a play in mind for that, but when we got knocked back a little bit, at that point go ahead and take the points."

Curious that third-and-inches is so much different from fourth-and-half-a-yard.

*** In the fourth quarter the Browns had the ball at the Bengals 14. Harrison ran for two and Anderson was sacked for a loss of eight.

That put the ball at the 20, where the Browns chose to run Harrison instead of throwing into the end zone.

Mangini admitted the sack scared him — "You could very easily be out of field goal range just as quickly as you (entered it)" — and said had the injured Phil Dawson been the kicker instead of Billy Cundiff he'd have felt more confident trying a longer field goal.

"With Phil things could be a little bit different," Mangini said.

–Derek Anderson played quarterback the way it should be played, throwing for 269 yards and a touchdown. He had one bad interception at the goal line, but if Anderson plays like that the rest of the season Brady Quinn might become a forgotten man.

–The Bengals have won eight of 10 over the Browns.

–So much of this game is judged by the way the Browns played the first three weeks. In those games, they were awful. So playing decently puts a bright spin on things. The way Mangini opened his news conference you'd have thought the Browns just clinched a playoff spot.

"I couldn't be prouder of how they played and competed through five quarters," he said. "I thought that there were some great individual efforts, as well as some great collective efforts."

–Still … it sure seemed like the Bengals played to the Browns level for long stretches. Had Cincinnati not coasted after going up 14-0, they might have run away with it. They didn't, of course, and the Browns came back, which is to their credit. They just didn't finish the job.

–WR Braylon Edwards said a different Mangini led the team this week.

"He had a different feel about him," Edwards said. "I can't explain it, but he did and we ran with that and we worked hard for him all week."

–Edwards did not have a catch for the first time in his career, but did have two drops.

–The Browns dropped at least five passes.

–Bengals offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth was flagged for a personal foul for a late hit after the play in the third quarter.

Whitworth sprinted 20 or 30 yards to go after Browns linebacker Alex Hall well after the whistle.

""Their guy smoked me pretty good from behind after the play," Whitworth said. ""The ref said he didn't see it because he was spotting the ball."

Whitworth said he expects the Browns player — Hall? — to be fined.

""I'm sure if it's on videotape it will be a hefty one," Whitworth said.

–This game came down to a gutsy decision by Marvin Lewis to go for the first down on fourth-and-11 from the Browns 41-yard-line.

Most coaches — I'm guessing including Mangini — punt the ball there.

Lewis showed a lot of courage and trust in his players and went for the first down. Palmer backed it up with a scramble for 15 yards and a first down.

Yes, the scramble came from nowhere.

No, the Browns had no reason to plan or specifically defend for Palmer to run. He had a knee and ankle problem and hadn't run all day.

But he did.

And because he did, Cincinnati won.

But he'd have never had the chance to run if Lewis had not shown faith in him.

The Bengals went two quarters without a first down. They looked horrid at times. But they came up with the plays they needed at the end of regulation and overtime to win a game.

This may just be that kind of season for the Bengals.

Which … again … makes it that kind of that season for the Browns.

At 0-4, they could be mathematically eliminated by Halloween.

What they said 

"I think our guys were pretty confident in getting something going and making the play. (The Browns) didn't have any timeouts left, so if we did give them the ball over to them there, it isn't necessarily that they had a big advantage."

–Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, on the decision to go for the first down on fourth-and-11 in overtime. 

"Guys were doing a good job down the field with the coverage and he was able to get the first down."

–Mangini on Palmer's 15-yard run, which matched a career high. 

"You can sit here and say we played well, but it hurts."

–Braylon Edwards 

"It's not discouraging but very frustrating. We did a lot of things well that we wanted to start doing better and that's a positive."

–Mike Furrey