Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Kenny Watson gained 130 yards on 30 carries with a touchdown, and the Cincinnati Bengals held on for a 19-14 win over the Browns, preventing Cleveland from clinching a playoff berth for the first time since 2002.
The win was swirling in Cincinnati, leading to a difficult day for the quarterbacks, who combined for six interceptions.
The Bengals won despite a Watson fumble deep in Cleveland territory with under two minutes left in regulation. The Browns had one last chance to win, driving to the Cincinnati 29-yard-line, but Derek Anderson's throw into the end zone fell incomplete as time expired, and the Bengals survived.
The loss by the Browns (9-6) clinched the AFC North title for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who beat the St. Louis Rams 41-24 on Thursday to go to 10-5. Cleveland controlled its own destiny entering play, but after Tennessee's 10-6 win over the Jets on Sunday, the Titans are now the team in the driver's seat for the last wild card in the AFC.
Both teams are 9-6 and, if Tennessee beats the Colts next Sunday, both will have 7-5 conference records. The Titans have a 4-1 record among common opponents, however, better than Cleveland's 3-2 mark. For the Browns to get the last AFC wild card, they need a Titans loss next Sunday at Indianapolis, or for the Titans and Colts to tie, coupled with a Cleveland win.
A Tennessee win, regardless of the outcome of the Browns-49ers game, clinches a berth for the Titans.
Carson Palmer completed 11-of-21 passes for 115 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions - both to Leigh Bodden - for the Bengals (6-9), who rebounded from a tough loss to the 49ers. Chad Johnson had four catches for 44 yards, and Chinedum Ndukwe intercepted Anderson twice.
Anderson throws four interceptions, including two on consecutive plays late in the first half. He threw for 250 yards on 29-of-48 passing with two scores. Jamal Lewis gained 92 yards on 21 carries, and Kellen Winslow had seven grabs for 73 yards for the Browns. Braylon Edwards had eight catches for 52 yards and two scores for Cleveland.
The Bengals had a chance to wrap the game up after Anderson's fourth pick, a bad decision to try and force a ball in to Winslow that Jonathan Joseph hauled in at the Bengals' five and ran back to the Cincinnati 28, where the Bengals took over with 7:35 left, holding a 19-7 lead.
Palmer gave the ball right back on the next play, though, as T.J. Houshmandzadeh fell down and Bodden came up with his second pick of the game, running it back 20 yards to the Cincy 16. Three plays later, Anderson found Edwards over the middle of the end zone for a five-yard score, cutting the deficit to 19-14 with 5:57 remaining.
The Bengals answered by going to a steady diet of Watson, mixing in a reverse to Johnson that gained 16 yards, and drove down to the Cleveland 22-yard- line. There Watson, on 2nd-and-10, had the ball stripped by Andre Davis, and D'Qwell Jackson recovered at the 17 with 1:48 left.
"That's probably been the biggest thing this season that has really haunted us, our inability to take care of the football," said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis.
Anderson hit Edwards for a 41-yard gain on the next play, but Edwards was flagged for offensive pass interference, negating the gain and pushing the Browns back to their nine. The Browns marched to the Cincinnati 35, though, where they faced a 4th-and-1 with six seconds left.
Anderson dropped back, couldn't find anyone to throw to, and rolled right and out of bounds for a six-yard gain. The clock initially appeared to run off, but the referees restored one second, for one last play.
Anderson threw into the middle of the end zone, but there were no Browns receivers in the area, and the pass fell incomplete.
"Our guys made a valant effort in the second half to try to come back and make a game of it, but there were too many mistakes in the first half for us to overcome," said Browns head coach Romeo Crennel.
Two Shayne Graham field goals in the second quarter, of 29 and 38 yards, gave the Bengals a 6-0 lead.
The Browns took over at the their own 43 with 1:27 left in the half looking to take the lead heading into the break, but Anderson melted down.
First the Browns QB threw behind Jason Wright on a crossing pattern, and Ndukwe made the catch and ran back 44 yards, all the way down to the Cleveland five. Palmer hit Houshmandzadeh in the corner of the end zone on the next play, and the Bengals led 13-0 with 1:05 remaining.
On the very next play from scrimmage Anderson threw over the middle, nowhere near a Browns receiver, and right to Leon Hall, who ran it back 12 yards to the Cleveland 20. Watson capitalized, barreling into the end zone from the one with 26 seconds left.
The Bengals opted to go for two, and came up short on a pass to Watson, but still took a 19-0 lead into the intermission.
Anderson marched the Browns right down the field to open the second half, driving to the Cincinnati nine-yard-line. On the next play Anderson was picked for a third time. His pass for Winslow in the back of the end zone was a little underthrown, Winslow tipped it up, and Ndukwe made the catch.
"A couple of bad decisions, and a couple where the ball just got hung up in the air," said Anderson of his interceptions.
Again the Browns drove to the doorstep of the Bengals end zone on their next drive, and this time they capitalized. Anderson found Edwards in the back of the end zone for a two-yard scoring pass, making it a 19-7 game with 40 seconds left in the third quarter.
