Cleveland find a new way to lose, as the Bengals roll on, and Steelers lose ground

Article by Gordon Dedman

Even though he didn’t get on the field, Johnny Manziel has to be the headline man of the weekend. Being promoted to and then losing the Browns starting quarterback job ensured he made all the headlines for the wrong reasons.

When the injured Josh McCown was replaced by Austin Davis Monday night, the Dawg Pound made their feelings known with their boos. They want Johnny Football to lead their team while he does everything to leave them in the dog house.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Seattle Seahawks

Seattle’s quarterback Russell Wilson and Roethlisberger combined for over 800 yards passing in a shootout that saw the lead change seven times. Roethlisberger threw for 456 yards, the most ever for a quarterback against the Seahawks, but the Steelers managed to lose 30-39.

For the Steelers, Markus Wheaton hauled in 9 catches for 201 yards and one touchdown. For the Seahawks, Doug Baldwin caught 6 passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns while Wilson achieved a 147.9 rating throwing five touchdown passes as he found the flaws in the Steelers defense.

As a precautionary measure, Roethlisberger left the field with two minutes remaining after being checked by the team’s doctors who were not satisfied he should return to play.

St. Louis Rams at Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals never looked in trouble in this contest and scored on their opening drive to take an early lead they were never likely to relinquish. After a two game skid, Andy Dalton is now back in business as his offensive line provided the protection that didn’t give up a sack for the first time since mid-October.

After holding a 17-7 lead at the half, Dalton threw two touchdown passes in the third period before a scoreless final quarter. The Bengals 31-7 victory gave them a 9-2 record for the first time in 40 years.

Dalton finished with three touchdown passes, two to A.J. Green and one to Tyler Eifert while their defense contributed a score with Leon Hall’s interception returned for a touchdown. Eifert leads the NFL with 12 touchdown catches.

"I felt like we played well in all phases of the game," Dalton said. "It's good to get a win, and it's good to get a win the way we did."

Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns

On paper, this game gave the impression of being a bore, but in a real thriller it saw the Browns turn victory into defeat on the final play as their field goal attempt was blocked and returned 64 yards by Will Hill to give the Ravens a 33-27 triumph.

Led by Matt Schaub, Baltimore raced to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter while Cleveland was always playing catch up. When Davis came on midway through the final period for McCown, who had a broken collar bone, he directed the scoring drive that tied the game 27-27 with less than two minutes remaining.

After the Ravens were stopped with Tramon Williams’ interception, Davis marched his team downfield with the cheers of the Browns fans echoing around the stadium urging him on. Davis provided the opportunity for Travis Coons to kick a 54-yard field goal for the win, but Brent Urban elevated himself high enough for the block to give the victory to Baltimore.