For the 42nd time in the regular season, the Battle of Ohio will be contested in Cincinnati. The Bengals have a 27-14 advantage in games here including a 10-4 edge in game at Paul Brown Stadium.
Here is a look at the 10 most memorable games in the series that have been conducted in Cincinnati:
Nov. 15, 1970: Bengals 14, Browns 10 -- Paul Brown's first win over his former namesake franchise and against the man who fired him, Art Modell. It was part of a string of seven straight wins that propelled the Bengals to the AFC Central title after starting 1-6. "This is my best victory. This somehow makes coming back worthwhile," said an emotional Brown, holding back tears during the postgame press conference.
Dec. 21, 1980: Browns 27, Bengals 24 -- A 22-yard field goal by Don Cockroft with 1:25 remaining gave the Browns their first division championship since 1971. It was gratifying for Modell since it came against the duo of Brown and Forrest Gregg, the ex-Browns head coach who was in his first year with the Bengals.
Dec. 14, 1986: Browns 34, Bengals 3 -- Another division-clinching victory for the Browns, but this one wasn't even close. The Browns attacked from the first play when Bernie Kosar completed a 66-yard pass to Reggie Langhorne. Three plays later, Kevin Mack plowed in from the 1 and the rout was on.
Sept. 25, 1989: Bengals 21, Browns 14 -- In a Monday Night game, Boomer Esiason threw for three touchdowns and 184 yards. Kosar threw for 204 yards and a pair of touchdowns but couldn't get the tying score. The Browns drove to the Bengals 4 with under three minutes left but on fourth-and-goal a pass to Langhorne was batted away at the goal line by Eric Thomas.
Dec. 30, 1990: Bengals 21, Browns 14 -- In a driving rain, Esiason hit Eric Ball with a 48-yard game-winning touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, which gave the Bengals the win. They would clinch the division later that night after Houston lost to Pittsburgh. The Browns finished the season 3-13, which at the time was their worst record in team history.
Oct. 29, 1995: Browns 29, Bengals 26 (OT) -- Cleveland had a 10-point lead erased in the final 69 seconds of regulation but on the Bengals' second possession of OT, Carl Banks tipped a Jeff Blake pass and it was intercepted by Dana Hall, who returned the ball to the Bengals 45. Later in OT, a Matt Stover 28-yard field goal gave the Browns the win. Rookie Eric Zeier threw for 310 yards and a touchdown that caused the late Art Modell to utter: "He was outstanding in his first at-bat in the NFL. I think he'll captivate our city." Less than a week later came news that Modell was moving the team to Baltimore.
Dec. 12, 1999: Bengals 44, Browns 28 -- The final game at Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field. Corey Dillon ran for 192 yards and three touchdowns. The Bengals held the Browns to 11 yards rushing, which was the least allowed in team history. Craig Yeast had a punt return for a touchdown and the Browns committed four turnovers.
Dec. 28, 2003: Browns 22, Bengals 14 -- In Marvin Lewis' first season, the Bengals had thin playoff hopes but the Browns dashed them as Lee Suggs rushed for 186 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a 78-yarder during the second quarter. That was also Dillon's last game in a Cincinnati uniform as he threw most of his equipment into the stands.
Nov. 28, 2004: Bengals 58, Browns 48 -- The 106 combined points are the second-most scored in an NFL regular-season game. Rudi Johnson ran for 202 yards and two touchdowns and Carson Palmer had his first game where he threw for four touchdowns. Deltha O'Neal picked off Kelly Holcomb and ran it back 31 yards to put the Bengals up by 10 late. To Cleveland fans, the game has been commonly referred to as the "Butch Davis Panic Attack" game. Davis had a panic attack four hours before kickoff and resigned as coach two days later.
Dec. 23, 2007: Bengals 19, Browns 14 -- This time it was the Bengals who played spoiler to Cleveland's playoff hopes. Derek Anderson was intercepted four times and Bengals backup running back Kenny Watson rushed for 130 yards. The win was Cincinnati's fourth straight over the Browns at Paul Brown Stadium and is part of a run where the Bengals have won nine of 10 against the Browns here.
