Bengals Bytes (11/22): Knocked out of Hall of Fame running

Bengals will keep the Browns winless — and cover, too
Cleveland remains the only winless team in the NFL following a dismal offensive performance last week when it was held to just seven points and 184 yards while also turning the ball over five times. The Bengals enter off a surprising upset in Denver despite offensive struggles of their own (10 first downs and 190 yards). With the Browns on a 3-12 against the spread run inside the AFC North and the vast success that Cincinnati has had in this series (6-0 straight up and ATS with a 23-point average margin of victory), we have no issue leaning with the home team here.

Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Preview NFL Week 11
A first look at the Cincinnati Bengals’ Sunday contest against the Cleveland Browns at 1 p.m. at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals finally pulled out a victory on Sunday, ending a 10-game, 42-year winless streak in Denver by beating the Broncos 20-17 to keep their fingernails on the AFC playoff edges at 4-6 overall. The defense carried the day with two key turnovers that led to two touchdowns, and Andy Dalton threw three scores – all on third down.

Roster move: Pat's back; Tupou waived
The Bengals opted to go back to an experienced hand at nose tackle Tuesday when they re-signed 10-year man Pat Sims and released rookie Josh Tupou. With rookie middle linebacker Hardy Nickerson still on the active 53-man roster, that indicates that they’re thin at backer. Vincent Rey (hamstring) never returned after getting hurt early in the second quarter last Sunday in Denver and veteran middle linebacker Kevin Minter (elbow) has missed the last four games.

Top 50 Moments: “You Don’t Live in Cleveland, You Live in Cincinnati”
It becomes the NFL version of "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death," and "Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You." Look for one of the top 10 NFL Film quotes of all time, and Bengals head coach Sam Wyche's "You Don't Live In Cleveland, You Live in Cincinnati," has stood the test of time. Right there with "They're killing me Whitey, they're killing me," and Hank Stram's "Matriculating the ball down the field."

TDBH:Bengals roll NFL’s top-rated defense with club-record 571 yards
The November to Remember continues to roll on the river today when quarterback Ken Anderson pilots the Bengals to 9-3 and the AFC’s best record during a 38-21 victory over the Broncos at Riverfront Stadium that sees the annihilation of the NFL’s top-ranked defense. The Bengals set a franchise record with 571 yards on Anderson’s 25 of 37 dart throwing that nets him three more touchdown passes and 396 yards for the second best output of his career as he emerges as a frontrunner for NFL MVP. “That’s the best team we’ve faced this year,” says Denver head coach Dan Reeves.

Familiar names knock Bengals out of Hall vote
The Bengals’ trio of modern era candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame has to wait another year after Tuesday night’s release of the list of 27 semifinalists for the 2018 class. Ties expanded the list from 25 to 27 this year. Right tackle Willie Anderson, running back Corey Dillon, and wide receiver Chad Johnson didn’t make the cut from the list of 108 preliminary names. Johnson had the toughest climb with a group of five receivers making it anchored by Randy Moss and Terrell Owens. The others are Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, and Hines Ward.

Familiar names knock Bengals out of Hall vote
The Bengals’ trio of modern era candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame has to wait another year after Tuesday night’s release of the list of 27 semifinalists for the 2018 class. Ties expanded the list from 25 to 27 this year. Right tackle Willie Anderson, running back Corey Dillon, and wide receiver Chad Johnson didn’t make the cut from the list of 108 preliminary names. Johnson had the toughest climb with a group of five receivers making it anchored by Randy Moss and Terrell Owens. The others are Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, and Hines Ward.

AFC North Bytes

BALTIMORE: Ravens Shutouts Heighten Expectations
It’s no secret that the topic of Joe Flacco is a lightning rod here in Baltimore, sure to stir debate about the Super Bowl 47 MVP. Supporters will serve up a litany of excuses as to why the Ravens franchise quarterback hasn’t played to the level of his elite contract, while detractors are ready to move on to the post-Flacco era.

Browns’ woes are starting to impact attendance
The Factory of Sadness is losing customers. With one win in the first 26 games of the latest reboot, Browns fans are getting to the point where they’ve had enough. According to Kevin Kleps of Crain’s Cleveland Business, via SportsBusiness Journal, the team’s performance has begun to impact attendance. Despite an announced crowd of 57,003 for Sunday’s loss to the Jaguars, Kleps write that the team “might be fortunate to have had 40,000 people” present.

Ben Roethlisberger Says Idea He Doesn't Care About Football 'Absolutely Nuts'
"In a way it's like, 'Wait a second, you're going to take a shot at me and you don't know me?'" Roethlisberger said Tuesday on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh (h/t ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler). "I'm going to go out here and bust my butt every day and be limping with bruises and put my body and my family through this and not care? You're absolutely nuts."

Random Bytes

Jerry Jones Withdraws Threat of Lawsuit vs. NFL over Roger Goodell Contract
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has opted not to sue the NFL after he threatened to take legal action against the league over commissioner Roger Goodell's impending contract extension. According to the New York Times' Ken Belson, Jones sent a letter to Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank—who is the chairman of the league's compensation committee—on Tuesday informing him that he is "standing down from my threat of litigation against the committee."

Football's 4-Letter Word Must Be Banished Before It Tears a Team Apart
People who have never been around a team, which mean's they've never seen a guy hobbling across a pre-game locker room in a protective boot before playing every snap, never watched a 95-degree August practice or felt the December Meadowlands wind and never heard the echo of shoulder-pad collisions, let alone played the game beyond the pep-rally-in-the-gym level. And—

Happy anniversary to the Butt Fumble
For five years, the Butt Fumble has been a mainstay on blooper reels, and no gaffe since has inspired such a strong reaction.