The Cleveland Browns went out to Arizona in the same fashion they had when they traveled out west earlier in the season when the team played the Oakland Raiders, flat. In the game against the Raiders the Browns fell behind 16-0, against the Cardinals the Browns found themselves in an early 14-0 hole. It was a hole they would never quite climb out of in a 27-21 loss.

The hole was dug early by Browns QB Derek Anderson on the teams opening drive. The Browns opening drive started at their own 34 and looked to be promising. They converted two 3rd downs, but on their third disaster struck. At the Cardinals 41 yard line Anderson dropped back and fired a pass to WR Tim Carter. Either the route was wrong or Anderson's pass was dreadfully off, regardless the pass was intercepted by Cardinals CB Roderick Hood and returned 71 yards for the Cardinals first score.

On the Browns next possession things got no better. Anderson fumbled the quarterback-center exchange at his own 46. The Cardinals recovered the ball and 7 plays later they were up 14-0. The drive was aided by a bone headed penalty by Browns CB Leigh Bodden. The Browns had stopped the Cardinals on 3rd and 4 on the Browns 37 forcing an apparent punt. Bodden however kicked the ball that fell incomplete and was flagged for delay of game, a 5 yard penalty and the key play in a scoring drive that should not have been. Bodden's penalty was just 1 of 10 on the day. After the game head coach Romeo Crennel said it was a sign that there was a lack of discipline on his team.

The team was also victimized by a 3rd quarter muffed punt by Joshua Cribbs. Cribbs had signaled for a fair catch and as he ran to field the ball tripped over his own man. The ball hit his hands and bounced into the hands of former Browns CB Ralph Brown giving the Cardinals the ball at the Browns 22. Eight plays later the Cardinals were in the end-zone again and leading 21-10. Three Browns turnovers, three Cardinals touchdowns.

The Browns to their credit did not quit and battled back to within 14-10 at halftime behind a very strong effort by the defense and RB Jamal Lewis. Lewis touched the ball 13 times in the 1st half for 69 yards and a touchdown. The defense held the high powered Cardinals offense to just 90 total yards and 9:37 in time of possession. All that changed in the 2nd half though. Lewis only touched the ball 6 more times, the defense yielded 212 yards, 82 on the ground, and were on the field for 20:26 of a possible 30 minutes.

Even with all the miscues, the game came down to the final play. After a great goal line stand by the Browns defense, forcing a 19-yard Neil Rackers field goal, the Browns got the ball back with 1:48 to play. It appeared they would have good field position at their own 33 yard line, but DE Simon Fraser was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct when he head butted a Cardinals player. The Browns were forced to start at their own 18 with no timeouts. They were able to get the ball to the Arizona 37 yard line with :06 to play. This is where the controversy enters the game. Anderson dropped back and heaved the ball to the left goal line pylon. The odds were slim, but TE Kellen Winslow II was there with 2 Cardinals defenders and those odds were better then most Hail Mary attempts. Winslow went up and grabbed the ball out of the air, but before he could come down in bounds he was hit and could not land in bounds. The official on the field did not rule a push out so the pass was incomplete, game over.

After the game many of the "so-called" experts said the Browns were robbed of a victory as it was indeed a force out. There is no replay to determine a force out and one can only wonder why. The replay system is in place to assist the officials to make sure the right call's are made. If that's the case it can be clearly used to help determine whether a player has been forced out or not.

The Browns are now 7-5, still very much in the playoff hunt, but the loss Sunday is a stinging reminder that they still have lot's of work to do. They must now travel to New York and take on a 3-9 Jets team that hung 40 points on the Dolphins Sunday. The path to the playoffs is littered with dangerous teams for the Browns. The Jets, Bengals and 49ers won't be going to the playoffs, but will have nothing to lose when the Browns play them and that's why they are dangerous. Good teams beat those types of teams. We are about to find out just how "good" the Browns really are.

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