Sunday, Sep. 10 1:00pm ET
Bengals' Smith sacked seven times
 
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CINCINNATI (AP) -- For Tim Couch and the Cleveland defense, it was the sweetest sort of revenge.

Couch outplayed Akili Smith in their long-awaited rematch and Cleveland piled up seven sacks, dominating the Cincinnati Bengals 24-7 Sunday in the first meaningful game at their glitzy new stadium.

Bengals quarterback Akili Smith didn't have the same success Sunday that he did in Cleveland last season.

Couch, who was angered by Smith's chest thumping and Dawg Pound baiting last October, passed for 259 yards and two touchdowns in his finest game yet.

As the clock wound down and woofs from Browns fans filled Paul Brown Stadium for the first time, Couch walked to midfield and shook Smith's hand, then jogged off the field without a gesture.

None was needed.

"The best part about it was other than throwing a game-winning touchdown, to just kneel down at the end of the game, toss the ball to the ref and walk away with a little smile on your face," Couch said.

The Browns (1-1) had never gotten do to that. Their two victories as an expansion team last year came in the closing seconds.

This one wasn't in doubt after Couch threaded a 5-yard touchdown pass to Marc Edwards for a 24-7 lead with 11:47 left and raised both arms in triumph, the final comeuppance for his counterpart in stripes.

"I ain't going to lie: It drove me the whole week long," said Couch, who completed 19-of-31 and threw to 10 receivers. "It wasn't personal, it was just a matter of going out and wanting to beat him bad. That's just the way it is."

The Bengals (0-1) wanted to win this game as badly as any in franchise history. The team that lost more games than any other in the '90s talked all summer about a fresh start in the $453 million stadium named for its founder.

Instead, Paul Brown's first team came away with the first win.

TOM DONAHOE'S BREAKDOWN
This was the opening of Paul Brown Stadium -- and not a good day for the Bengals.

Tim Couch has been maligned as a quarterback in Cleveland this preseason, and this was a breakout game for him as he threw for 259 yards and made some big plays.

This is a disappointing start for Cincinnati, but the Bengals have some good players on offense and should be able to improve as the season goes along.

"I know it was special for me because the stadium is named after Paul Brown and I'll take it to my grave -- that I won the first game in Paul Brown Stadium," Cleveland coach Chris Palmer said.

It was a bitter day for Smith, who threw two interceptions, repeatedly overshot receivers and got his chest pounded into the wet, lush grass by the Browns' front line.

Keith McKenzie had three of Cleveland's seven sacks on Smith, who completed only 15-of-43 for 250 yards. As much as it pained him to admit it, Couch was better.

"That's real disappointing," Smith said of Bengals' performance. "That's a real letdown. There was the rivalry with Couch, the home opener, 65,000 fans -- everything. I just didn't get it done."

Rookie Peter Warrick, who had predicted victory over the Browns, dropped three passes and made only one noteworthy play: a one-handed catch on a 46-yard reception late in the game. He had three catches overall for 80 yards.

"I just dropped them. I took my eye off the ball," Warrick said. "That's something I've worked on my whole life. I could've gotten something big out of it, too."

Smith came of age in his first NFL start in Cleveland last year, leading a last-minute touchdown drive to an 18-17 win. The rematch turned into Couch's coming-out party.

Couch, whom the Browns drafted over Smith last year, set the tone on the game's first play. He audibled out of a run and threw a 65-yard completion to David Patten, who ran past Artrell Hawkins.

Travis Prentice, a rookie from nearby Miami (Ohio), ran 16 yards on a pitchout for a 7-0 lead one series later.

Smith's 4-yard pass to rookie Ron Dugans tied it early in the second quarter. Dugans started to do the Ickey Shuffle at the back of the end zone before he was hugged by teammates, interrupting the scripted celebration.

That's the way the whole afternoon went for the Bengals, who couldn't get anything right.

Couch made the game's grittiest play in the second quarter, rolling away from the rush and standing his ground while John Copeland closed on him. Couch was driven into the ground after he threw a 4-yard pass to Mark Campbell at the back of the end zone, then jumped up and raised his passing arm in celebration of a 14-7 lead.

The Bengals looked much like the NFL's worst team of the '90s, just in a different setting. They fumbled three times and Orpheus Roye blocked Neil Rackers' 42-yard field-goal attempt.

They heard loud boos when Smith threw his second interception with 8:52 left. Bengals fans then headed home, leaving Cincinnati's new stadium to the Dawgs.

Game notes
Browns G Jim Pyne sprained his right knee during the celebration of Couch's first TD pass. WR JaJuan Dawson broke his collarbone. ... LB Brian Simmons, who led the Bengals in tackles last season, tore cartilage in his right knee in the second half. The Bengals said he'll need surgery, and will be sidelined at least 10-12 weeks. ... The Browns rolled up 354 yards, their best total as an expansion team. ... Browns P Chris Gardocki set an NFL record, extending his streak of punts without a block to 630. ... John Jackson took over for Rod Jones at LT in the second half, but the Bengals' line still struggled. ... The Bengals are 7-29 in August and September the last 10 years.
 


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