The Bengals extended their lead to 13-7 with 11:11 left in the third quarter when Clint Stitser hit from 39 yards out, giving the hosts thirteen unanswered points.
The Browns continued a trend which had haunted them since their first possession — a lack of point production, though Colt McCoy remained error-free. Small consolation though against a team which has lost ten games in a row.
Cincinnati again drove deep into Browns’ territory, and another Stitser field goal, this one from 34 yards away, put the Bengals ahead 16-7, making it a two-possession Cincinnati lead. The clock had wound down to 3:33 left in the third quarter, and time was becoming a factor in the Bengals’ favor.
The Browns finally got a little drive together as the quarter wound down, and at the end of the fifteen minutes were in business with a third-and-one at the Cincinnati five.