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A weekly examination of the Bengals' ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 9 | Last week: 6 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

Cincinnati's 17-6 loss to the Browns on Sunday sent it for a free fall in this week's ESPN.com Power Rankings. After shooting up four spots to No. 6 with a 34-30 win over Green Bay last week, the Bengals plummeted five spots following an offensive display at Cleveland that offensive coordinator Jay Gruden called "shocking."

Head coach Marvin Lewis said the way the game was lost indicated how inconsistent his team is. At times this season, the Bengals have looked unstoppable. On other occasions, like this past weekend, they have looked like the old version of themselves that so many NFL fans have come to know throughout the league's history. If this inconsistent play continues, expect this trend of seesawing in the Power Rankings to persist, too.

The No. 11 ranking is the lowest for the Bengals so far this season.

The Bengals received one top-10 vote from ESPN.com's six-person Power Rankings panel. Dan Graziano placed them ninth on his ballot. Ashley Fox and Kevin Seifert gave them a No. 15 ranking, the panel's lowest.

CINCINNATI -- From his vantage point on the Cincinnati Bengals' sideline, offensive coordinator Jay Gruden could see the carnage that was getting ready to ensue. He hoped his quarterback did, too.

Andy Dalton did, alright, but with the play clock ticking toward zero, he ran out of time to make the necessary line-of-scrimmage adjustment.

So, on a pivotal fourth-and-1 late in the second quarter of Sunday's game at Cleveland, instead of running for a first down, the Bengals "ran into a slaughter."

That was the way Gruden described to reporters Monday afternoon the sequence that resulted in running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis' two-yard loss on an important play that had originally been designed to gain two yards. As he took scribes through the play, Gruden came to an important conclusion: next time, someone, anyone, has to call timeout and get a new play put in place.

"Hindsight, running down on the clock, fourth-down-and-1 on such an important play, take a timeout," Gruden said. "That's on me more so than anybody, probably."

Little did the Bengals know at the moment Green-Ellis was laid out by two defenders that that would be the closest they would come to picking up a touchdown the rest of the afternoon. When the day ended, they had lost their second game of the season, this time by a 17-6 margin. With the six points coming off a pair of field goals, the loss marked the first time in three seasons that Cincinnati had not scored a touchdown in a game.

"For us to score six points anywhere against anybody is shocking, quite honestly," Gruden said. "It's something we have to fight out of."

On the play involving Green-Ellis, one that multiple players cited "miscommunication" as being the reason it didn't work, Gruden said a scenario presented itself in which the Browns' defense slipped a defender into a spot that was not accounted for by the Bengals before the snap. When that linebacker shifted down into place, it allowed the fateful "slaughter" scenario to take shape.

Gruden said Dalton saw the shifted defender and attempted to make a change at the line to account for blocking him and running around him. But the combination of a loud FirstEnergy Stadium crowd and a dwindling play clock made it impossible for the audible to be made.

Offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth put it this way: "half the people were thinking one play and the other half ... it was just a cluster, basically."

"Yeah, miscommunication, so to speak," Gruden said. "It was good defense by them. Clogged up the holes pretty good. We didn't get a lot of movement. It was not like we didn't have a play that couldn't work at all. We still had a chance to get the first down, but we didn't get any movement up front and ran into a slaughter."

The play came while the Bengals were on Cleveland's 7. Cincinnati had just driven 66 yards and was threatening to take the lead. At that point, the Browns were leading, 7-3.

Cincinnati went on to amass just 266 yards of total offense, 63 of which came on the ground. It was the third time this season the Bengals had been held to less than 100 yards rushing.

"Yeah, it's embarrassing," Gruden said of the offensive issues. "You put a lot of work in your gameplan, a lot of work into practice, and we have a very talented team. For us to go out there and lay an egg like we did, it's not a good feeling. Hopefully it's motivation for us more than embarrassing. Hopefully it doesn't happen again. It can't happen again."

An examination of four hot issues from the Bengals' 17-6 loss to the Browns:

1. Paging A.J. Green. Cincinnati has made a concerted effort to get the ball to receiver A.J. Green this season, targeting him 50 times through just four games. The success rate in actually getting the ball in his hands hasn't been very high, though. Of those 50 times he has been thrown to, Green has caught just 26 passes. In his past three games, the third-year wideout has caught just 17 of the 37 balls that quarterback Andy Dalton has sent his way. During Sunday's game, the pair connected on half of the 14 passing attempts that were directed toward Green. On multiple occasions, though, passes were either overthrown, underthrown or thrown into a space that Green didn't cut into. In order to get Cincinnati's offense rolling again, these two have to get back on the same page.

2. Still going to Gio. Rookie running back Giovani Bernard is another offensive player the Bengals are trying to get the ball to. Ever since his two-touchdown performance in his unofficial coming-out party during the Week 2 win over Pittsburgh, Bernard has been a fan (and fantasy fan) favorite. His speed makes him a threat to make plays in space and pick up large chunks of yards off short screen passes. Although Bernard wasn't able to get in the end zone Sunday in Cleveland, the Bengals' promise of putting him in more positions to make plays has taken shape. After having just five touches in Week 1, Bernard's role has steadily increased. He had nine touches in Week 2, 14 in Week 3 and 16 on Sunday. Against the Browns, Bernard's 6.3 yards per reception was his lowest single-game total this year.

3. Third-down difficulties. The Bengals couldn't seem to stay on the field long enough offensively, and couldn't kick the Browns off it defensively. In both phases the Bengals' third-down conversion ratings were the worst they have been all season. On offense, they converted just four of their 14 third-down opportunities (28.6 percent). On defense, they allowed the Browns to convert 9 of 18 opportunities (50 percent). All season, the offensive third-down conversion rating has trended negatively. After starting at 63.6 percent in the opener, Cincinnati has been less and less successful across the past three weeks. Before Sunday, the offense's third-down conversion percentage against the Packers (36.4 percent) had been the lowest. "At the end of the day, the tale of the tape would be third-down conversions," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "Those are things we've got to do better."

4. Crocker feels fine. Cincinnati hopes to get a little healthier this week when undefeated New England comes to town. Against the Browns, the Bengals were down three defensive backs, including veterans Leon Hall and Reggie Nelson. They hope the pair can heal from hamstring injuries this week. If not, safety Chris Crocker, who was re-signed last week and relieved both players at times on Sunday, feels confident that he can go out again if needed. After his first game since the 2012 regular-season finale, Crocker said his "conditioning was pretty good, and each week I'll be better."

CINCINNATI -- Marvin Lewis was right.

Like a sort of seer, the Bengals head coach prophetically proclaimed on ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike" early Friday morning that there was just one thing he really needed to see from his entire team. If he saw it on offense, defense and special teams, he'd have a great feeling about where it was heading the rest of the year.

He wanted to see consistency.

"We've got to be consistent on offense, particularly in who we're on in the running game and protections and so forth," Lewis said. "That's got to be important as we move forward. And if you flip it over to the defensive side of the ball, we have to just be consistent tacklers. This game comes down each and every Sunday to who tackles the best defensively."

Although they had a missed tackle or two, the Bengals were fairly consistent on defense Sunday afternoon in their 17-6 loss at Cleveland. Except for a fourth-quarter touchdown that capped a 12-play, nearly seven-minute, 91-yard drive, the unit mostly held its own. For a second straight game, the unit held an offense to fewer than 340 yards, and for the 18th straight game, it prevented a quarterback from hitting the 300-yard passing mark.

For the most part, the defensive consistency was there.

On offense, though, it was lacking. Three weeks after quarterback Andy Dalton posted a 78.8 percent completion rating and two weeks after the Bengals passed for 280 yards for a second consecutive game, they could barely move the ball against the Browns. In passing for a mild 206 yards, Dalton also didn't lead his offense into the end zone for the first time since January's first-round playoff loss at Houston.

Part of the problem Sunday was that Dalton's go-to receiver, fellow third-year star A.J. Green, managed to catch seven balls for just 51 yards. He was targeted 14 times by Dalton. Several of the incompletions were either overthrown, underthrown or completely missed the receiver because of improper communication between he and his quarterback.

For an offense that has shown flashes of brilliance and occasional bouts with mediocrity, the fact that it looked downright pitiful Sunday was a surprise to Green.

"Yeah, it's very shocking because I feel like we have all the pieces to be a great team," Green said. "We are not playing on a consistent basis. Even the games we won we are not playing on a consistent basis. To be a great team, you got to be able to come in week in and week out and play great. We are not doing that right now."

Green was quick to point out that even in last week's win over Green Bay, the Bengals struggled to keep the ball off the ground and out of the Packers' hands.

"We had all those turnovers," he said, referencing the five balls they lost. "All that is going to catch up with you in the long run."

Turnovers may not have been the offense's issue this week, but third-down conversions certainly were. As they operated at a 28 percent (4-for-14) clip, the Bengals' offense had trouble extending drives and giving itself better opportunities to score. On fourth downs, they converted one of the three attempts, but didn't on arguably two of the most critical final-down chances.

According to Lewis, the lack of late-down conversions made it appear Cincinnati's offense was disjointed, out of sync and lacking the type of fluidity that might make it more consistent.

"You get out of sync when you don't convert third downs," he said. "We had third downs that were both manageable and we couldn't convert them. That means at the end of the day that you don't get the opportunity to run it as much as you'd like and keep your offense on the field and your defense off the field."

Cleveland had the advantage in rushing offense (89 yards to 63) and time of possession (31:09 to 28:51). The Bengals ran the ball 20 times, but often that was out of short-yardage need that they had trouble converting.

So, what's the best fix to lacking consistency? Is it playing with a heightened or increased focus?

"No. It's not a focus thing at all," veteran offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth said. "Offensively, we've got to figure it out. You have to make plays in big moments. You have to come up with a play to win the game."

On both sides of the ball, they got those plays in last week's win over the Packers. They definitely will need them this weekend when the Patriots come to town.

"When it comes down to it, we've got to be better," Dalton said. "We want to be consistent, but we just haven't gotten it done for whatever reason. For us, we've got to look at the tape and we can't let this one hurt us next week. We've got to move on."

CLEVELAND -- In the world of social media GMs and fantasy football owners, Andy Dalton was benched, traded and released thousands of times Sunday afternoon, all before the real-life version stepped off the plane at home in Cincinnati.

The multitude of fictitious transactions were knee-jerk responses to an outing that even Dalton admitted was among the worst of his career.

"It's one of them," the Cincinnati Bengals' third-year starting quarterback said, minutes after his team lost on the road 17-6 to division rival Cleveland.

For the first time all season, Dalton passed for fewer than 230 yards. In fact, he barely crossed the 200-yard plateau, picking up just enough yards on his final drive to settle at 206. The loss also marked the first time since January's first-round playoff defeat at Houston that he hadn't led a touchdown drive.

It's not like the opportunities for the Bengals to score didn't present themselves. They were there and they just didn't materialize. Much the same way the Bengals' Super Bowl hopes won't be materializing if their offense keeps sputtering.

"We had a lot of chances and we didn't take advantage of them," Dalton said. "That's the thing that's frustrating. We have all the ability in the world on this team and we just didn't get it done."

Since getting drafted 35th overall in 2011, Dalton has been considered among the most able-bodied players on a team that's chock-full of talent. With a career passer rating in the mid-80s and 12 more passing touchdowns than the average NFL quarterback has had in the past three seasons, he has proven himself to be a worthy member of the NFL's signal-calling club.

But, as the social media GMs and fantasy owners are quick to point out, he hasn't done anything to yet make himself considered among the league's passing elite.

There's one way to fix that: Be an elite passer.

"I've got to be better, I've got to put this team in a better position to win this game," Dalton said. "I didn't get that done [Sunday]."

If Cincinnati's offense is to become the well-oiled machine it appeared to turn into after Week 2's win over Pittsburgh, it will need Dalton to propel his game to the level he knows he can.

That's right. He's the big fix to the Bengals' offensive woes. That fix won't come in benching him for talented backup Josh Johnson. It won't come in requesting owner Mike Brown meet Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman's reported trade wishes. It won't come in conjuring out of thin air an unnecessary quarterback controversy.

It will come, quite simply, with better play from Dalton.

Even though Cincinnati also lost during its season opener at Chicago, the Bengals quarterback was much better that day. He completed 78.8 percent of his passes and threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns. Aside from his two interceptions, it could be argued it was his best outing of the season. Even though the Bengals defense played a key role in the loss, take one of Dalton's interceptions out of the equation and Cincinnati probably would have won that game.

Forget the defense this time around, though. Sunday's defeat fell at the feet of the Bengals' offense.

"This is not a defensive issue. The defense came to play," Bengals offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth said. "We couldn't figure out a way to get in the end zone and they (the Browns) finally found a way. They call it a team game, but the truth is, offensively, we're not playing well."

After passing for 280 yards or more through the first two weeks of the season, Dalton posted just 235 yards last week in a turnover-filled game. The Bengals were fortunate to catch a couple breaks defensively, and a glimmer of Good Dalton showed up on an otherwise bad day. When the Bengals needed their offense the most, they got it. A short screen to running back Giovani Bernard turned into a 31-yard reception. The play jump-started a 95-yard drive that resulted in one of Cincinnati's final scores ahead of the eventual 34-30 win over the Packers.

When the Bengals needed a similar spark against the Browns, they couldn't get it. They had dropped passes, overthrown routes, underthrown routes and an uncommon general arrhythmia.

"It got real loud and we had a play where we had a couple options and it just seemed like a lack of communication," Whitworth said.

On that play, the Bengals were in goal line territory on a second-quarter fourth-and-1.

When the Bengals came to the line, some of them noticed a Browns linebacker drop into the A-gap. Cleveland was clearly expecting a run. Not all of the Bengals saw him.

"Half the people were thinking one play and the other half ... it was just a cluster, basically," Whitworth said.

Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who ended up getting handed the ball and driven back two yards, said an audible may have been necessary.

"We just had to get another player [on the linebacker] or hopefully we can get another play called or get a timeout or whatever," Green-Ellis said.

The quarterback has to not only see that possible switch, but he also has to check his team into a different play and be authoritative enough that his teammates hear him. For whatever reason, that didn't happen. Instead, the Bengals were stuffed.

Cincinnati didn't get that close to the end zone the rest of the game.

One of the players who Dalton seemed most out of sync with Sunday, receiver A.J. Green, sounded confident his quarterback will bounce back. In order for that to happen, Green, who had nine catches out of 13 chances in the opener and 17 out of 38 tries since, will have to allow consistently showcase his talent.

"The plays are there. We just got to connect," Green said. "Whether it's me digging more, him putting the ball in a better spot. It's both of us.

"All I can do is continue to work and continue to work with Andy and hope we get better together."

As Bengals fans take a deep breath and back away from their computer screens, they're hoping that happens. Deep down, they know Dalton is their best offensive fix. A better Dalton makes a better Green. A better Dalton and Green makes a better Bengals team.

CLEVELAND -- Observed in the locker room after the Cincinnati Bengals' 17-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns.

"Embarrassing": This was the word used most often by Bengals veterans immediately after Sunday's loss. Defensive tackle Domata Peko compared it to the opening-weekend loss at Chicago. Here's how Pro Bowl offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth put it: "Being a leader and an older guy and all those things, it's embarrassing. It can't happen again, and we've got to find a way to correct it, and we have the ability and talent that it should never happen."

Second-guess?Whitworth was among those who suggested the Bengals may have needed to change their play call at the line during an early fourth-and-1. Down 7-3 with the ball on Cleveland's 1 halfway through the second quarter, the Bengals went for the first down. They didn't convert when BenJarvus Green-Ellis was hit behind the line of scrimmage. "We just have to do a better job of getting ourselves in a better play and executing," Green-Ellis said.

Last to dress: The loss hit some defensive players hard. Defensive end Michael Johnson was the last player still in uniform when reporters left the locker room. Only seven other players, all but three defensive players, were still changing.

CLEVELAND -- A few thoughts on the Cleveland Browns' 17-6 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

What it means: The Browns' win means we all of a sudden have a three-team race in the AFC North. While Pittsburgh continues its difficult slide to start the season, Cincinnati's loss triggered a race that now includes Cleveland and Baltimore. The Browns, a team the entire sports media universe was willing to write off two weeks ago, suddenly has a chance to really compete for the postseason. The Bengals are in need of some serious offensive help if they want to keep their Super Bowl hopes alive.

Dark hour for Dalton: Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has had his share of successes in the three years he has worn a Bengals uniform, but he also has compiled his share of moments to remember for vastly different reasons. Sunday afternoon, he had one of the latter. After throwing at least one touchdown in each of his first three starts this season, he didn't have one. He also threw for only 206 yards. The problem, it seemed, was that he never looked comfortable at any point in the game. He and his receivers appeared to be on different pages. Once, in the second half, Dalton threw a comeback route to A.J. Green, who was sprinting downfield on a straight fly route. Other times, his throws were too high, too low or too far behind his receivers.

Hoyer homecoming: Dalton might have had a day to forget, but hometown kid and Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer will remember it for the rest of his life. Not only was the Cleveland native making his first professional start in the stadium where he attended games as a teenager, but he had the type of showing that made Browns fans believe he could be their starting quarterback for the long haul. Hoyer replaced Brandon Weeden two weeks ago and looks to continue starting after passing for 269 yards and two touchdowns.

Penalty problem: The only real issue the Browns had Sunday was their apparent penchant for penalties. They had five in the game for 80 yards. Two of the penalties that came in what appeared to be pivotal situations in the second and third quarters were called on defensive back Buster Skrine. He made up for them, but the Browns will want to clean those up as they move forward.

Stock watch: In the wake of the Trent Richardson trade and their decision to name Hoyer the starting quarterback, the Browns have been dominating headlines because of their offense. After the defense's performance in Sunday's win, it deserves some attention, too. The unit entered the game ranked third in the NFL in sacks with 12 and continued the pressure against Dalton. The Browns sacked him twice and held the Bengals to a season-low 266 yards of total offense. Despite being called for two penalties in the second and third quarters, Skrine had an otherwise strong performance, intercepting a pass and breaking up three more. D'Qwell Jackson led the Browns with 10 tackles.

What's next: Cincinnati (2-2) will have one of its biggest conference games of the season next Sunday when New England makes a trip to Paul Brown Stadium. The Browns (2-2) look to build upon their momentum when they host Buffalo on Thursday night in the second game of a three-game homestand.

CLEVELAND -- Cincinnati Bengals right guard Kevin Zeitler left Sunday afternoon's game with a foot injury that occurred in the second quarter, according to team officials. His return is questionable.

In an effort to fill the gap left by his departure, the Bengals moved left guard Clint Boling over to the right guard position and shifted left tackle Andrew Whitworth to left guard. Backup left tackle Anthony Collins entered the game to play at Whitworth's old spot.

At the time Zeitler's injury occurred, Cincinnati had passed for 68 yards and rushed for 46. It also trailed 7-3.

CLEVELAND -- Cincinnati's secondary, it appears, will have its hands full against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

As had been anticipated for much of the week, about an hour and a half before the game, the Bengals declared a trio of injured defensive backs inactive. Cornerbacks Leon Hall and Dre Kirkpatrick and safety Reggie Nelson won't participate after trying all week to overcome respective hamstring injuries. Kirkpatrick has now missed the past two games, although he practiced Friday for the first time since getting hurt during the Bengals' Week 2 win against Pittsburgh.

Hall and Nelson were injured at the end of last week's win against the Green Bay Packers.

Adam Jones will take Hall's spot on the field at cornerback, and Taylor Mays will move into Nelson's spot at safety. After bouncing back from his own injury last Sunday, Jones played nearly every snap against the Packers. He'll likely be backed up by Brandon Ghee, who rejoined the team this week after being out the last six weeks with a concussion. Mays likely will be backed up by veteran Chris Crocker, who was re-signed earlier this week.

Along with the defensive backs, defensive end Margus Hunt also was listed on the inactives. It's the fourth straight game he's missed.

The Browns will be without their former starting quarterback, Brandon Weeden. Replaced last week by Brian Hoyer, a hometown kid who will be making his first career start at FirstEnergy Stadium, Weeden will miss his second straight game.

While Weeden will be out, kicker Billy Cundiff, who had a hamstring injury, will participate in Sunday's game for the Browns.

Here is the full list of inactives for the Bengals and Browns:

Bengals: S Reggie Nelson, CB Leon Hall, CB Dre Kirkpatrick, RB Rex Burkhead, G Mike Pollak, G Tanner Hawkinson, DE Margus Hunt

Browns: QB Brandon Weeden, LB Quentin Groves, OL Martin Wallace, OL Shawn Lauvao, TE Keavon Milton, DL Billy Winn, LB Jabaal Sheard

Plain and simple, teams in the AFC North just don't like one another. They can't stand each other. If there is a division in the NFL in which the teams involved have the truest sense of hate for one another, it's this one.

Just think about it. Whenever the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns get together, enormous, vocal crowds usually turn out. Both franchises can enter a particular meeting having a poor season, stumbling to their respective losing records and still, FirstEnergy Stadium or Paul Brown Stadium will be rocking. That's what makes a true football rivalry.

This year, though, neither team appears to be bad. Far from it. The Bengals are a hot pick to end up in the AFC Championship Game, and the Browns, post-Trent Richardson trade, are suddenly the darling upstart of the conference. If there has been an underdog in the AFC to root for the last two weeks, Cleveland has been it.

When the two teams meet for the first time this season at 1 p.m. ET Sunday, here are four things you'll want to watch for:

1. The homecoming. As a teenager in Cleveland, Brian Hoyer attended Browns games, dreaming he'd one day get an opportunity to start a game there as a professional quarterback. That day is on the horizon. It's Sunday. For the first time in his five-year career, the longtime backup will be taking starting snaps for the team he grew up cheering, in the city that raised him. After his impressive performance in last week's win over Minnesota, Hoyer was given the starting nod again this week, playing in place of Brandon Weeden, who has been dealing with a thumb injury. Watch for Hoyer's excitement level. Understandably, it will be high, and a packed home crowd ought to make it even higher. If he's too pumped up, though, it could be a problem for the Browns. If the Bengals can put pressure on him early and fluster him, the homecoming could be a long one for Hoyer.

2. The battle in the trenches. Both teams feature offensive and defensive lines with a mix of young, promising talent and cagey, wily veterans. Cleveland's offensive line is anchored by six-time Pro Bowler Joe Thomas. The left tackle will be matched up with Bengals fifth-year defensive end Michael Johnson, who had his best game of the season last week against Green Bay. Among Johnson's more memorable plays from the win was his forced fumble that led to Terence Newman's recovery and 58-yard touchdown return, and his pass deflection on a fourth-and-5 one drive later that iced the win. Cincinnati's offensive line is anchored by Pro Bowl left tackle Andrew Whitworth. He likely will be paired against defensive end Desmond Bryant. When Bryant isn't giving him trouble, though, rookie outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo could. Mingo and Whitworth hail from the same Louisiana town and college football power (LSU) and have a long friendship that will be put to the test on the field for the first time.

3. Cameron coverage belongs to ... Be on the lookout for where Browns tight end Jordan Cameron lines up on the line of scrimmage, and keep an eye out for which Bengals linebacker gets awarded the responsibility of covering him. Through three games, Cameron already has tied a career high in receptions (20) and set career marks with 269 receiving yards and four touchdowns. At the start of his third season, Cameron is blossoming into another one of the NFL's bright, young, pass-catching talents at tight end. Cincinnati certainly has had its eye on him all week, and the team feels confident it has a game plan that will stop him. Against the Vikings last week, Cameron had six receptions for 66 yards and three touchdowns.

This will be the first such test for the Bengals since the season opener, when Chicago's Martellus Bennett had three catches, including a touchdown in the Bears' 24-21 win. In the Bengals' other two games, injuries kept them from seeing just how effective the tight end could be in those offenses. The Packers' Jermichael Finley went down with a concussion in the first quarter of Cincinnati's 34-30 win last week.

4. Cornerback watch. There may be more attention paid to the Bengals' pregame by their fans than anything else Sunday as they await the fate of their cornerbacks. Three of them, Leon Hall, Dre Kirkpatrick and Newman, were dealing with injuries this week. Safety Reggie Nelson also had his own injury concerns. Only Newman appears set to go, though, after Kirkpatrick, Hall and Nelson were listed as doubtful on the Bengals' injury report Friday. Coach Marvin Lewis is holding out hope that more optimistic news may come Sunday morning, but there is a strong possibility it might not. If it doesn't, look for Brandon Ghee, a young cornerback who is just returning from a concussion that had kept him out since the preseason, to slip into Hall's role. Newly re-signed safety Chris Crocker also could be in the mix to replace Nelson if need be. The cornerback watch will be a captivating one because it could have an impact on the Bengals' efforts at slowing Browns receiver Josh Gordon, who hauled in 10 passes from Hoyer last week.

CINCINNATI -- Chris Crocker had barely been in the Cincinnati Bengals' locker room a month, and already he was barking orders at his new teammates as if he had been in the building his entire career.

The year was 2008, and Cincinnati was going through another one of its recent abysmal downturns. In the nine weeks before the safety arrived from Miami, the Bengals had lost eight games and were in a race for the league's worst record and the next year's top draft choice.

"I can remember walking through here and him challenging guys," said Bengals offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth, who was in his third season in the league the year he became Crocker's teammate for the first time. "Here's the new guy, and he's basically walking in and challenging different guys on the team, saying, 'You've got to play better and quit coasting,' and those types of things.

"He came in here and kind of changed this locker room with his attitude."

While the Bengals don't appear in need of an attitude adjustment this time around, they are hopeful that after re-signing him earlier this week, Crocker will bring the same spark and energy that took root in the locker room six seasons ago.

"He's been one of the guys who set the foundation of things here and the foundation is good," coach Marvin Lewis said Friday.

In the seven games Crocker spent with the Bengals at the end of the 2008 season, Cincinnati went 3-3-1. After notching a tie in the safety's first game in a Bengals uniform, he and his teammates dropped three straight before pulling out three victories to close the year. One of those wins was a 14-0 finish that came in Cleveland in front of more than 72,000.

This weekend, Crocker and the Bengals are headed back into that same hostile, northern Ohio territory when they visit the Browns for the first of two division games this season. When he emerges from the visiting team's tunnel at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday, Crocker may be carrying a feeling of nostalgia onto the field with him. Cleveland is where he began his career.

"Like Leon [Hall] said, 'You would come back the week we play Cleveland,'" Crocker said. "I've always loved to play in that place. I do. I loved to play in there as a player. I loved to play in there as an opponent because the fans are very familiar with me and they either love me or they hate me. It's just a great place to play."

The former Marshall standout was drafted by the Browns in the third round of the 2003 draft. He spent three seasons with them before playing two in Atlanta. After those, his on-again, off-again relationship with the Bengals began.

This marks the second straight season that he returned to Cincinnati just in time to travel to Cleveland.

Much like last year, Crocker's presence this season is the product of the Bengals needing an extra defensive back's body to lessen the blow of a series of injuries to their secondary. This weekend, they could be without up to three cornerbacks. Hamstring injuries forced cornerbacks Hall, Dre Kirkpatrick and safety Reggie Nelson into being listed as doubtful for Sunday's game.

Crocker's addition means the Bengals not only have a safety who can take Nelson's spot on the two-deep depth chart, but it means they also have a corner to play in the slot in the event Hall doesn't play and backup Brandon Ghee has trouble getting going after returning this week from a concussion.

Lewis calls Crocker Cincinnati's "insurance policy."

"He's able to come in and cover different spots," Lewis said. "If called upon, he'll be ready to go. He'll be up to it."

Crocker said he's also up for fulfilling his standard leadership role.

"I've always had that onus on me where I wanted to help other guys," Crocker said. "Sometimes you need to pull somebody else along with you. I've been that person my whole career so I'm just going to continue to be that person and be a playmaker and lead by example and good things are going to happen; for me and this team."

With three interceptions, including one in his first game, Crocker was one of the Bengals' better playmakers last season. When an injury prevented him from participating in Cincinnati's lone playoff game, his time in a Bengals uniform, he thought, was over. Unsure of what the next step would be, he went back to his home in Atlanta and spent the offseason learning how to be a referee and brushing up on his broadcast skills.

"I've been very, very busy," Crocker said when he arrived in Cincinnati earlier this week. "I kept my mouth shut this whole offseason. You haven't heard much from me, but I have got my hands in some things that are pretty positive. Post-career should be very, very good."

Forget reffing, Crocker might have a future in coaching, if he wants it. In the brief time he has spent with the Bengals' mostly young secondary, he has turned into a mentor for the group.

"This offseason, when the whole safety thing was up for grabs, I learned a lot from Crock," George Iloka, a second-year safety, said. "There's still a lot more things that I can soak and learn from him. He's a real smart guy. I'm like a sponge right now just trying to soak up as much information from guys like him and [veterans] Terence [Newman] and Leon and Reggie; guys who have done it before. "

Crocker has done it all, alright.

Well, maybe there's one thing he hasn't done.

"Obviously, the goal is the Super Bowl. That's unfinished business," Crocker said. "It's not about what you did in your last game, it's about getting to the ultimate game."

If the Bengals' season continues trending in the direction most believe it may, perhaps he finally will.

CINCINNATI -- Just when the Bengals secondary was in need of a little good news, the unit got it Friday morning when second-year cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick returned to practice for the first time in more than a week.

The defensive back had been out with a hamstring injury since the Bengals' win over the Pittsburgh Steelers two Mondays ago. Without him last weekend against the Packers, the Bengals rotated three cornerbacks, Leon Hall, Terence Newman and Adam Jones. Hall and Newman were both banged up in last Sunday's 34-30 win and either completely missed or were limited in practices this week. Newman, it appears, will be good to go this Sunday when the Bengals face the Browns in Cleveland.

Hall may be a different story, though. He and safety Reggie Nelson missed their third straight practice Friday. They've been sidelined since the win over Green Bay with hamstring injuries. Typically, the odds of playing aren't in the favor of injured players who miss Friday workouts. That doesn't mean neither will dress later this weekend, but there is a high chance they may not.

Coach Marvin Lewis didn't close the door on either player Friday, but the probability of either playing appears slim. Both were listed, along with Kirkpatrick, as doubtful for the weekend. We'll know their official status Sunday when the Bengals announce their inactives.

Here's how the rest of the Bengals' injury report looks entering the weekend:

DOUBTFUL: CB Leon Hall (hamstring), CB Dre Kirkpatrick (hamstring), S Reggie Nelson (hamstring), G Mike Pollak (knee)

PROBABLE: OT Anthony Collins (knee), CB Brandon Ghee (concussion), RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis (ankle), LB James Harrison (illness), CB Terence Newman (knee)

Although his team has jumped out to a 2-1 start and seems poised to keep its winning ways moving forward, Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is looking for more.

Then again, what head football coach isn't three games into the start of a new season?

What Lewis in particular is looking for, though, is consistency in a couple of key areas. He believes if his team can shore up those issues, it will be hard to beat.

"We've got to be consistent on offense, particularly in who we're on in the running game and protections and so forth," Lewis said in an interview on ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike" Friday morning. "That's got to be important as we move forward. And if you flip it over to the defensive side of the ball, we have to just be consistent tacklers. This game comes down each and every Sunday to who tackles the best defensively."

Lewis' comments were part of a five-minute interview with the show hosts Mike Golic and Jonathan Coachman, who was filling in for Mike Greenberg. Golic and Coachman said Lewis called into the show this morning, forcing them to "call an audible." It was one they were glad to make.

In addition to discussing the consistency he'd still like to see on offense and defense, Lewis also spent time during the segment talking about rookies Giovani Bernard and Tyler Eifert and how pleased he has been with their play so far this season. He also chatted about Cincinnati's appearance on HBO's "Hard Knocks" this summer.

Take a listen to the interview when you get a chance.

Lewis hopes the Bengals hear his message about consistency this weekend when they travel to Cleveland for their second division game of the season.

CINCINNATI -- OK, might as well come out and admit it.

As if this two-week-old column from the Bengals' Monday night win over Pittsburgh wasn't any indication, I am an unapologetic Giovani Bernard fan.

I'll say that one more time (with feeling): I am a Giovani Bernard fan.

I guess that makes me ... human?

Because I always have taken my credibility as a sports journalist seriously and since I value my sense of objectivity to the nth degree, I won't go any further than that. But honestly, am I saying anything that's any different from what anybody else, fans and sportswriters alike, have been saying since the preseason?

Yeah, didn't think so.

ESPN fantasy expert Christopher Harris has been among those stating a case for Bernard since April. Before the back even suited up for rookie camp, Harris was tabbing him as a player fantasy owners would want to keep in mind (see above video). The fact that Bernard was splitting carries with BenJarvus Green-Ellis originally worried Harris that Bernard, by fantasy standards, wouldn't be able to produce this year.

But as we've seen, even with a running back rotation the Bengals have no plans of straying from, Bernard has been productive not only in fantasy, but in real life, too. And while Green-Ellis may not be exactly where the Bengals would like him statistically, he hasn't played all that poorly in the rotation himself, either.

When I say I'm a fan of Bernard, I'm specifically referring to the way he plays. He could be in Canada, Poland, Iceland or on Mars, and I'd still watch him. It's been that way for me since he burst on the college scene as a redshirt freshman at North Carolina in 2011, fresh off a knee injury that shelved him the year before. At the time, I was also in ACC country, working in my previous journalistic life as a beat writer covering football at Florida State. In addition to my duties covering the Seminoles, I also was in my fourth year serving on a panel that selected the ACC's players of the week. Late every Saturday and all day on Sundays that season, my jaw would drop whenever I caught another Bernard highlight-reel run on television or read his stats ahead of my vote the following Monday morning.

That season, the numbers were staggering. In one game, he had 24 carries. In the next, 25. A week later, he had 27 for 109 yards rushing and nine receptions. On offense alone, he touched the ball 38 times in that single game. Unfortunately for the Tar Heels, it was one they ended up losing.

The next year, the numbers were even more mind-boggling. In one conference game, he averaged 11.4 yards per carry, rushing 23 times for 262 yards. In another, he torched a fast, but not very good, Miami defense for 177 yards and a pair of rushing scores. His longest runs of the year spanned 38, 42, 59, 62 and 68 yards. He also had receptions of 36, 39 and 78 yards, and returned two punts for touchdowns, including one against nemesis NC State to preserve the Tar Heels' first win in the rivalry in five seasons.

To call him explosive in college would have been a gross understatement. It would have been the equivalent of comparing a block of C4 to a Fourth of July sparkler. He wasn't just dynamic, he was a true game-changer.

So that's the reason, as much as Bengals coach Marvin Lewis has grown tired of hearing it, the calls for more touches for Bernard will continue.

Through his first three games in Cincinnati, the rookie has averaged just 9.3 touches per game. He's rushed 22 times and caught six passes. Two of those receptions have been among Cincinnati's most pivotal plays of the young season. The first resulted in a 27-yard touchdown. It came after he caught a short screen near the line of scrimmage and accelerated past the secondary with his speed.

His second big reception was a 31-yard haul that took Cincinnati from the shadows of its own end zone and helped set up a quick score that cut deeply into a Green Bay lead.

Although Bernard's touches have increased, going up from five in Week 1 to nine in Week 2 and to 14 in Week 3, for some, that still doesn't appear to be enough. Maybe when the Bengals face Cleveland on Sunday, Bernard fans ought to hope they end up in the red zone often.

According to ProFootballFocus.com, Bernard has averaged 3.0 yards before contact, compared to the 1.0 that Green-Ellis has averaged this season. The mostly edge-rushing Bernard also is averaging 2.0 yards after contact, compared to the 1.8 the more physical, interior-rushing Green-Ellis is averaging. Harris believes that's one reason why the Bengals used Bernard regularly in red zone scenarios last weekend.

The fact that Bernard has shown good hands and an ability to run after the catch and after contact bodes well for quarterback Andy Dalton, who has 36 passing touchdowns while in the red zone in the the last two-plus seasons.

Bernard has been stating his own case the last three weeks, but hopefully you now see that he isn't a sudden phenomenon. Once more of the offense is put in his hands, look out. I guarantee I won't be the only one proclaiming Giovani Bernard fandom.

CINCINNATI -- For the second straight practice, the Cincinnati Bengals were without three defensive backs as they went through one of their final workouts Thursday afternoon ahead of Sunday's division showdown in Cleveland.

Cornerbacks Leon Hall and Dre Kirkpatrick missed time once again, as did safety Reggie Nelson. Hall and Nelson suffered hamstring injuries in last Sunday's 34-30 win against the Packers. Kirkpatrick's hamstring injury goes back to the Bengals' Week 2 win against Pittsburgh.

Also worth noting was the fact that Cincinnati moved a fourth injured defensive back, Terence Newman, from limited participation Wednesday to full participation Thursday. The veteran went through drills in the secondary alongside young defensive backs George Iloka, Brandon Ghee and Curtis Marsh and veteran safety Chris Crocker. Newman, who had an interception and the game-winning return for touchdown following a Packers fumble, suffered a knee injury in last Sunday's game.

In addition to Newman, the Bengals also upgraded running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis from limited participation to full participation.

Here are the full Browns and Bengals injury reports for Thursday:

Did Not Practice: Bengals -- CB Leon Hall (hamstring), S Reggie Nelson (hamstring), CB Dre Kirkpatrick, G Mike Pollak; Browns -- K Billy Cundiff (thigh), LB Quentin Groves (ankle), LB Jabaal Sheard (knee), QB Brandon Weeden (thumb), DL Billy Wynn (quadricep)

Limited Practice Participation: Bengals -- None; Browns -- OL Oniel Cousins (chest), OL Shawn Lauvao (ankle)

Full Practice Participation: Bengals -- OT Anthony Collins (knee), CB Brandon Ghee (concussion), RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis (ankle), CB Terence Newman (knee); Browns -- DL Desmond Bryant (wrist), WR Josh Gordon (ankle), DL Ahtyba Rubin (calf)