But they enjoyed themselves in a 14-0 victory that gave Cincinnati a two-game winning streak and sent the Browns to their fifth straight defeat.

"Even though we were out there in the cold, it was fun because we were playing well," said defensive tackle John Thornton, who had two of the Bengals' three sacks. Strong safety Chinedum Ndukwe recorded the other sack.

Deep freeze

How cold was it?

It was 18 degrees at kickoff with winds out of the west and southwest between 18 and 30 mph.

The gusts were expected to reach 40 mph., creating a wind chill between -5 and -15.

It was the coldest temperature at kickoff in a Bengals game since Dec. 17, 2000, when the Bengals hosted Jacksonville (7 degrees).

Personal playground

Cedric Benson liked the playing conditions to the tune of 38 carries for a career-high 171 yards (a 4.5 average).

Benson said "the fact that the field was frozen" actually helped him.

"The dirt was pretty solid, so when your cleats dug in, it was like being on a fresh field in the summer," he said.

Lost fumble

Benson's only mistake came when he broke loose for a 46-yard run only to have the ball stripped by Browns cornerback Eric Wright's tomahawk chop. It was only the fifth fumble in Benson's fouryear career - 609 carries in 46 games.

"The offensive line did a great job of pulling and creating a backside cut," Benson said. "It was a good, head's-up play (by Wright). Credit him for making a great play."

Oh, Henry

Chris Henry caught a TD pass for the second straight week from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick on a fade pattern.

Lined up on the right flank, Henry gave Wright a stutterstep move, then burned him in the right corner of the end zone.

"I tricked him a little bit," Henry said. "I made it seem like a little run play, then I just burst. It was like a layup after that. Ryan put it right in my breadbasket."

Ocho no go

Wide receiver Chad Ocho Cinco was deactivated for the game because of an achy hamstring. Andre Caldwell started in his place and caught an 8-yard pass for a first down.

"He (Ocho Cinco) just never got loosened up," head coach Marvin Lewis said. "He felt tight. So hopefully by resting it today, he'll be able to play next week."

Streak ends

With Ocho Cinco sidelined, the Browns double-teamed wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh and shut him out, ending his streak of 55 consecutive games with at least one reception.

"It just goes to show they can win without us," Houshmandzadeh said. "You don't really need your receivers to be that effective. If you can run the ball effectively and play defense, you can win games."

Stepping forward

Fourth-string tailback James Johnson accounted for 37 all-purpose yards - three rushes for 10 yards and three catches for 27 yards with a long gain of 16.

"I felt good," he said. "I had to show the coaches they can trust me on third down. I just took advantage of the opportunities that came my way."

Running wild

The Bengals erupted for their highest rushing total (191 yards) of the season because they were able to crease the Browns' defensive line led by 350-pound defensive tackle Shaun Rogers.

"We moved the immovable object," Lewis said.

Center Eric Ghiaciuc and guards Nate Livings and Bobbie Williams took turns leaning on the big fellow.

"Cedric did a great job of finding yards," Ghiaciuc said.

Revenge-minded

One of Thornton's two sacks came against backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, who beat the Bengals 14-13 as Tampa Bay's starter in 2006.

"He was an old nemesis," Thornton said. "By the time he got in (3:38 to go), the game was over."

Injury report

Right tackle Stacy Andrews suffered a right knee injury with 5:37 to play when a Browns' player hit him from behind and Andrews fell backward.

"It hurts," said Andrews, who was on crutches. "I've just got to do everything I can to get it back right."