Anderson's ghastly game costly to Browns (9-6)

CINCINNATI -- Like one of Derek Anderson's wind-blown passes, the chance to clinch a playoff spot slipped right through the Cleveland Browns' hands.

No surprise, really. Nothing comes easy to these guys.

Anderson threw 4 interceptions Sunday, 2 of them setting up rapid-fire touchdowns in a 19-14 victory by the Cincinnati Bengals that left the upstart Browns scrambling for a playoff spot instead of celebrating one.

"We're getting close," receiver Joe Jurevicius said. "We're still a young team. We've got to correct a few mistakes. It's not time to put our heads down and sulk."

Instead, it's time to sweat a little.

Cleveland (9-6) could have clinched with a victory over the down-and-out Bengals (6-9), who had nothing more than pride on the line and several starters out with injuries. The Browns acted more like the team playing it out.

They dropped passes. They botched a field-goal attempt. They came up short on fourth-and-short. Ultimately, they couldn't overcome a bad game by Anderson, who had his best moments when the intrastate rivals met in September.

"It's a tough battle to fight when you're throwing 4 picks," Anderson said. "A couple of them were bad decisions, and a couple of them got hung up in the air."

The loss leaves the Browns scuffling with Tennessee for a wild-card berth, and the Pittsburgh Steelers clinched the AFC North title.

Anderson's interceptions on consecutive plays helped the Bengals score 2 touchdowns in a 39-second span late in the first half, putting them up 19-0. He also had a deflected pass intercepted in the end zone and another picked off inside the 20.

Given one final chance when Kenny Watson fumbled at the Cleveland 17 with 1:48 left, the Browns drove to the Bengals' 29. Anderson's desperation pass into the end zone as time ran out was knocked down with no Browns receiver close.