CINCINNATI - The Cleveland Browns lost more than a game Sunday against the Bengals.

The injury bug hit the defense hard, with end Kenyon Coleman, nose tackle Shaun Rogers and safety Brodney Pool leaving action. Pool suffered what was called a head injury. Rogers hurt his left ankle late in the fourth quarter, and Coleman went down with a knee injury in the second quarter.

Rogers' injury could be the worst of the three. He was carted off the field. Players from both teams came up him to offer their best wishes.

Browns coach Eric Mangini didn't have any updates on the three shortly after the end of the game. Players that talked to Rogers said that he was very upset.

"Shaun's a guy that wants to be there," linebacker David Bowens said. "He wants to be in the fire, no matter how bad or how good it is. He loves to play ball. I could see it in his eyes that he's really upset."

Pool's injury raises the question of the risk factor of playing in the future. He's had a history of concussions, dating back to early in his rookie season of 2005. If he did suffer another concussion, he'd likely miss a couple of games and perhaps the remainder of the season.

Coleman seemed fine afterwards in the locker room. He was able to walk off the field under his power.

"It's part of the game," said linebacker Kamerion Wimbley, who walked off the field twice with minor injuries. "You always hate to see when anyone goes down. Hopefully, the guys will be okay."

• ON THE SIDE: Cornerback Brandon McDonald was benched after giving up a 24-yard completion to Chad Ochocino in the first quarter. McDonald gave Ochocinco a big cushion on a third-and-11 play that resulted in a first down.

McDonald was replaced by Mike Adams, who's normally the nickel back. McDonald returned to the base defense later and broke up a pass intended for Ochcinco.

• BAD MOVE: The Bengals added a field goal with no time remaining in the second quarter, thanks to a horse-collar penalty on Rogers. Rogers grabbed quarterback Carson Palmer by the back of the shoulder pads and pulled him down near midfield as time expired. The 15-yard penalty moved the ball to the 35, setting up a 53-yard field goal by Shayne Graham.

• NOT MUCH ACTION: Return specialist Joshua Cribbs was frustrated by the lack of work. Bengals punter Kevin Huber was effective in angling the ball away from Cribbs, who didn't have one punt return. Cribbs had two kick returns for 38 yards.

"They made adjustments," Cribbs said. "If we play a team and they hit big, the next time we play them we'll be all after them. They did a good job of taking the ball out of my hands."

• FAST START: Linebacker Matt Roth made an immediate impact. Roth, who was acquired off waivers after being released by the Miami Dolphins last week, started the game and recorded a sack of Palmer in the first quarter. Roth came off the left side of the defense and was untouched on his path to Palmer.

Roth had eight sacks last season for the Dolphins. He played much of the season with a groin injury and was still limited by the injury at the start of this season.

Roth said that his departure from Miami had to do with a disagreement with management about not returning soon enough from the injury.

Roth had an unsettling few days last week. In addition to the trade, he had to attend the funeral of an uncle, who died on Thanksgiving Day in California.

"It's been a tough week," Roth said. "They (the Browns) were real nice to me, and the coaches were great."

• STOP THAT PASS: The Browns limited the Bengals to 96 net passing yards. It was the second time this season that an opponent failed to gain 100 net passing yards (the Vikings managed just 85 in the opener).

• MISTAKE FREE: The Browns didn't commit a turnover for a second consecutive game. The last time that happened was in October of last season against the New York Giants and Washington Redskins.

• CAREER DAY: Linebacker Jason Trusnik registered a career-high 10 tackles. His previous best was eight against the Chicago Bears earlier this season. Adams tied a career best in tackles with 10. He had 10 against the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 10, 2006 when he played for the 49ers.

• DOWN AGAIN: For a second straight week second-round draft choices Brian Robiskie and David Veikune weren't active. Robiskie has been deactivated four times.

• INACTIVES: Sidelined for the Browns were third quarterback Brett Ratliff, defensive backs Coye Francies and Gerard Lawson; linebackers Veikune and Marcus Benard; offensive lineman Billy Yates; Robiskie and tight end Robert Royal.

mmclain@tribtoday.com