Ryan O'Halloran The Washington Times - December 14, 2008, 05:02PM

CINCINNATI — There are Sundays when the atmosphere around the downtown of an NFL city or outside the stadium resembles that of a playoff game.

And then there are Sundays like this.

SEE RELATED:

Nineteen minutes before kickoff, Paul Brown Stadium was maybe 20 percent full. Around mid-morning, there was zero traffic downtown, just a bunch of cops standing next to barricades. …

* Security was interesting for Sir Scribble. First stop: Bag check, followed by two escalators up and a walk around the stadium to Gate B. Second stop: Another bag check, photo ID and a wrist-band before a monster escalator and, finally, down a flight of stairs. …

* The Cincinnati skyline isn’t that bad. From the press box, one building — Carew Tower — looks like 30 Rock in New York City. On the other side of the stadium, the view includes Roebling Bridge, which spans the Ohio River and connects Ohio and Kentucky. …

* At 11:20 a.m., for at least a few minutes, nobody was allowed in because the stadium’s fire alarms were sounded at least two dozen times. Ten minutes later, Scrib figured out the reason for the fire alarm — the Redskins inactives were posted and tight end Fred Davis (a.k.a. Freddy Delight) was back in uniform after a three-game absence. Fast Freddy made a 15-yard catch in the second quarter. …

* Finally, a tip of the stocking cap to the sound system and folks in charge of the music. Plenty of metal rock, a la Foxborough.