Bengals cruise past Browns, 23-10
CLEVELAND -- A half-empty stadium. Snow. Temperatures in the 20s. Tickets going for $1 on the secondary market. A 43 percent completion rate in the return of Robert Griffin III. A flea flicker from the 1-yard line intercepted in triple coverage. Failing to advance past midfield until the third quarter. A fifth consecutive defeat by double digits.
Never has The Factory of Sadness churned out its primary product at a more prolific rate.
The Bengals were happy to add to the Cleveland misery Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium in an easy 23-10 victory and try to keep their faint playoff hopes alive for next week against the Steelers.
As with any team spiraling and hoping to avoid a winless season, the key was to jump out early. For the second straight week the Bengals did just that. They used a combined 14 offensive plays and 118 yards to chalk up two touchdowns to begin the game and never looked back as the already sparse crowd slowly bled into banks of snow-kissed, empty seats.
"Young team, trying to find that first win you want to get a lead early," Andrew Whitworth said. "You kind of take the wind out of their sail. That’s the key thing you want to do in a game like this."
Instant analysis: Why Bengals beat Browns
The sails have permanently stayed down whenever the Bengals make the trip North. In the last three trips to Cleveland, the Bengals have now outscored the Browns 90-13. They've won five consecutive games in the series.
Leave it to the Browns to assist in momentum creation. This marked the first back-to-back victories by the Bengals this season and first consecutive wins since they came to this stadium last December. Inevitably, this momentum likely arrives as too little, too late. The Bengals must receive help to keep the postseason hopes alive. With Pittsburgh's 27-20 win at Buffalo, the Bengals (5-7-1) now need the Patriots to beat the Ravens on Monday to avoid official elimination from the playoffs.
Wins like the last two against the Eagles and Browns or potential victories down the stretch have meaning through an upbeat, loose Cincinnati locker room.
Bengals DBs on Terrelle Pryor: Trash
"No matter what the situation is, it’s all about building," George Iloka said. "Whether it’s building for this year or next year things will help you. Even though we were losing, I never felt like we were a losing team because that’s a culture and losing is an attitude. You can be a winner and still take a loss. it’s all about carrying an attitude."
The weather never proved as much a factor as possible with snow stopping in the second half, but the Bengals rolled in with a cold weather game plan. A steady diet of the ground game made the difference for the offense, which rushed 38 times for 213 yards. That was the second most rushing yards in a game for the Bengals this season, only trailing the 271 racked up in the first game against the Browns this year.
Jeremy Hill carried 25 times for 111 yards and a touchdown.
Andy Dalton finished 20 of 28 for 180 yards and two touchdown passes to Tyler Eifert. The second touchdown pass found Eifert nearly uncovered coming out of his stance at the 5-yard line.
Bengals' run game carries the day
Tyler Boyd continued his emergence in the absence of A.J. Green as he caught six passes for 49 yards and also rushed twice for 40 yards.
"He's got a great feel," Dalton said. "We are asking a lot of him to make plays and he's making them. I think he's really comfortable with what we are doing and it shows with the production he's had."
Not all went well for the road team, as the offensive line allowed four sacks of the Dalton in the first half, and Mike Nugent missed a 36-yard field goal just before halftime. Nugent also didn’t convert a PAT for the fourth consecutive game - this time victimized by a snap and hold that wasn’t executed.
Cleveland created a few anxious moments thanks to a 10-0 third quarter where Isaiah Crowell broke loose for multiple long runs and the first Browns scores of the day. Crowell ended up with 113 yards on 10 carries on the day.
Doc: Bengals glad they're not Browns as they play out string
It wouldn’t make much difference as the Bengals ran out the clock on the ground and added a 44-yard Nugent field goal for the finishing touches.
"We came in here with an attitude and a job to do and I thought we did a good job of staying on course and getting that done," head coach Marvin Lewis said. "The third quarter wasn't quite the way we'd like it, but we fought back in it and played."
The Bengals have now outscored the last two opponents 39-0 in the first halves. Players could only lament how long it took to start jumping on opponents early. But for Whitworth, he senses a relaxed nature of the team's season circumstances.
"In some ways it’s less to talk about or think about," Whitworth said. "You just go out, try to execute and play well. We’ve done that two weeks in a row now. Hopefully we can do that. Unfortunately, we don’t control our destiny so continue to do that to end our season in a great way either into the playoffs or building for next season."
Have the Bengals' app? Tap here for live updates from today's game
Third quarter: Bengals 20, Browns 7
What went right: Not much for the Bengals, who couldn’t move the ball past midfield and allowed the Browns to twice drive the length of the field.
What went wrong: The Bengals' defense allowed Isaiah Crowell to bust loose for a 42-yard run as part of a Cleveland touchdown drive that concluded with a Griffin quarterback sneak.
Key stat: The Browns' touchdown was the first scored against the Bengals in Cleveland since 2013.
Did you notice: Terrelle Pryor didn’t make his first catch until the final play of the third quarter.
Second quarter: Bengals 20, Browns 0
What went right: The defense took advantage of Hue Jackson calling a flea flicker from his own 1-yard line and Robert Griffin III throwing into triple coverage downfield. The Bengals made it three for three in the red zone with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Eifert.
What went wrong: Yet another missed field goal for Nugent, who pushed a 36-yard field goal wide right at the conclusion of the first half.
Key stat: The Browns registered four sacks at home this season entering Sunday, but had four in the first half.
Did you notice: The Browns never crossed midfield in the first half, only reaching their own 45-yard line once.
First quarter: Bengals 13, Browns 0
What went right: The Bengals' offense carved the Browns up for consecutive touchdown drives to start the game. Tyler Boyd continued his emergence with multiple third-down conversion receptions, while Tyler Eifert and Jeremy Hill converted scores in the red zone.
What went wrong: Rookie receiver Cody Core dropped a third-down pass on the fourth drive of the quarter. Also, right tackle Eric Winston was beat by Jamie Collins for a sack of Andy Dalton.
Key stat: Blocked extra point by the Browns on a poor snap and hold marked the fourth consecutive game with a missed PAT for Mike Nugent.
Did you notice: Clint Boling was banged up on the four-lateral PAT return by the Browns. He returned on the next series.
Pregame update: The five players already ruled out due to injury for the Bengals were joined by long snapper Clark Harris, who missed his third straight game with a groin injury, and a healthy scratch of rookie offensive lineman Christian Westerman to complete the Bengals inactives Sunday in Cleveland.
Westerman has been inactive every game this year, but third quarterback Jeff Driskel was active for the first time this season. He's expected to contribute as an emergency replacement at receiver and on special teams.
Harris becomes the second Bengals player this year to be listed as questionable and not play. James Wright also was out while questionable for the Monday Night Football game against the Giants.
Here's the complete list of inactives:
- WR A.J. Green (hamstring)
- S Derron Smith (thigh)
- LS Clark Harris (groin)
- OL Christian Westerman (healthy scratch)
- WR James Wright (knee)
- TE C.J. Uzomah (calf)
- DL Wallace Gilberry (calf)