Bengals 24 Browns 6
The Bengals have won three in a row and move to 7-8.
They had a 17-0 lead and the ball to start the second half. The Browns cut it to 17-6 in the 3rd. The Bengals defense answered the challenge with two takeaways in the 4th quarter. Shutdown much of the second half, the Bengals added a Burrow to Chase 32-yard TD with 1:44 to put things away for good.
Offense
Burrow: 23-30-252, 3 TD, 4 sacks. Seventh straight game w/ at least 3 TD. Completed first 8. Falling on his face, tossed 2-yard TD to Tee Higgins. Scramble no-look 12-yard completion to Drew Sample. Tops 4,000 yards passing for third time in career. 16 yard scramble. Red zone fumble in 4th. B-B weeks with a fumble. NFL high 5th fumble.
1st possession: 8 play/99 yard TD drive. Joe Burrow drew the Browns into a neutral zone infraction on the first snap to move the ball from the 1 to the 6 yard line.
Higgins: 8-58, 7th TD, ties career high. Injured ankle in 3rd. Returned.
Ja’Marr Chase: 6-97, 16th TD. Broke own franchise single season record for yards (1,445).
Yosi: 3-53, TD. 45 career catches, 10 career TD catches. Added a big 32-yard catch in 4th.
Chase Brown: 109 total yards. 18-91 rushing, 22 yard run. 3 catches/18 yards. 90+ scrimmage yards for 7th straight game.
Defense
3 takeaways (2 red zone). 9 takeaways last two games. 5 sacks, 8 tackles for loss, 5 passes defended.
Opening drive chaos: Jerome Ford 66 yard run on very first snap. Personnel confusion timeout on the fourth play. On the fifth play, Vonn Bell punched the ball loose from D'Onta Foreman at the goal line to negate a TD after replay review.
Takeaway No. 2: Leading 17-6 early 4th. Browns moved to 11. Had TD wiped out by penalty. Then Battle end zone INT from 8-yard line.
Takeaway No. 3: Leading 17-6 with 8:20 left in the game, DJ Ivey deflected a 3rd down pass and Geno Stone picked it off. His 3rd straight game with an interception.
First half: 18 plays/20 yards AFTER 66 yard run by Ford.
TD came at 5:50 mark of 3rd quarter. Ford 4-yard rush capped 70 yard drive . Aided by ridiculously late PI on Marco Wilson. Missed PAT.
Mike Hilton: 2 TFL. Had 3 last week. 12 TFL on the season.
5 sacks: Kris Jenkins (2), Trey Hendrickson, NFL best 13.5, McKinley Jackson, Joseph Ossai + Cedric Johnson had a big pressure/intentional grounding.
Dorian Thompson Robinson 20-32-157, 2 INT, 4 sacks
Jerry Jeudy 2-20
Jerome Ford 11-90
Special Teams
Cade York 47-yard miss. Tied McPherson’s franchise record of 59 yards.
Big time Ryan Rehkow 56-yard punt/fair catch w/ 11:20 left.
Miscellaneous
The captains for coin toss for third straight game were Burrow, Chase and Higgins
Devin Cochran went in at right tackle late in the first half with Amarius Mims (left ankle) in the medical tent. Mims returned the same series. Mims and Pollack jawed on the sidelines, with Mims brushing Pollack’s arm away. Mims played the 1st series of the 2nd half and left.
Myles Garrett reached 100.5 career sack….4th fastest NFL history (115 games)