CLEVELAND — even as Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow could not get his excessive-flying offense on the right track Monday night at FirstEnergy Stadium, Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett instructed Cleveland to the 32-thirteen AFC North victory they badly needed.
Sacking Burrow five instances and blanking him inside the first 3 quarters, the Browns snapped their four-sport dropping streak and left the four-4 Bengals winless in 3 AFC North contests.
Down 25-zero, Burrow threw touchdown passes of 13 yards to wide receiver Tyler Boyd and forty one to a bounce-ball contesting Tee Higgins. It was too little too past due as Burrow finished 25 of 35 for 223 yards and none of his large-time receivers had over 50. While it rains, it pours. After a excessive snap, kicker Evan McPherson neglected an additional factor after the first touchdown.
Attrition finally stuck up to the Bengals’ streak of not permitting a 2nd-half of touchdown. At some point of the game they lost starting cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (knee), and his backup, Tre flora left with a hamstring damage overdue inside the third zone after Brissett declared war on the limping secondary.
With another beginning cornerback, Eli Apple (hamstring) inactive, Brissett directed three 2nd-half touchdown drives. While strolling again Nick Chubb ran it in from eleven yards out with eight:46 left, Brissett had thrown his remaining bypass and finished 17 of 22 for 278 yards. He installation that closing score on a fifty three-yard heave to wide receiver Amari Cooper, lined up on the out of doors towards rookie safety Dax Hill.
The vet Cooper had 5 catches for 131 yards and resident Bengals’ killer Donovan Peoples-Jones had 4 catches for 81 more. Additionally catching up to the Bengals defense have been the injuries to their top two nose tackles, D.J. Reader and Josh Tupou, because the Browns’ walking tandem did its damage with Chubb getting his fifth a hundred-backyard recreation towards the Bengals (101 on 23 carries) and Kareem Hunt including 42 on 11 incorporates.
The primary 1/2 hurt them at the scoreboard and the intensity chart, summed up with the aid of the last forty seconds and the curious eleven-zero halftime rating.
McPherson pushed a 44-backyard subject intention attempt right, just his 2nd career pass over on the street. With Awziue out and Apple inactive with a hamstring difficulty, Brissett went after the backups as Kareem Hunt and huge receiver David Bell gobbled up a blended 26 yards on passes over the middle and rookie Cade York hit a fifty five-yarder at the gun.
All the momentum the Bengals had gathered moments earlier than vanished. Cincy linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither got his first profession fumble restoration on the Bengals forty nine with 1:49 left in the 1/2. Sturdy protection Vonn Bell, who already had an interception in advance, cut up the sack with left aspect Sam Hubbard and the ball popped out.
And when Burrow hit tight stop Hayden Hurst for 21 yards for his first catch of the night, the Bengals had a first down on the Browns 30 with 1:03 left. But seventh-round rookie edge Isaiah Thomas shot beyond left tackle Jonah Williams for a sack and they had to call on McPherson.
Burrow, so hot inside the closing two games and off a 481-yard torch job last week, become simply 15 of 20 for 103 yards in the first half that covered a tipped skip for an interception on the first series and later lost a sack-strip. And this was approaching a stretch he had became it over as soon as within the remaining six video games.
Higgins had simply two catches for 8 yards inside the half (three for 49 for the sport) and Boyd for 25 (3 for 38 for the sport) and that they ran it just six instances for 19 yards and the crew that had greater than 530 yards of offense last week had 100 on the half.
After the Browns got the lead at 8-zero with 5 mins left within the 1/2, they blitzed and when Burrow stepped up inside the pocket, blitzing linebacker Sione Takitaki were given the sack and strip when he knocked the ball out of Burrow’s proper hand as Burrow wound up.
Burrow become looking to solution, down eight-0. The Browns ultimately broke open a scoreless sport inside the center of the first 1/2 when Amari Cooper shook loose for two big third-down conversions. The primary one he floated through a area for 29 yards and on the second he coated up inside the slot won a lower back-shoulder throw for 18 yards.
The Browns strolling game did the rest with Chubb charging in from three yards out as the Wild Cat and when the Bengals were stuck with 12 guys on the sphere for the more point the Browns opted to move for two. They lined up 8 offensive linemen and Chubb banged in over the left aspect.
Burrow were given them inside the Browns 30 on the first series, way to a 26-backyard wheel direction on third-and-5 to jogging lower back Chris Evans frying linebacker Deion Jones down the right sideline for his 2d capture of the season. He also converted a 3rd-and-seven while he determined Boyd in a 14-yard vacuum.
But Garrett, who were given a pressure earlier inside the pressure, got his hand up on the primary play after that conversion and now not that. A.J. Green picked off the top on the 16.
The defense did the whole lot they could early. On the primary series protective address B.J. Hill blocked York’s 53-yard subject-purpose strive. Then on the second series Bell were given his fifth select in 10 video games and is now one of this year’s NFL leaders with four interceptions when the Browns tried to throw a bypass on Amari Cooper’s quit-around. Center linebacker Logan Wilson blew up the play simply as Cooper went to throw and the duck went proper to Bell.
But for the third time in as many drives the Bengals could not convert good discipline position. This time from their very own 48, they went three-and-out. Running lower back Joe Mixon went for two yards on first down, extensive receiver Mike Thomas dropped a extensive-open first-down ball over the middle and Burrow had to check down on 1/3 down. Mixon ran 8 instances for 27 yards and the Bengals ought to manipulate just 36 dashing yards on a night time the backs ran nine instances.
The protection observed up Bell’s pick with a three-and-out of its very own fueled with the aid of Hubbard, who had already cut up a sack with right quit Trey Hendrickson on the sport’s first collection. This time, on first down, he pinned a one-yard loss on Hunt.
