With their season on the brink, the Browns put together their most complete game in a resounding division triumph over AFC Champion Cincinnati. (Cleveland Browns)
Browns pounce on Bengals again to breathe life into their season
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Every once in a while, the Browns put it all together and have a game like they played on Monday night.
All that roster talent complements each other and the coaches’ game-plans play out brilliantly and you think, “Wow. Now that’s the team they can be.”
The problem is, most of those times the opponent happens to be the Cincinnati Bengals.
And that’s the easiest explanation for the Browns’ 32-13 beat-down of the Bengals in front of a delighted home crowd and a stunned national TV audience on Halloween night.
“They always play well against us. It is tough to answer that one,” said Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who was sacked five times, forced into two turnovers and limited to 229 yards in total offense in suffering his fourth loss to the Browns in four career starts.
“They have really good players on defense. They are good on the outside. They are really well-coached. They are sound in their leverages and their coverages. Obviously, they have Myles Garrett and [Jadeveon] Clowney that can get after the passer. They have had our number the past couple of years.”
The Browns’ most complete victory of the year saved them from playoff euthanasia and dealt a severe blow to the Bengals’ hopes of repeating as AFC North champs.
The win – fifth in a row over the Bengals under coach Kevin Stefanski – moved the Browns to 3-5 overall and, importantly, 2-1 in division games. It makes for a pleasant bye week for them and their fans and should discourage GM Andrew Berry from trading running back Kareem Hunt or other players prior to Tuesday’s 4 p.m. NFL trade deadline.
The Bengals dropped to 4-4 overall, a game behind 5-3 Baltimore. But their 0-3 record in division games all but assures they are giving up their division crown this season. No team has won the AFC North without winning at least four of six games in the division in the past 10 seasons.
“We are not panicking,” Burrow said.
Whether or not the rare dominant win by the Browns can propel them in the second half of the season beginning Nov. 13 in Miami against the Dolphins remains to be seen.
“We have been in the league long enough to know that a big component of it is momentum,” said receiver Amari Cooper, who had 131 receiving yards and one touchdown on five catches in seven targets. “This was a great momentum game for us, and hopefully, we can build on it.
“You start to understand the ebbs and flows of the season. The matter of fact is the season is very long. Strange things have happened. Teams go on runs. Teams win the first six games and then lose all of the rest of them. We are very optimistic and believe in the players and personnel we have in the building, so I think we will be alright.”
Cooper’s one regrettable play was a turning point in the game. On the Browns’ second offensive possession, Cooper was the focal point of one of Stefanski’s classic head-scratcher plays. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett handed off to Nick Chubb, who pitched back to Cooper, who threw a pass intended for – wait for it – Michael Woods. Woods never looked back while running a fly pattern and Cooper’s attempt to throw the ball out of bounds resulted in an interception by safety Vonn Bell.
“It was an abomination,” Cooper said, laughing.
It served the purpose, however, of convincing Stefanski to get back to basics – namely, giving the ball to the indefatigable Chubb.
“Specifically, to that point, there were some things that we wanted to get going into the run game. Obviously, wanted to get Nick going, and I think we did,” Stefanski said.
With TE1 David Njoku out with a high ankle sprain and TE2 Harrison Bryant not at full strength, Stefanski and line coach Bill Callahan used extensive six-, and seven-offensive line packages to unleash Chubb on the Bengals’ defense. It was a beautiful sight to see.
Chubb responded with 101 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. Hunt added 42 yards on 11 attempts plus four receptions for 30 yards. Brissett also ran for a touchdown as the Browns amassed 172 yards rushing on 44 attempts.
Chubb’s inspirational running was complemented by Brissett’s best game with the Browns – 17 of 22 passing for 278 yards and one touchdown to Cooper.
When the game was still in doubt, Brissett converted 5 of 8 third downs – mostly with accurate passes. Brissett won for the second time in three AFC North games, thoroughly outplaying Burrow (25 of 35 for 232 yards).
“We really needed to get back to playing our style of football,” Brissett said. “That is running and throwing it on our terms. Running our plays on our terms.”
As good as the offense played, the embattled Joe Woods defense was better.
It started with Garrett tipping a Burrow pass on Cincinnati’s first possession at the Browns’ 27, resulting in an interception by A.J. Green.
“That was really the start of a long day for us,” Burrow said.
Garrett wound up with 1.5 sacks and four quarterback hits. He was also right there when linebacker Sione Takitaki stripped the ball on a sack of Burrow and tackle Tommy Togiai recovered.
“That first tipped pass leading to an interception and then that sack, it felt like everyone was like, ‘The bank is open. Everyone grab something,’” said Garrett, who arrived at the game in his usual Halloween spirit dressed as Vecna from the Netflix science fiction hit series Stranger Things. “I was rushing to get to the passer to make a big play, but there were a lot of guys playing lights out. It was just beautiful to see.”
The defensive stars included Takitaki (13 tackles, one sack and forced fumble), cornerback M.J. Emerson (nine tackles, two passes defensed), linebacker Deion Jones (five tackles and one sack) and defensive end Isaiah Thomas (one sack and pass defensed).
It all added up to quite a treat for a fan base begging to keep the season alive.
“Damn it, it felt good,” Garrett said. “To have the crowd behind us fully and have a lot of big plays on offense and defense with some young guys out there making plays, you can’t ask for a better setting to have a great game. Those guys have balled out in all three phases. It is going to be talked about and remembered for a while. With that comes the responsibility to keep doing it and the consistency. I think we have the guys to do it.”
