In one of the wildest games from Sunday, the Cleveland Browns (5-2) outlasted the Cincinnati Bengals (1-5-1) in an offensive showcase for both teams. Cleveland took the Week 7 divisional battle 37-34.
The game seemed pedestrian enough for three quarters. Cincinnati led the game 17-10 at the half, after Joe Burrow broke a tie at the end of the second quarter by firing a strike in traffic to Tyler Boyd. Boyd brought it in standing in the very front of the end zone and after review, the play stood as the Bengals took a lead into the break.
The Browns marched straight down the field to begin the third, evening the score at 17. After a 23-yard field goal from the Bengals’ Randy Bullock, Cleveland again found six points when Baker Mayfield hit tight end David Njoku in the back of the end zone. The subsequent PAT was good, and the Browns held a 24-20 lead entering the final frame.
An Insane Finish
In an AFC North tussle, this is when one would expect a ball-control battle to ride out the fourth quarter. Instead, the two teams completely flipped the script, combining to score 34 points in the final 15 minutes in a seesaw battle. Burrow found rookie Tee Higgins for a touchdown which was answered by a pitch-and-catch from Mayfield to running back Kareem Hunt as the Browns maintained their four-point lead at 31-27.
Cincinnati took the lead again when Burrow hit Giovani Bernard for three yards, set up by a big 25-yard strike to Mike Thomas and several Cleveland penalties. The Bengals led 34-31 with just over one minute on the clock before Mayfield engineered a five-play, 75-yard drive. Donovan Peoples-Jones was on the receiving end of a 24-yard pass in the painted area to complete the Browns comeback with seconds to play. A last second hail mary from Burrow was nearly caught in the end zone, but Cincinnati’s prayers went unanswered. Cleveland left Paul Brown Stadium with a 37-34 victory.
Mayfield threw for 297 yards and lobbed five touchdowns in the affair. For his part, Burrow passed for a whopping 406 yards while tossing three touchdowns himself and finding paydirt with his legs on another.
The game was marred by injuries, with Odell Beckham Jr. going down early in the first quarter (torn ACL) and Cincinnati’s already lackluster offensive line took three hits. Center Trey Hopkins (concussion), right tackle Bobby Hart (knee), and left tackle Jonah Williams (neck) all left the game.
The Browns swept the season series against the Bengals, having already won 35-30 in September.
Highlights
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Up Next
The Browns start a three-game homestand by welcoming in the Las Vegas Raiders (3-3) on Sunday. Cincinnati remains at home and gets the first-place Tennessee Titans (5-1).
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