Like an older sibling who steals their siblings' Halloween candy, the Browns bullied the Bengals on both sides of the ball on Monday. The hometown team dominated the game while posting a 32-13 win over its in-state rival on Halloween.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for Cleveland (3-5, 2-1 in the AFC North), who received big nights from quarterback Jacoby Brissett and Amari Cooper. Brissett threw for 278 yards and a touchdown on 17 of 22 passing. He also ran for a touchdown that gave the Browns an 18-0 lead six minutes into the third quarter. Cooper more than made up for his first half interception after catching five passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.
Cincinnati's offense clearly missed All-Pro receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who will be out for at least the next several weeks with a hip injury. The Bengals (4-4, 0-3 in the AFC North) suffered another significant injury Monday night when cornerback Chidobe Awuzie left the game with a knee injury during the first half.
Browns running back Nick Chubb opened the scoring with a three-yard touchdown run out of the wildcat formation with 5:04 left in the first half. Chubb found the end zone again moments later after the Browns decided to go for two after a Bengals penalty moved the ball to the 1-yard-line. Cade York's 55-yard field as time expired gave the Browns an 11-0 halftime lead. His field goal came just after Evan McPherson hooked his 47-yard attempt.
Facing a Bengals defense that had not allowed a second-half touchdown entering the night, the Browns scored touchdowns on each of their first three drives following intermission. Timely completions from Brissett to Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones, along with a steady diet of Chubb and Kareem Hunt, helped Cleveland take a 25-0 lead through three quarters. The lead swelled to 32-6 after Chubb scored his second touchdown with 8:46 left. Chubb rumbled for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries before leaving the game early with the win in hand.
Why the Browns won
Led by Myles Garrett (1.5 sacks) and Sione Takitaki (13 tackles, one sack), the Browns defense shouldered the load early while their offense warmed up. The unit didn't let up once Cleveland's offense got going, as the Browns limited Cincinnati to just one trip inside the red zone while holding Burrow and Co. to just 15 first downs and 4 of 10 on third down.
The Browns offensive line, despite suffering an in-game injury to Jack Conklin, dominated the Bengals defensive front. The unit -- which received a solid effort from Conklin's replacement, second-year man James Hudson -- paved the way for Chubb, Hunt and the rest of the Browns to run for 172 yards and three touchdowns on 44 carries. The line also gave Brissett time to complete several clutch passes that extended scoring drives.
Why the Bengals lost
This game supplants the Bengals' Week 1 loss to the Steelers as Cincinnati's worst performance of the season to date. Cincinnati's offense was completely out-matched by Cleveland's defense, while its defense was unable to overcome the loss of Awuzie.
While it has played better in recent weeks, the Bengals offensive line regressed Monday night, allowing five sacks of Burrow. Cincinnati's front also failed to generate many holes for Joe Mixon, who finished the game with 27 yards on eight carries.
As noted above, the absence of Chase clearly impacted the Bengals offense. Burrow was unable to do much downfield while often settling for shorter throws. He completed passes to nine different teammates but none had more than 49 yards receiving. Most of Burrow's damage was done in garbage time, as his fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins came after the game had been decided.
Burrow remains winless against the Browns, the only AFC North team he has yet to beat. He is 0-4 in starts against Cleveland and has 2-2 records versus Pittsburgh and Baltimore.
Turning point
Trailing by eight, Cincinnati was given a chance to get on the scoreboard before halftime when Akeem Davis-Gaither scooped up Brissett's fumble (after he was strip-sacked by Sam Hubbard and Vonn Bell) with 1:56 left in the half. However, a sack of Burrow and an incomplete pass on third down forced the Bengals to settle for a field goal try. McPherson missed his attempt, which gave the Browns a short field with 40 seconds to work with. Brissett completed two passes for 26 yards to set up York's field goal, which gave the Browns a double-digit lead at halftime.
The Bengals still could have turned the tide on the first drive of the second half. But the defense gave up two third-and-long conversions -- a 26-yard completion from Brissett to Peoples-Jones and a nine-yard run by Chubb -- that set up Brissett's three-yard touchdown run, stretching Cleveland's lead to 18 points.
Play of the game
Cooper put an exclamation point on his big night late in the fourth quarter. With his team already ahead, 25-6, Cooper made a diving catch while beating Bell and Bengals first-round pick Dax Hill downfield. The 53-yard catch put him over the 100-yard mark while setting up the Browns' final touchdown.
Quotable
"I loved it. I'm not worried about the destination, I'm just worried about the journey. ... Relishing in this moment, enjoying the ups and downs, enjoying everything about this process. I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm very fortunate to be in this position, being around such great guys, coaches and players. It's a treat everyday I get to walk into the locker room and know that I'm starting. I'm just going to enjoy it while I can." -- Brissett, to ESPN's Lisa Salters, about his temporary role as the Browns' starting quarterback
What's next
The Browns head into their Week 9 bye. Cleveland's players may spend some of their bye week packing their suitcases, as four of the Browns' first five games after their bye will be on the road. The road trip starts with games against AFC East foes Miami and Buffalo before wrapping up with these Bengals in Week 14.
Cincinnati will host Carolina on a short week before going on its bye week. Like Cleveland, the Bengals will have consecutive road games following their bye week. They'll face the Steelers on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 11 before heading to Nashville for a rematch of last year's divisional round thriller.