22:43
Muhammad Aslam
CINCINNATI - In the biggest game of his life, on the huge national stage,
Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer rose to the occasion, and his defense
completely shut down, befuddled and embarrassed his Bengals
counterpart Andy Dalton.
As a result of the Browns' defensive dominance and Hoyer's superb
outing, the Browns crushed Cincinnati 24-3 at Paul Brown Stadium to
move into a tie for first place in the AFC North with the Steelers at
6-3 -- at least for a few days. The Steelers visit the 1-8 Jets on Sunday.
Dalton was so bad -- three interceptions and a career-low 2.0 rating --
that Bengals coach Marvin Lewis finally put the fans out of their misery
and inserted Jason Campbell with a little over four minutes remaining.
The Bengals, meanwhile, slipped to 5-3-1 and lost for the first time at
home since the end of the 2012 season. They had been unbeaten in
14 straight games here, going 13-0-1 overall and 4-0-1 this season
before Thursday night.
The Browns also busted their 17-game road losing streak in the division,
the longest skid in the NFL since the 1970 merger. The Browns hadn't won
a division game on the road since a 20-12 victory at Cincinnati on Sept. 28,
2008. They also now have their best record through nine games since
1994, when they started 7-2.
Hoyer (15-for-23, 198 yards, 92.3 rating), who needs to keep winning to
prove to the Browns he's their long-term answer, consistently hit big plays
and improved to 9-3 as a Browns starter. His stellar performance came just
two days after GM Ray Farmer indicated the Browns are still grooming
Johnny Manziel to be their quarterback of the future.
By the end of the game, chants of "Brian Hoyer'' reverberated throughout
Paul Brown Stadium. They were even louder than the boos for Dalton, who
was harassed by the dominant Browns defense into the worst game of his
career.
Dalton was picked off once by Craig Robertson and twice by Buster Skrine.
He completed only 10 of 33 attempts for 86 yards. The 86 yards were the
third-fewest in his career. He completed as many passes to Browns defenders
as he did to star receiver A.J. Green, who was completely frustrated and
rattled by the Browns secondary, especially his nemesis Joe Haden. And he
completed more to the guys in the white jerseys than he did to his leading
receiver Mohamed Sanu, who caught only two of the seven passes thrown
his way for 20 yards.
Playing without his starting right tackle in Andre Smith, Dalton was pressured
all night by the Browns defensive front, especially Paul Kruger, who also batted
down two passes. He was hurried, harassed, and menaced into throwing bad passes, especially ones that sailed toward his bench and a a frustrated Lewis. Heading into
the game, Lewis cautioned that Dalton needed to protect the football. Instead,
he ran his interception total to eight in five games.
The Browns, conversely, now have 12 takeaways in their last four games.
If they keep forcing turnovers at this rate, they could surprise the NFL
and make the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
The Browns' running game -- and their three-headed monster in the backfield --
also resurfaced against the Bengals 30th-ranked run defense. The Browns
rushed for 170 yards overall, including 94 by Terrance West, 41 by Isaiah
Crowell and 34 by Ben Tate. All three running backs rushed for a TD, the
first time the Browns have had three backs accomplish that since 1994.
Incidentally, that was also the last year the Browns won a playoff game.
The Browns also improved to 2-2 in the division and handed the Bengals
their only loss in the AFC North.
Browns dominate first half
The Browns led 17-3 at the break on touchdown runs by Ben Tate and Isaiah
Crowell and 32-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff. The Bengals, frustrated by a
dominant Browns defense, managed only a 43-yard field goal by Mike Nugent
at the break and ran into the locker room with their fans lustily booing them.
The Browns picked off Dalton once, and forced rookie running back Jeremy Hill
to fumble to help build their halftime advantage.
At the end of the first quarter, Dalton had a 0.0 rating on 2-of-9 passing for
11 yards. At the end of the half, it was 14.6 on 5-of-16 passing for 38 yards.
Browns linebacker Craig Robertson set the tone early when stepped in front of a
Dalton pass to tight end Jermaine Gresham on the Bengals opening drive and
picked him off. Robertson returned the ball 15 yards to the Bengals' 18. Five
plays later, Ben Tate plowed in from 4 yards to put the Browns up 7-0.
Gresham had broken off his route on the play, and earned a lecture from
coach Marvin Lewis on the sidelines afterward.
The pick marked the ninth Browns takeaway in three games, and Dalton's sixth
interception in four outings. He also threw two last week in a 33-23 victory
over the Jaguars.
The Browns headed into the game determined to menace Dalton into a bad
game, and they accomplished it early on thanks largely to relentless pressure
off the edge by Paul Kruger. Heading into the game, safety Donte Whitner
stressed that the Bengals' offensive performance would depend on Dalton's
effectiveness, and he was right.
"I believe he can get it done with his arm. He can make all of the throws,
he can get it done with his legs, but that offense goes as he goes,'' said Whitner.
"If he's having a good game, if he's getting the ball to his playmakers, then more
than likely their offense is playing really well. If he's not getting it to the
playmakers or throwing interceptions, then more than likely their offensive
isn't playing well, so it's our job to go out there and try to make sure that he
doesn't play well.''
After the Browns' opening TD, the defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing
After the Browns' opening TD, the defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing
drive, and former Browns receiver Greg Little aided his old team's cause by shoving cornerback K'Waun Williams to earn a 15-yard unnecessary-roughness penalty.
But Jim Leonhard had the ball knocked loose on the punt return to start
Cincinnnati at the Browns' 32.
A 13-yard pass interference call against Buster Skrine on fourth and 10 kept
the drive alive for the Bengals. They went on to kick a 43-yard field goal seven
plays later to cut the deficit to 7-3 with 6:18 left in the first quarter.
The Browns extended their lead to 14-3 on a 2-yard TD run by Crowell, who
totaled two carries in the previous two games. It marked Crowell's team-leading
fifth touchdown run of the season. Key plays on the drive were passes of 17 and
22 yards to Travis Benjamin.
On the Bengals' next drive, Browns safety Tashaun Gipson forced Hill to fumble,
and Joe Haden recovered and returned the ball to the Browns' 28, but the offense
couldn't convert the turnover into points this time. Billy Cundiff tacked on the
32-yard field goal with 3:59 left in the half to give the Browns their 14-point edge.
Three-headed monster returns
The Browns' missing running game was located in Cincinnati against the Bengals
run defense, which was tied for 30th with the Browns heading in with an average
of 139.6 yards per game.
They rushed for 81 yards in the first half alone, getting 35 yards from Terrance
West, 29 yards from Crowell and 16 from Tate. The running game opened things
up in the passing game and enabled Hoyer to hit some of his vintage chunk plays.
What's next
The Browns will host the Houston Texans on Sunday Nov. 16 at FirstEnergy Stadium,
where they hold a 2-1 edge over the Texans. It will mark Texans' first game in
Cleveland since Nov. 23, 2008. They lead the series 4-3. Houston this week named
Ryan Mallett its starting quarterback for that contest.
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