Browns vs. Bengals: Cincinnati Grades, Notes and Quotes

In a reversal of deja vu, the Cincinnati Bengals entered Thursday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns coming off of a win and took care of business, winning 31-10.

Other than a lengthy scoring drive before the half by Cleveland, the contest was never really close. It was a far cry from Cincinnati's collapse against these Browns one year ago under similar circumstances.

This time, Andy Dalton went 21-of-27 with a trio of passing scores to tight end Tyler Eifert, who made a bit of history in the process. The defense held the Browns to a 4-of-13 mark on third downs and just 213 total yards, spoiling Johnny Manziel's latest bid at keeping a starting gig.

Let's take a look at the grades, notes and quotes from the game.

Position Grades for Bengals

Frank Victores/Associated Press

Flying colors across the board for the Bengals.

Position	Grade
QB	A
RB	A
WR	A
TE	A+
OL	A
DL	A
LB	A
DB	A
Special Teams	B
Coaching	A

What, did you expect negativity?

Other than a blocked punt and one lengthy scoring drive, the Bengals came out composed on a short week and didn't show any signs of faltering in a potentially tricky AFC North matchup, a testament both to the players and the preparation of the coaching staff.

Dalton was pristine on the day, not taking shots downfield much because he didn't need to. Giovani Bernard found room for 72 yards on 13 attempts, while Jeremy Hill added 52 yards on 15. It was a quiet day for receivers not named Eifert, but there are no complaints about the end result.

As for the defense, the unit gave up few big plays because of Manziel's ability to break contain. Despite missing Rey Maualuga in the middle, Isaiah Crowell mustered just 38 yards on 10 carries. Perhaps the highlight for the unit was the pass rush turning it up in the second half to slam the door shut, finishing with three sacks. 

Most of all, the coaching staff gets high marks for having the players ready to go and for not permitting a letdown. The offensive plays were pristine, creative and kept Dalton comfortable, while the defensive plays shut down a potential big-play offense well. 

Tyler Eifert Makes History

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Tyler Eifert scored three times Thursday.

Eifert had himself a game, to say the least.

If he wasn't breaking free in the end zone to bail out a scrambling Dalton, he was shaking a defensive back on the way to a big touchdown.

Eifert finished with three touchdowns, tying a franchise record for touchdowns in a season at his position.

While it was a great personal achievement, Eifert's outburst was also the latest reminder that the Bengals can come out and hurt opponents through different means each week.

It just so happens Thursday was all about Eifert, who is easily the second-best tight end in the league.

Andy Dalton Puts 2.0 Behind Him

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

No more prime time struggles for Dalton.

Last season's Thursday Night Football debacle, as some may remember, came after the Bengals secured a win and welcomed the Browns to town.

In that game, the Bengals opened themselves up for plenty of criticism and doubt. Most of the finger-pointing was directed at Dalton, who went 10-of-33 for 86 yards, three interceptions and a 2.0 quarterback rating.

This time around was a little different.

As he has been most of the year, Dalton was calm in the pocket Thursday, making the right reads and executing the offense as instructed with impressive precision. The final line? A 21-of-27 performance for 234 yards, three scores and a rating of 139.8.

Just call it another example of the team's growth in the past year.

Vontaze Burfict Banged Up Again

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Vontaze Burfict had another injury issue Thursday.

Lost in all the positivity around the team's march to 8-0 Thursday night was another potential issue for linebacker Vontaze Burfict.

Burfict looked good in his home debut this season until he was forced to leave the game with a knee injury that saw the team label him as questionable, per ESPN.com's Coley Harvey.

While Burfict wound up returning to the game, this will be something to watch moving forward. Injuries thwarted the Bengals' aspirations last year, and losing their best linebacker less than two weeks after his return from a lengthy hiatus wouldn't be a good sign.

In theory, Burfict has plenty of time to work through the issue with a little extra time off, and the team could get Maualuga back in that span, too.

Mohamed Sanu Talks Prime Time

Frank Victores/Associated Press

Mohamed Sanu found the end zone on a rush Thursday.

Many would call the Bengals' win Thursday an exorcism of a demon—that demon being the team's previous inability to put away opponents in prime time.

For some of the Bengals, though, this was never something the team wanted to focus on. Just ask wideout Mohamed Sanu, according to Harvey: "Mohamed Sanu [was] asked about the exorcising of the prime-time demons: 'I didn't [think] it was ever an issue.' He added that getting this nighttime win does give the team a boost heading into the next two games (both prime timers)."

Perhaps the second point is most important there, as the Bengals now move on to a Monday night contest against the Houston Texans before a Sunday night road trip to Arizona.

Now that they've got momentum in hand, maybe it's best not to ignore the Bengals under the bright lights anymore.

Marvin Lewis Talks Second-Half Keys

Frank Victores/Associated Press/Associated Press

Marvin Lewis put on great adjustments at the half.

There was an odd feeling around Thursday's game at halftime.

Right before the half, Manziel marched the Browns down the field, racking up 92 yards on 10 plays and scoring to bring his team within four. Just for a moment, it seemed like the game might wind up closer than anyone could have imagined.

The Cincinnati pass rush turned the tide, though. In the second half, the base defense and a bevy of exotic blitzes kept Manziel running for his life and tossing errant passes with his rhythm destroyed.

The Cincinnati Enquirer's Paul Dehner Jr. shared coach Marvin Lewis' thoughts on the matter: "Biggest key in [the] second half was keeping Manziel in the pocket."

For a coaching staff somewhat notorious for iffy second-half adjustments, call it a job well done.

Dalton: "Better Place Than Where I Was Last Year"

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Dalton personifies the new-look Bengals with his calm, improved approach.

At the end of the day, Cincinnati's surprising 8-0 mark comes down to the play of Dalton. 

Yes, his weapons are healthy and the play-calling is most often where it needs to be, but few teams in the league boast a quarterback and leader like Dalton.

Of course, the narratives and prime-time suggestions came up after Thursday's win. Fox 18's Brad Hawley captured Dalton's reaction: "I wasn't worried about what happened last year. I feel like I'm in a better place than where I was last year."

The quote applies to the Bengals as a whole. Dalton and Co. are healthy, but that's not the extent of how much things have changed in Cincinnati.

Thursday was just the latest example. The Bengals are better than last year, and where it stops isn't as easy to predict as it used to be.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.