Bengals vs. Browns: Cincinnati Grades, Notes and Quotes
The Cincinnati Bengals completed the season sweep of the Cleveland Browns in Sunday's lopsided 37-3 affair.
The Battle of Ohio's second meeting—the first a 31-10 Cincinnati victory—wasn't close from the start while the injured Browns trotted out backup Austin Davis under center.
As such, Cincinnati cruised behind two touchdowns from Andy Dalton, one to A.J. Green, as well as 98 rushing yards and a score from running back Jeremy Hill.
Call it a routine affair against a beatable opponent as the Bengals secured their 10th win of the season. Before Cincinnati turns its attention to the Pittsburgh Steelers, here's a look at the immediate notes and quotes from Sunday's victory.
Position Grades for Bengals
1 of 7
Quarterback: A
Dalton once again put on a show, finishing Sunday with an 14-of-19 line for 220 yards and two touchdowns.
Not only did Dalton make most of the right reads against an inferior opponent, but he rushed for a touchdown early in the game on a smooth read off the snap. In total, yet another strong grade for Dalton.
Running Back: A
The emergence for Hill continued Sunday, where he rushed for 98 yards on 22 carries and a score.
Credit goes to the offensive line, too, but Hill was the focal point for most of this season after a sluggish start. If Sunday's performance was any sign, the struggles are truly over.
Wide Receiver: A
It's hard to decide between giving A.J. Green a great grade or dismissing it as incompetence on the part of the Browns.
Regardless, Green broke free for a score early on and finished with five catches and 128 yards to go with it. With Tyler Eifert out of the picture, Marvin Jones wasn't too far behind him with five catches for 55 yards and a score.
Not a bad day for either guy in a run-first game.
Tight End: B
Ryan Hewitt blocked well in place of the injured Eifert, but otherwise didn't have to do much in the passing game thanks to the strong performances by the wideouts.
Offensive Line: A
Andrew Whitworth and the offensive line only let up one sack of Dalton on the day while the team cruised for 4.4 yards per carry.
What's not to like about a line bulldozing a unit it's better than?
Defensive Line: A+
Folks knew this going in, but Geno Atkins is truly an unblockable player.
Atkins terrorized the Browns for most of Sunday, as did end Carlos Dunlap. Domata Peko got in on the action as well, with the unit as a whole gaining three sacks and forcing several mishaps through the air.
The capper? Cleveland managed just 68 rushing yards.
Linebacker: B
Rey Maualuga and his unit didn't have to do much Sunday against the Browns, thanks to both the impressive play of the defensive line and the struggles of the Browns.
Still, that doesn't take away from pitching in with a solid performance, minus one rush by Cleveland for more than 20 yards.
Defensive Backs: A
Reggie Nelson recorded the lone interception on the day for reading the quarterback's eyes and putting himself in the right place at the right time on an offensive miscommunication.
Elsewhere, Adam Jones and others put up big days without Leon Hall and George Iloka in the lineup.
Special Teams: A
Nothing much to touch on here. Kicker Mike Nugent nailed all of his attempts, the unit wasn't punting often and the coverage teams prevented big plays and won the battle of field position.
Coaching: B
Maybe the toughest task for head coach Marvin Lewis was keeping his guys hungry and focused for a matchup with the struggling Browns, in-state rivalry or not.
Lewis and Co. pass with flying colors this time, as the Bengals entered hot and left the same way.
A.J. Green Explodes
2 of 7
Going into Sunday, the pressure rested on Green to make something happen in the passing game against the Browns with Eifert out of the picture.
Let's just say Green responded with those 128 yards and a score. Had he not landed a few yards away from paydirt late in the game, he would have added another score, too.
NFL on ESPN also provided some season-long context for Green's big day: "A.J. Green has 1,000 receiving yards for the fifth straight season to start his career. Randy Moss is only other to do so."
In a narrower scope, Green showed Sunday that the offense can and will run through him if Eifert isn't on the field. What should scare the opposition, though, is when they suit up together.
Jeremy Hill Keeps It Rolling
3 of 7
Fresh off his best game of the season where he ran for 86 yards on 16 carries against the St. Louis Rams, some might have wondered if Hill could keep it going.
The production against a strong run defense wasn't a fluke.
Sunday, Hill looked even better, albeit against a worse defense, rushing for 98 yards and a score on 4.5 yards per carry.
As a bonus, he also managed to anger the Browns and draw a flag by jumping into the stands after his touchdown, ensuring the opposing offense started in shoddy field position after the ensuing kickoff.
While he did it against a bad team, Hill now has consecutive strong games for the first time this season at just the right time.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Bengals Set Another Historic Tone
4 of 7
As if hitting on a franchise-best 8-0 mark wasn't enough, Sunday's win against the Cleveland Browns helped the Bengals hit another historic mark.
ESPN's Lindsay Patterson provided the details: "Spent second half looking at Bengals seasons. If they win today it will be the first time since 1975 they started 10-2. Second time in club history."
The two-game hiccup against solid teams a few weeks back doesn't look so bad now, does it?
The Bengals remain on a strong tear this year, and a shot at the No. 1 seed in the conference is very much at play. It doesn't hurt to know that the Bengals continue to set or match franchise-best marks in the process.
Marvin Lewis Sets His Own Tone
5 of 7
With his team rolling toward the postseason, Lewis wanted nothing more than his guys to stay composed and execute the plan, all the while staying healthy.
Oh, and to stay quiet.
Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer caught up with Lewis after the game: "Marvin Lewis says message to team after: 'We came quiet. Let’s leave quieter.'”
During his tenure with the team, Lewis has had to deal with loud players and the overconfidence that can come with rolling through a schedule to the postseason.
Expect this to become the main theme around the team as the season winds down.
Coaching Staff Reveals Approach
6 of 7
Lewis wasn't just chatting about how he's handling his players this week and beyond, though.
After the game, he also told ESPN.com's Coley Harvey that he and his coordinators won't let other teams dictate how they play moving forward: "Marvin Lewis says the message his coordinators all shared this week was that they couldn't let opponent dictate how they played. Opponents now are 'nameless, faceless,' he says. 'We've got to outwork them.'"
It's clear as the weather turns colder that the Bengals want to use the rush with a fresh-looking Hill to set up the pass.
While it won't always work as well as it did Sunday against the Browns, the Bengals won't always be without Eifert, either.
Look for the Bengals to play their game the rest of the way while ignoring the noise.
Hill Changes His Mind
7 of 7
One of Sunday's defining moments came when Hill was able to draw the aforementioned flag against the Browns by jumping into the stands after his score and riling up Cleveland's players.
The result? A personal foul and Nugent kicking off from the 50-yard line, yet another example of the Bengals winning the battle of field position and winning the game in all phases.
Hill had to own up afterward though, because he told the media before the game he wouldn't do the leap. Harvey provided the details: "Jeremy Hill says he told himself all week he wasn't going to jump back into the stands in Cleveland, but a 'spur of the moment' decision changed that."
When it comes to these Bengals, "spur of the moment" isn't such a bad thing so long as it doesn't hurt the team.
Sunday, Hill helped not only with the flag, but with his instinctive running. If the team can keep making smart moves, the AFC North crown and more remains in sight.
Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
