CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – In football there is only one statistic that matters: the final score.
Sunday afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium saw the Browns finish on the right side of the ledger, beating the Bengals 27-19, for the fourth straight win at home, marking the longest win streak in the building since 2007 when they won seven straight.
Sure, it took head coach Freddie Kitchens until halftime to remember that Cincinnati is the worst in the league at stopping the run, but he figured it out in the second half and the revelation helped carry the Browns to victory No. 6 on the season, assuring they won’t finish dead last in the division for the second straight year, a first in consecutive seasons since 2001 and 2002.
The Browns’ victory marked the first time they took down all three division foes in the same season since returning to the NFL and the AFC North was constituted in 2002.
So, pop the bubbly and let’s hand out some game balls.
Denzel Ward – The second-year corner from Ohio State might have saved the game in the first quarter. With the Browns already trailing 3-0 and the Bengals driving and threatening to extend their lead, Ward collected an Andy Dalton pass that bounced off the hands of receiver Auden Tate and into his arms before he weaved his way 61 yards to the house. It was the first of many plays for Ward. When the dust settled, he had five tackles and two passes defensed to go with the pick-6.
Nick Chubb – For some inexplicable reason, Chubb had just three carries for 7 yards at halftime. That changed in a hurry right out of the gate in the second half. Chubb carried 12 times for 99 yards after halftime to finish with 106 on the ground. His 57-yard run early in the third quarter set the table for Kareem Hunt’s 3-yard touchdown run that put Cleveland in front by 8 at 21-13. Chubb is the first Brown with six 100-yard rushing performances in one season since Leroy Kelly had seven in 1968. Chubb’s 1,281 yards this season rank ninth in team history and are the most by a Browns back since Jamal Lewis churned out 1,304 yards in 2007. Chubb also broke Jim Brown’s franchise record set in 1961-62 for the most consecutive games with at least 75 scrimmage yards Sunday with his 13th straight.
Kareem Hunt – Hunt rushed for 28 yards with a touchdown and he added two receptions for 40 yards. His score to kick off the third quarter gave the Browns some breathing room.
Jarvis Landry – Landry finished with a team-high four catches for 76 yards in Sunday’s win. His 919 receiving yards this season are the fourth-most by a Brown in the first 13 games of a season and his 69 receptions are tied for the sixth-most. Landry’s 550 receptions are the most all-time by an NFL player through their first six seasons.
Sheldon Richardson – Richardson continues his hot streak on the defensive line. The veteran defensive tackle recorded a season-high seven tackles and a sack giving him three sacks this season, all in the past three games. He has 26.5 sacks in his career.
Austin Seibert – Seibert made both of his field goal tries – hitting from 31 and a career-long 53 yards. This season, the rookie kicker is 22 for 25 on field goals and 25 for 28 on PATs. His 91 points scored this season are the most by a Browns rookie in franchise history.
