Field Level Media
Dec 11, 2022
Joe Burrow passed for 239 yards and two touchdowns and the Cincinnati Bengals won their fifth consecutive game by dispatching the visiting Cleveland Browns 23-10 on Sunday.
Ja'Marr Chase caught 10 passes for 119 yards and one touchdown as the Bengals (9-4) halted a five-game skid against the Browns. Samaje Perine rushed for a score and Trenton Irwin had a long touchdown reception during Cincinnati's second win in the past 10 meetings with Cleveland.
Logan Wilson racked up 17 tackles for Cincinnati. Joe Mixon rushed for 96 yards on 14 carries after missing the previous two games due to a concussion.
Deshaun Watson passed for 276 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his second game with Cleveland (5-8). Nick Chubb, the NFL's second-leading rusher entering Sunday, had just 34 yards on 14 carries as the Browns' two-game winning streak reached an end.
Donovan Peoples-Jones had eight catches for 114 yards and David Njoku had seven receptions for 59 yards and one touchdown for Cleveland. Myles Garrett registered two sacks for the Browns.
Burrow, who defeated the Browns for the first time in five meetings, was intercepted once. Cincinnati held a 363-344 edge in total offense.
Cincinnati opened up a 17-point lead midway through the third quarter when Burrow connected with a wide-open Irwin on a 45-yard touchdown pass.
Cleveland moved within 20-10 when Watson tossed his first scoring pass as a member of the Browns. He hit tight end David Njoku for a 13-yard touchdown with 2:17 left in the third.
Evan McPherson booted a 30-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter to give the Bengals a 23-10 lead.
Cleveland later reached the Bengals' 6-yard line but Watson's fourth-down pass to Peoples-Jones was incomplete with 5:25 left. The next possession, Watson made a low throw on fourth-and-4 from the Cincinnati 42 and the Bengals took over with 3:43 to play.
The Bengals lost Tyler Boyd (finger) in the first quarter while fellow receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring) played just one snap.
Cincinnati led 13-3 at halftime despite Burrow completing just 9 of 21 passes.
One of those completions marked the first score of the contest as Chase corralled a 15-yard touchdown pass with 9:43 remaining in the half.
The Browns got on the board on Cade York's 26-yard field goal with 2:59 left, but the Bengals answered with Perine's 6-yard run with 24 seconds left. McPherson missed the extra point.
--Field Level Media