SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 14, 2014
Bengals 30, Browns 0: Jeremy Hill ran for 148 yards and two touchdowns as visiting Cincinnati pitched its first shutout in six years to spoil Johnny Manziel's starting debut.
The Bengals (9-4-1) yielded just 107 total yards and five first downs to the team that dominated them 24-3 five weeks ago. Giovani Bernard added 79 yards rushing and Andy Dalton was 14-of-24 for 117 yards as Cincinnati remained in first place in the AFC North with games left against Denver and Pittsburgh.
Manziel was 10-of-18 for 80 yards with two interceptions and rushed for 13 yards for the Browns (7-7), who lost their third straight game to end any realistic playoff hopes. Josh Gordon made three catches for 48 yards as Cleveland was shut out for the first time since a 16-0 loss to Baltimore on Nov. 16, 2009.
Hill scored on a 2-yard run on the Bengals' first possession, which was kept alive by a roughing call and Dalton's fourth-down conversion to A.J. Green. Mike Nugent kicked a 44-yard field goal before Hill rumbled for a 16-yard TD and added another 44-yarder for a 20-0 halftime lead.
The Bengals sacked Manziel on each of the first two possessions of the second half to force three-and-outs, and Nugent followed with a 34-yard field goal. The Bengals downed Manziel a third time after the Browns reached the 50-yard line on their third drive and closed out their first shutout since beating Cleveland 14-0 on Dec. 21, 2008 when Rex Burkhead scored on a 10-yard run with 23 seconds left.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Cincinnati had 185 yards of total offense in the first half - 20 more than it garnered in the first half of the previous game versus Cleveland. … Manziel was 4-of-9 for 22 yards in the first half with two interceptions - one in the end zone inside two minutes - and had another pick nullified because of a penalty. … The Browns had seven penalties for 53 yards in the first half- five fewer than their total yards gained over 30 minutes.