Cincinnati rallies to defeat Cleveland
No overtime this time. The Cincinnati Bengals brushed aside their intrastate rival and strengthened their hold on the AFC North with one record-setting quarter.
Essentially, it was over by halftime.
And now the Bengals have a chance to make quick work of the rest of the division, too.
Andy Dalton threw two touchdown passes and Cincinnati returned a blocked punt and a fumble for touchdowns during a 31-point second quarter on Sunday that set a Bengals record and swept them to a 41-20 victory over the Cleveland Browns.
The Bengals (7-4) fell behind 13-0 in the first quarter before putting it away with 15 minutes of domination all around.
“That was crazy,” defensive tackle Domata Peko said. “I haven’t seen anything like that so many points in a couple of minutes and the momentum changing so fast.”
Cincinnati heads into its bye week with its division lead intact and two rough weeks washed away. The Bengals had lost their last two games in overtime, tying the NFL record and allowing the Browns (4-6) to draw close.
“Cleveland has done a lot of really good things, put themselves in position in the division that this was a really big game for both teams,” Dalton said.
The Browns had pegged it as a chance to show they’re a contender. Instead, they got their comeuppance the most lopsided game in the intrastate series since Cincinnati’s 30-0 win in Cleveland in 2006.
“I’m disappointed we lost and in the way we lost, but we’ve got Pittsburgh coming in and the next two are at home,” linebacker D’Qwell Jackson said. “That gives us a chance to get back on track. I’m glad this one’s over.”
Dalton had a horrid start that helped Cleveland get a promising early lead. He threw two passes that were picked off by Joe Haden, who ran one of them back 29 yards for a touchdown and a 13-0 lead in the first quarter.
When the quarter ended, Cleveland fell apart.
Dalton threw touchdown passes of 25 yards to Jermaine Gresham and 6 yards to Mohamed Sanu, emerging from his recent funk. He has thrown eight interceptions in his last three games, a major factor in the two overtime losses.
Chicago 23, Baltimore 20, OT: Robbie Gould kicked a 38-yard field goal to lift the Chicago Bears to a 23-20 victory over Baltimore in a game delayed about two hours by a torrential downpour. Justin Tucker tied it for the Ravens with a 21-yard field goal at the end of regulation.
Oakland 28, Houston 23: Rookie Matt McGloin won the battle of undrafted free-agent quarterbacks. McGloin threw three touchdown passes in his first NFL start and the Oakland Raiders extended the Houston Texans’ franchise-record skid to eight games with a 28-23 victory on Sunday in coach Gary Kubiak’s return from a mini-stroke.
Houston’s Case Keenum, also an undrafted free agent, was benched after Houston’s offense stalled in the third quarter.
Buffalo 37, N.Y. Jets 14: Jairus Byrd had two interceptions in leading a Buffalo Bills defense that forced four turnovers in a 37-14 win over the New York Jets.
Tampa Bay 41, Atlanta 28: Bobby Rainey rushed for 163 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 41-28 victory over the struggling Atlanta Falcons.
Philadelphia 24, Washington 16: Nick Foles threw for 298 yards and ran for a touchdown, LeSean McCoy had two TDs rushing and the Philadelphia Eagles snapped a 10-game home losing streak with a 24-16 victory over the Washington Redskins.
Arizona 27, Jacksonville 14: Carson Palmer threw for 419 yards and two scores and did not throw an interception for the first time all year, leading the Arizona Cardinals to a 27-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Miami 20, San Diego 16: Miami held San Diego without a touchdown over the final three quarters, and Brent Grimes broke up Philip Rivers’ final pass in the end zone as time expired, giving the embattled Dolphins a 20-16 win.
Seattle 41, Minnesota 20: Percy Harvin made an impact in his season debut, returning a kickoff 58 yards late in the first half to set up Russell Wilson’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Doug Baldwin, and the Seahawks rolled to their franchise-record 13th straight home win beating the Minnesota Vikings 41-20.
New Orleans 23, San Francisco 20: Marques Colston had a 20-yard reception to get the Saints into field goal range, and Garrett Hartley kicked a 31-yarder as time expired, lifting New Orleans to a 23-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
N.Y. Giants 27, Green Bay 13: Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul scored on a spectacular, leaping 24-yard fourth-quarter interception return and the resurgent New York Giants won their fourth game in a row with a 27-13 victory over the slumping and injured-riddled Green Bay Packers.