BROWNS GO DOWN
Mixon runs for 114 yards in Bengals’ 7th straight series victory.
By Jay Morrison Staff Writer
The Cincinnati Bengals scored on their first five possessions Sunday and rushed for a season-high 155 yards to continue their domination of the Cleveland Browns.
Rookie running back Joe Mixon ran for a career-high 114 yards, including a game-sealing 11-yard touchdown, and Andy Dalton threw a pair of scoring passes to lift the Bengals to a 30-16 victory before a sparse crowd of 51,710 at Paul Brown Stadium.
It was the second consecutive win for the Bengals as they improved to 5-6 and remained one game back of the final play- off spot in the AFC. It was their seventh victory in a row against the Browns, who fell to 0-11.
Here are three things to know about the game:
Green grab
Normally a 13-yard reception that doesn’t produce points, or even extend a scoring drive, would be an afterthought in a 14-point victory.
But nothing A.J. Green does is normal.
And his 13-yard reception on the next to last play of the third quarter was as far from normal as it comes.
“There wasn’t but one person in the world maybe that can make that catch and get both feet down in bounds,” Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said.
It was second and 6 at the Cincinnati 27 when Andy Dalton threw an out route to Green. The leap alone to snare the ball was impressive enough. Green’s legs split as he went high for the snag, but he was able to get his left toe down just inside the bound- ary before tapping the right one a few inches inside the white line, all while Cleveland cornerback Jason McCourty was shoving him toward the sideline.
“As a receiver, we work on that every day,” Green said. “Front foot down, drag the back. If you practice some- thing enough, it becomes second nature.
“It’s just God-given talent I guess,” he added. “I’m just blessed to have it.”
Browns coach Hue Jack- son was in such disbelief that Green made the catch that he challenged it before they showed any replays on the stadium video board.
It didn’t take long for offi- cials to “confirm” the call, making the reception part of Green’s five-catch, 66-yard performance.
Peppers pop
Browns fans and old-school football types across the country were incensed by the unnecessary roughness penalty safety Jabrill Peppers drew for his hit on rookie wide receiver Josh Malone late in the fourth quarter.
Malone said they have a point.
“I saw him coming out of the corner of my eye,” he said. “He knocked the wind out of me. It was a good hit. I don’t know where he hit me at. It felt like it was around this area right here (below the shoulder), but that’s foot- ball. It happens.”
The play came with the Bengals leading by seven and facing a third and 5 at the Cleveland 40 with 3:51 remaining. Dalton hit Malone with a deep ball in stride down the left sideline, but Peppers dislodged the ball with a wicked hit that sent the receiver sprawling to the turf, where he remained for a few minutes.
Instead of an incomplete pass that would have forced the Bengals to punt the ball back to the Browns, the play resulted in a Cincinnati first down at the Cleveland 25. And two plays later Mixon seal the game with an 11-yard touchdown run.
“I tried to keep it within the strike zone,” Peppers said. “They made the right call, and I just have to move on from it. I was just trying to make a play for my team, and I guess I came in a little high.
“I just wanted to separate him from the ball and get them to fourth down,” he added. “Maybe they would have punted. Who knows. But it definitely could’ve given us a chance to win the game.”
Lawson in the lead
Defensive end Carl Lawson came into the game as the NFL leader in sacks by a rookie, and he added another 1.5 to his total as the Bengals sacked Cleveland’s Deshone Kizer four times.
“I don’t just want to have the most by a rookie,” he said. “I want to compete with the best in the league. I want to be dominant.”
In addition to leading all rookies, Lawson also leads the Bengals after moving ahead of Geno Atkins on Sunday. Lawson has 7.0, while Atkins, who had a half sack against the Browns, has 6.5.
“Like I said, I want to compete with the best in the league, and Geno is the best in the league,” Lawson said.
It’s the second time Lawson has had multiple sacks in a game, along with the 2.5 he had at Green Bay in Week 3.
He becomes the fifth rookie in Bengals history to have multiple sacks in multiple games, and the first since Car- los Dunlap did it four times in 2010.
The others are James Fran- cis (two games in 1990), Dan Wilkinson (two in 1994), Justin Smith (two in 2001).