Browns close chaotic week by dumping Burrow, Bengals 41-16

CINCINNATI ( AP) — With drama swirling and doubt threatening to wreck Cleveland’s season, Myles Garrett felt Baker Mayfield needed to address the Browns before kickoff.

As pregame warmups finished, they had a moment while huddling with their teammates.

“He looked at me before I was about to speak,” Garrett said, “and I pointed at him and said, ‘ You got it.’”

May f i e ld and the Browns didn’t miss Odell Beckham Jr. one bit.

Mayfield threw two touchdown passes, Nick Chubb ran for 137 yards and the Browns, sparked by cornerback Denzel Ward’s early 99-yard interception return for a TD, ended a chaotic week by smashing Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals 4116 on Sunday.

The Browns (5-4) came in desperate for a win after dropping three of four. Their situation turned turbulent on Wednesday when Beckham, the popular and polarizing wide receiver, was exiled for poor behavior and the team decided to release him.

But like last year, when Mayfield played more freely after Beckham suffered a season-ending knee injury — at Cincinnati — Cleveland’s QB was on target and the Browns put together their most complete game this season.

“Our whole locker room needed that,” Mayfield said. “We played for each other. It’s just the type of team we have. I trust the guys in this locker room. I’ve said it over and over again, and I truly mean it.

“When adversity hits, nobody flinched. It was a long week. I’d be lying if I said otherwise.”

The Bengals (5-4) hurt themselves with mistakes and dropped their second straight. Burrow threw two interceptions and was sacked five times — twice by blitzing cornerback Troy Hill — and standout Bengals rookie Ja’Marr Chase dropped two passes, one in the end zone.