Mixon leads Bengals past Kizer, Browns
CINCINNATI — Bengals running back Joe Mixon and Browns quarterback DeShone Kizer exchanged jerseys at midfield, two rookies still looking to make their mark in the NFL.
Mixon finally had his moment, running for a career-high 114 yards during a 30-16 victory Sunday that kept the Bengals (5-6) with a flicker of hope for a playoff spot if they finish strong and get a lot of help.
“It doesn’t mean much, to be honest,” Cincinnati defensive end Carl Lawson said. “We can’t pull off the gas.”
For Kizer and the Browns, it’s another week of wondering whether they will even win a game.
The Browns became the second team since the 1970 merger to go 0-11 in backto-back years. The expansion Buccaneers did it in 1976 and ‘77. These Browns waited until the 15th game last season to get their only win,
and they’re starting to run out of chances to avoid 0-16.
December is here, and they’re still 0-for-’17.
“Once we get over that hill, we’ll win a lot of games,” Kizer predicted.
The Browns play at the Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday.
Last year, they beat the Chargers in Cleveland for their only victory.
So far this season, the Browns have played well enough to keep it close, only to let it slip away with bad plays. The same thing happened at Paul Brown Stadium. Kizer threw for a career-high 268 yards and scored on a keeper with 6:57 left, getting the Browns within a touchdown at 23-16.
Cincinnati then went 75 yards for Mixon’s clinching 11-yard touchdown run, aided by a personal foul on safety Jabrill Peppers.
Peppers’ high hit on receiver Josh Malone down the sideline drew a 15-yard penalty that moved the Bengals into position to put the game away. The Browns’ sideline reacted angrily to the call.
“The officials said that our player’s helmet hit their player in the head,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said. “I didn’t see that. I thought our player’s shoulder hit him in the chest.
“That was a huge call at that juncture in the game, and the officials have to get that one right. I thought Jabrill did the right thing during that play.”
Kizer made several nice throws to keep the offense moving — Cleveland piled up 405 yards — but the Browns wasted chances to make the Bengals sweat it out. Zane
Gonzalez missed a field goal, and Corey Coleman dropped a pass in the end zone, forcing Cleveland to settle for a field goal on another possession.
The missed opportunities allowed the Bengals to win their seventh straight in the series, and the 21st out of the last 27. The Bengals have scored 23 points or more in each game during the sevengame winning streak, including 30 six times. The only other time they scored more than 24 points in a game this season was Oct. 1, when they went to Cleveland and got a 31-7 victory.
Next up for the Bengals is a Monday night game at home against the AFC North-leading Steelers, and Cincinnati’s season is on the line. The Steelers have won five in a row and eight of nine in the series, including a 29-14 win in Pittsburgh on Oct. 22.
“The locker room is going to be great, and this is a big one ahead of us,” Mixon said.