The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Defense aiming to finish season strong
Browns shut down Bengals for three quarters
Defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah after defeating the Bengals: “We can’t make the playoffs, but we want to end the season right and have a winning record.” David S. Glasier has the story.
Browns defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah was all smiles Dec. 23 after the Browns posted a 26-18 win over Cincinnati in the 2018 regular-season home finale at First Energy Stadium.
He was jazzed about the Browns upping their record to 7-7-1 with their third straight victory and fifth in then last six games.
“We can’t make the playoffs. But we want to end the season right and have a winning record,” Ogbah said.
The resurgent Browns will have that opportunity when they finish the regular season in Baltimore on Dec. 30.
Ogbah also was pumped about possibly being about to get home to Texas to be with his family on Christmas Eve and Christmas. The Browns return to practice on Dec. 26.
“Gonna be checking all the flights to Houston,” Ogbah said.
Ogbah said the final score did not accurately reflect how well he and his defensive teammates played in front of a packed house in ideal weather conditions for late December in Northeast Ohio.
After three quarters, the Browns were leading, 23-0. At that point, they had limited the Bengals to nine first downs and 111 net yards on offense.
Cincinnati’s offense finally broke through in the fourth quarter. The Bengals got a field goal, two touchdowns and a successful 2-point conversion.
Despite the late scoring rush, the Bengals’ offense still managed only 209 net yards against a Cleveland defense that has yielded 90 points in the last five wins that have changed the complexion of this season.
“I never doubted we could do this,” Ogbah said. “Our defense is not a oneman thing. We play as a unit. The sky is the limit for us.”
Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi continued his breakthrough season with four tackles, two for losses, and one of three sacks of Cincinnati quarterback Jeff Driskel.
“We all came together and played a complete game,” Ogunjobi said. “There are things we can still clean up. But I felt guys really flew around and had fun. There was a lot of fun out there, balling and having fun with your brothers.”
Ogunjobi said he and his defensive teammates were motivated by the vocal support they received from a sellout crowd of 67,431.
“It was rocking out there today. The fans were into it and helping us on defense a lot. It was really exciting,” Ogunjobi said.
The win over the Bengals gave the Browns a sweep of an AFC North rival for the first time since 2002. The Browns beat the Bengals on Nov. 25 in Cincinnati, 35-20.
“It’s just the next step and what we’ve been talking about since we first got here,” Ogunjobi said.
Defensive lineman Chris Smith said the team as a whole righted its ship after wading through early season setbacks and the turmoil that ended with the firings of former head coach Hue Jackson and former offensive coordinator Todd Haley on Oct. 29.
“It was just us not worrying about anybody else or anything else going on around us,” Smith said. “We just worry about the guys in this locker room. That’s where the focus is now. It’s not about who you play but how you play.”