The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Gloomy season ends with rainy loss
CINCINNATI >> Andy Dalton took the snap and went to his knee, finishing a double-digit victory that might suffice as his farewell to Cincinnati.
On the Browns sideline, Freddie Kitchens hugged Baker Mayfield at the end of a disappointing season that would culminate a few hours later with the firstyear coach’s firing.
From the top of Ohio to the bottom, it was misery all-around on a gray, rainy afternoon. And now, it’s time to figure out who’s going to be around for the next try to get it right.
Dalton threw for a touchdown and ran for another Dec. 29 in his farewell as Cincinnati’s franchise quarterback.
A Joe Burrow banner in the upper deck reminded him what comes next as the Bengals wrapped up one of their most miserable seasons with a 33-23 victory that didn’t end the day’s developments.
The Browns (6-10) returned to Cleveland and announced that Kitchens had been fired. Owners Dee and Jimmy Haslem said in a statement that they didn’t see the necessary improvement this season.
Players had sensed there might be a change.
“We’ll see what ownership does,” receiver Jarvis Landry said after the game. “Six-and-10 is definitely not acceptable.”
And so the Browns set off in search of their eighth head coach in 11 years.
The Bengals (2-14) will be looking for their next franchise quarterback with the first pick in the draft. Dalton wants to start somewhere next year, so this might have been his finale in tiger stripes.
“If that’s the case, it was good to end it taking a knee,” the ninth-year veteran said.
The two-win Bengals matched the worst record in their 52-year history. The last time they had the top pick in the draft was 2003, when they also were coming off a 2-14 finish and chose quarterback Carson Palmer.
For now, they ended a streak of 10 straight losses to AFC North opponents with Dalton leading the way.
“A true leader,” said firstyear coach Zac Taylor, who benched Dalton for three games at midseason. “He’s kept us afloat. You need your quarterback to lead by example.”
Cleveland was a chic Super Bowl pick with Mayfield coming off a sensational rookie season and Odell Beckham Jr. adding star quality to the offense. Instead, the Browns significantly regressed under Kitchens, who said after the game that he’d gotten no hint from management that his job was in jeopardy.
The intrastate rivals moved on with an uneven game that epitomized their seasons.
Dalton knew it was likely his final start for the Bengals after nine seasons without a playoff victory. A day earlier, Burrow threw seven touchdown passes in LSU’s rout of Oklahoma, and the Bengals can take the Heisman Trophy winner if they wish.
A fan banner in the upper deck proclaimed: “CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY! WELCOME JOE!”
Dalton threw a 15yard touchdown pass and scrambled 5 yards for another score in the Bengals’
highest-scoring first half of the season for a 20-16 lead. He finished 16 of 28 for 190 yards.
“There’s been a lot of support for me and my family from this city, not just for what we did on the field but off it,” Dalton said. “This city has meant a lot to my family.”
The Browns hitched their hopes to Mayfield, who was inconsistent behind an offensive line that struggled to protect him. He threw three interceptions and was sacked a season-high six times Dec. 29.
Mayfield threw touchdown passes of 46 yards to Damion Ratley, 56 yards to Jarvis Landry, and 20 yards to Beckham. He also threw a pair of interceptions to Darius Phillips, one of which set up a Bengals touchdown, and finished with 21 for the season.
“It’s quite frustrating and embarrassing to me,” said Mayfield, who went 12 of 27 for 279 yards.
Up next
BROWNS >> In 2020, Cleveland will try to end the NFL’s longest active streak of failing to reach the playoffs — 17 straight years. BENGALS >> In 2020, Cincinnati will try to end its 29year streak without a playoff win, the fifth-longest in NFL history.