Bengals 31, Rams 7

At Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati STORYLINE: Coming off two close defeats after their 8-0 start, the Bengals (9-2) enjoyed a relatively trouble-free afternoon in handing St. Louis (4-7) its fourth consecutive loss. Andy Dalton threw for 233 yards and three TDs, two to A.J. Green, as Cincinnati snapped its first two-game skid since 2013. Jeremy Hill ran for a season-high 86 of the Bengals’ 140 yards on the ground, and their defense held Rams running back Todd Gurley to 19 yards on nine carries. Green made six catches for 61 yards, with a 10-yard touchdown in the first quarter and an 18-yarder in the fourth. He was uncovered in the end zone on the first score, which he called “probably one of my easiest touchdowns ever.” Running back Gio Bernard’s 44-yard catch-and-run set up Green’s later TD which expanded Cincinnati’s lead to 24-7. Nick Foles started at quarterback for the fading Rams in place of Case Keenum, who was out with a concussion suffered the previous week against Baltimore. Foles was 30 of 46 for 228 yards, with three interceptions. He was under constant pressure, though he was sacked only once. St. Louis’ lone offensive weapon was Tavon Austin, who scored on a 5-yard run in the second quarter and had a 60-yard run along with six catches. QUOTABLE: “It was kind of uneventful and that’s what we needed.” — Bengals coach Marvin Lewis NEXT: Bengals (-7) at Browns, 10 a.m. Sunday; Cardinals (-5½) at Rams, 10 a.m. Sunday