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Cleveland Browns Share First In AFC North After Drubbing of Cincinnati Bengals

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By @edpvideo

Cleveland Browns' Defense

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Watching this game, you really had to remind yourself that it was the Cincinnati Bengals that started the night in first place in the AFC North, not the Cleveland Browns.

Playing at home, where they had the league’s longest regular-season home winning streak at 13 straight, Cincinnati was not ready for the Browns. Maybe you can chalk it up to a short week and playing on Thursday night, but that’s a stretch. What’s not a stretch is to call out the Bengals’ offense for not showing up, and Andy Dalton for being off all night long.

On the other side of the ball, the Browns’ defense was the actual reason the Bengals struggled to move the ball. The Bengals were expected to take advantage of the return of outstanding wideout A.J. Green, but tight coverage from Joe Haden made Green a non-factor. It appeared that Dalton struggled throwing with the strong crosswinds in the first quarter, but throughout the game it was the coverage that made life difficult for Dalton and his receivers.

By the end of the third quarter, the Bengals were being manhandled 24-3 and Dalton was struggling in the passing game — completing 7-of-24 for 55 yards, no touchdowns and a costly interception that set up the Browns’ first touchdown. The flat and overmatched Bengals were done, with an entire quarter to play.

In addition to the win, another bright spot for Browns fans was the continued excellent play of quarterback Brian Hoyer. In his seventh season, he’s finally getting a shot at holding a starting role and is delivering for the Browns. The more you watch Hoyer play, the more you see the benefits of being an understudy to Tom Brady for his first three years in the league — he makes good decisions and is always pushing the ball down the field.

More good news for NFL fans is that the play of Hoyer has silenced the pleas to start Johnny Manziel. In fact, that noise has been silenced so much that Manziel only appeared on camera on the Browns’ sideline when the commentators ran out of things to talk about in a noncompetitive game. Hoyer has a command of this offense and moves the team with decisiveness you are not going to get from an over-hyped rookie. You have to applaud head coach Mike Pettine for sticking to his decision and not giving into fan and ownership pressure to play their No. 1 draft pick.

The AFC North is the best race in the NFL, and it will be interesting to watch it unfold as we head towards the end of the season. For the moment, the Browns are tied for first place with the Pittsburgh Steelers at 6-3. As for the Bengals, they fall behind both teams with a 5-3-1 record and could find themselves in last place if the Ravens win Sunday — that would be a fall from first to last in just four days.

Paul Kakert is an NFL writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @edpvideo, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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