Cincinnati Bengals vs Cleveland Browns Box Score on Dec 11, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Dec 11, 2016

CLEVELAND -- The Cincinnati Bengals scored three touchdowns in the first half on Sunday and held on for a 23-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

The Bengals (5-7-1) kept their slender playoff hopes alive on a frigid day on the southern shore of Lake Erie. They have won two straight games but are running out of time to catch the Pittsburgh Steelers or Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. The Browns (0-13) have now lost 16 straight going back to last season.

Quarterback Andy Dalton led the Bengals' charge with two touchdown passes to tight end Tyler Eifert. The Bengals did not need the offensive explosion displayed against the Browns in the first meeting of the season when they rolled up 559 yards, but it was good enough for a fifth straight victory in the so-called Battle of Ohio.

Browns coach Hue Jackson, desperate to get into the win column, went back to Robert Griffin III as his starting quarterback. Griffin missed 11 games with a broken bone in his left shoulder and was obviously rusty. He completed only two of 10 first-half passes for 20 yards along with one interception. His first half passer rating was 0.0.

Griffin was better in the second half, but not by much. He was nine of 24 for 79 yards until the Browns got the ball back with no timeouts remaining and 57 seconds to play. He completed three of four passes for 25 more yards. His final rating was 38.4.

Dalton, meanwhile, had a 132.9 passer rating in the first half. He led touchdown drives on each of the Bengals first two possessions --first a six-play, 73-yard march ending in a 14-yard touchdown pass to Eifert and then a nine-play, 45-yard drive ending in a 1-yard plunge by running back Jeremy Hill.

Dalton finished with 20 completions in 28 attempts for 180 yards.

The Browns tried a flea flicker from their end zone after a Bengals' punt, but the pass by Griffin was intercepted by Bengals safety George Iloka and returned 21 yards to the Browns' 26-yard line. Five plays later the Bengals were celebrating a 5-yard Dalton to Eifert touchdown pass.

The Browns rallied in the second half with 10 unanswered points behind 87 yards rushing by running back Isaiah Crowell in the third quarter.

Griffin pushed across the goal line from the at 8:11 of the third quarter and then Cody Parkey added a 30-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

Bengals kicker Mike Nugent, after missing an extra point and a field goal in the first half, opened up a 23-10 lead with a 44-yard field goal with 8:38 left.

NOTES: K Mike Nugent's extra point was blocked after the Bengals' second touchdown. He is now 22 of 28 on point-afters. ... TE Tyler Eifert now has five touchdown catches vs. the Browns in five games. ... Browns QB Josh McCown was a healthy inactive. ... WR Jordan Payton missed his first of four games while being suspended for using PEDs. He has one catch for three yards. ... Tickets for the Browns-Bengals were being sold for as low as $6 on stubhub.com.