Frank Geib ’15
The Cleveland Browns returned home Sunday and took on AFC North Rival the Cincinnati Bengals. The matchup, which is known as The Battle of Ohio, was expected to be an exciting and close game. The Brownies won 17-6 and Brian Hoyer improved to 2-0 on the season.
The Browns started the scoring as quarterback Brian Hoyer marched the team down the field and threw a 2 yd touchdown pass to his favorite target TE Jordan Cameron in the first quarter. Cameron now leads the league in touchdown receptions with 5 on the season. The first half was a defensive battle as there was only one more score as Mike Nugent hit a 25 yard field goal for the Bengals to make the score 7-3. Cleveland went into the half with the lead as they have every game this year.
The second half began and the third quarter was a standstill as both teams managed to get a field goal on the board. The Browns led 10-6 going into the fourth quarter. Hoyer managed to find Chris Ogbonnaya for another short touchdown pass giving the Browns a 17-6 lead. However, it was the Browns defense that held strong as CB Buster Skrine picked off Andy Dalton late in the fourth that prevented any chance of a comeback. The final in Cleveland was 17-6 and the Browns improved to 2-2.
The Cleveland Browns are now tied for the division lead and improved to .500 on the year. The defense was outstanding and Hoyer, yet again, played within himself and led the team to victory. ESPN analyst and retired Super Bowl head coach Tony Dungy gave his compliments to the team saying “Who is the hottest team in the AFC North? The Cleveland Browns! After all the drama of trading there best player and all of that they are playing great football. Good defense.” The Browns certainly have not missed Trent Richardson as they got solid production from Ogbonnaya and McGahee. The Browns take on the Buffalo Bills this Thursday night. What would appear to be a pointless game suddenly has meaning as both teams are 2-2 this year. Though Brandon Weeden will be healthy, it will be very surprising if Brian Hoyer is not the starter next week.