Bengals are inspired to win 31-14 to finish above the Browns, who are resting their players for the postseason.
With a mostly meaningless loss to the Bengals in the books, the Browns could turn their attention to preparing for their first playoff game in three years.
Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski rested most of his starters Sunday in a 31-14 loss to Cincinnati. The Browns will play at AFC South champion Houston in the wild-card round on Saturday.
Locked in as the No. 5 seed in the AFC, Cleveland (11-6) was content to play out the regular season with backups before its second postseason appearance in the last 21 seasons.
Defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo of the Browns remarked, “This is what you work for.” “You fantasize about days like these. It feels excellent to position ourselves for victory in the major tournament.”
Among the Browns’ starting lineup that did not play on Sunday were quarterback Joe Flacco, standout defensive end Myles Garrett, receiver Amari Cooper, and cornerback Denzel Ward.
“When you look at these games, it´s about what´s best for your football team,” Stefanski stated. “I was aware that this was a fantastic chance for the young people to gain some experience.
In addition to setting a few career records, Joe Mixon ran for a season-high 111 yards and a touchdown while Jake Browning completed three touchdown passes.
At halftime, the Bengals were ahead 24-0. Signed on December 29 from Arizona’s practice squad, Browns quarterback Jeff Driskel struggled against Cincinnati’s regular defense until the fourth quarter, when he found David Bell for two touchdown passes.
The Bengals’ season wasn’t easy. Joe Burrow, the franchise quarterback, didn’t start the season at full health and sustained a wrist injury in the tenth game that ended his career. Time was lost by other important players.
Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor stated, “I thought our guys handled it professionally and finished it the right way.”
Cincinnati (9-8) achieved a record above.500 for the third consecutive year, and the AFC North became the first division to have every team finish above.500 since its merger in 1970. The Bengals avoided losing to rival teams in their division.
“Going 1-5 (in the division) is in no way, shape or form acceptable to us,” Taylor stated.
With his 49th career touchdown and ninth of the season, Josh Mixon moved up to No. 2 on the Bengals all-time list, behind Pete Johnson’s 64, with his 1-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter. In addition, Mixon amassed 1,034 yards of rushing in the end, marking his fourth season in seven that he has done so.
After leading the Bengals to a 4-3 victory and throwing for 156 yards against Cleveland, Browning was replaced by AJ McCarron.
