The Cincinnati Bengals scored on their first five possession Sunday and rushed for a season-high 152 yards to continue their domination of the Cleveland Browns. Rookie running back Joe Mixon ran for a career-high 114 yards, including a game-sealing 11-yard touchdown, and Andy Dalton threw a pair of scoring passes to lift the Bengals to a 30-16 victory before a sparse crowd of 51,710 at Paul Brown Stadium.
It was the second consecutive win for the Bengals as they improved to 5-6 to remain one game back of the final playoff spot in the AFC. And it was their seventh in a row against the Browns, who fell 0-11.
The seven consecutive wins — all of which have been by double digits, including a 31-7 triumph at Cleveland in Week 4 — ties the Bengals franchise record for the longest against any opponent. They also won seven in a row against the Houston Oilers from 1981-84.
Mixon, who also had three catches for 51 yards, became the first 100-yard rusher for the Bengals since Rex Burkhead had 119 in the 2016 season finale.
The Bengals came into the game with the No. 32 ranked rushing offense in the league, while the Browns were No. 1 in average yards allowed per carry. But the Cincinnati offense ran for 43 of its 75 yards on its opening drive of the game, which ended with Dalton hitting Tyler Boyd for an 8-yard touchdown that gave the Bengals the lead for good.
Randy Bullock, who had missed a kick in each of his last three games, added field goals of 21, 31 and a season-long 49 yards on the next three drives as the Bengals built at 16-6 halftime lead. And they opened the second half with a 78-yard drive that resulted in a 1-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to tight end Tyler Kroft.
The Browns got field goals of 27, 21 and 39 yards from Zane Gonzalez before quarterback Deshone Kizer, who missed a series in the first half while being evaluated for a concussion, scored a 3-yard touchdown on fourth and goal with 6:57 remaining to trim the deficit to 23-16.
But the Bengals answered with an 89-yard touchdown drive to secure the win. Mixon had 40 of the yards on three carries, including the 11-yard touchdown, his fourth of the year.
The Bengals will try to get back to .500 next week when they play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.
NEXT GAME
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
When: 8:25 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4
Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati
TV: ESPN, Ch. 5
Radio: 700-AM, 1530-AM, 102.7-FM, 104.7-FM