National Football League
Cleveland 27, Cincinnati 19
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 8, 2019
Where: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Temperature: 48°
Head Official: Carl Cheffers
Attendance: 67431

Denzel Ward returned an interception for a touchdown, Baker Mayfield and Kareem Hunt had one rushing touchdown apiece, and the Cleveland Browns held on for a 27-19 win over the visiting Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon.

Nick Chubb added a team-high 106 rushing yards on 15 carries for Cleveland (6-7), which earned its fourth win in five games. The victory came despite a bumpy performance by Mayfield, who completed 11 of 24 passes for 192 yards and two interceptions.

Joe Mixon had 186 yards from scrimmage (146 rushing, 40 receiving) and a touchdown for Cincinnati (1-12), which is winless on the road in seven games. Andy Dalton completed 22 of 38 passes for 262 yards and one interception.

Cleveland has won three games in a row against its in-state rivals. The Bengals had won seven straight meetings from 2014-17.

The Browns struck quickly after halftime to increase their lead to 21-13. Hunt scored on a 3-yard rush to cap a six-play, 75-yard drive that took only 2:50 off the clock. A 57-yard rush by Chubb, who weaved through defenders, set up the scoring chance.

The Bengals closed the gap to 21-16 on a 28-yard field goal by Randy Bullock, but the Browns responded with a 53-yard field goal by Austin Seibert in the final minute of the third quarter to make it 24-16.

Seibert added a 31-yard field goal with 1:09 left in the fourth quarter.

Bullock capped the scoring with a 46-yarder with 16 seconds left, but Cleveland recovered an onside kick attempt moments later.

Cleveland clung to a 14-13 lead at the half.

Bullock connected on two field goals for the Bengals in the first quarter, but the Browns' defense notched the game's first touchdown when Ward intercepted Dalton and returned it 61 yards to the house.

It was the first career pick-six for Ward, the No. 4 overall pick in 2018.

Cincinnati regained the lead on a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Mixon that made it 13-7 with 12:07 remaining in the half. After going the first nine games of the season without a rushing touchdown, Mixon has scored on the ground three times in the past four weeks.

The Browns pulled in front with 6:37 to go before halftime. Mayfield kept the ball and lunged for the left pylon for a 7-yard score.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
Rushing
Cincinnati   Cleveland
Joe Mixon Player Nick Chubb
23 Attempts 15
146 Yards 106
6.4 Avg Yards 7.1
1 Touchdowns 0
26 Long 57
Receiving
Cincinnati   Cleveland
Tyler Boyd Player Jarvis Landry
5 Receptions 4
75 Yards 76
15.0 Avg Yards 19.0
0 Touchdowns 0
21 Long 34
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Cincinnati 451 179 272 1 4 2 1.0 0
Cleveland 333 146 187 3 2 1 2.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • Cleveland will play their next game on the road against Arizona. The Browns have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .571 after a loss.
  • Cincinnati will play their next game at home against New England. The Bengals have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .083 after a loss.