Joe Burrow propels Bengals past Browns

CINCINNATI -- Joe Burrow tossed three touchdown passes and the defense forced a key early turnover to lead the Bengals to a 24-6 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday and keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

Burrow finished 23-of-30 for 252 yards while Chase Brown carried the ball 18 times for 91 yards.

Cincinnati (7-8) won a season-high third straight game and completed a season sweep of the Browns for the first time since 2017.

It was a milestone day for the Bengals on a number of fronts.

Ja'Marr Chase broke his own single-season franchise receiving yards mark with an 11-yard gain in the second quarter. Burrow passed Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson for the NFL lead in touchdown passes and kicker Cade York matched a franchise-long with a 59-yard field goal.

Chase, who had six catches for 97 yards, entered the game needing 43 yards to pass his own single-season franchise receiving yards mark of 1,455 in 2021. He is now four catches shy of T.J. Houshmandzadeh's 2007 record of 112.

Cleveland quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, making his fourth career start and first this season, completed just 20-of-34 passes for 157 yards. He was sacked five times and threw two fourth-quarter interceptions, including on in the end zone for Cleveland (3-12), which lost its fourth straight.

Jerome Ford scored on a 4-yard run and finished with 92 yards on 11 carries.

The game opened explosively for Cleveland as Ford, who had a 62-yard touchdown run against Kansas City last week, ripped off a 66-yard run off the right side on the game's first play.

With the Browns on the verge of punching the ball in, Vonn Bell came to the rescue, punching the ball free from running back D'Onta Foreman as he was about to cross the goal line. Bell also recovered the ball.

The Bengals began their first drive backed up against their goal line and marched 99 yards in eight plays, capped by a 2-yard touchdown pass to Higgins as Burrow was falling to the ground.

Burrow made it 14-0 in the second quarter with his second touchdown pass of the day, a 6-yard strike over the middle to Andrei Iosivas. The pass gave Burrow 38 touchdowns on the season, one more than Jackson.

York, filling in for the injured Evan McPherson, drilled a 59-yard field goal at the halftime gun to give the Bengals a 17-0 lead at the break. McPherson also hit from 59 yards in the 2022 season opener against Pittsburgh.

Myles Garrett sacked Burrow in the second quarter, allowing the star pass rusher to reach the 100-sack milestone in just his 115th career game.

--By Mike Petraglia, Field Level Media