National Football League

Hoyer shines, Dalton horrifies & more thoughts from Bengals-Browns

Published Nov. 7, 2014 12:17 a.m. ET

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Ross Jones

The last time the Cleveland Browns won a divisional road game, rookie running back Isaiah Crowell was a sophomore in high school. It's a winless streak that has spanned five Browns head coaches, two ownership groups and six seasons.

And it was Crowell, 21, splitting carries with another rookie running back, Terrance West, bludgeoning the Bengals defense in a 24-3 hammering of the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night.

The win is a momentum-shifting moment in the first year of The Mike Pettine Era.

The Browns now sit atop the AFC North and look to be in the thick of things as they host the Ryan Mallett-led Houston Texans in Week 11 and then travel to the Georgia Dome to play the ailing Atlanta Falcons the following week.

Here are more thoughts from Thursday night's outing:

• Quarterback Brian Hoyer, for most of the night, appeared confident, decisive and accurate. The Browns' 29-year-old quarterback connected on 15-of-23 for 198 yards. Hoyer had command of the offense and ran the play-action pass to perfection. Hoyer's best throw of the night came in the third quarter when he faked a screen to wide receiver Taylor Gabriel and fired a pass to tight end Gary Barnidge up the seam for a 28-yard completion. West was able to cash in on the chunk play, scoring four plays later.

• The Browns running game of Crowell, West and Ben Tate accounted for 48 carries and 169 yards. Each running back finished with a touchdown.

• Without linebacker Vontaze Burfict, the Bengals defense has softened in the middle over the past two weeks, allowing an average of 151 yards on the ground. Burfict, the heart and soul to the defense, underwent a minor knee procedure last month and his presence is greatly missed. In addition, defensive tackle Geno Atkins sustained a minor tweak to his surgically repaired right knee. Atkins, who returned temporarily after sustaining the injury, missed large chunks of the game and was replaced by defensive tackle Devon Still.

• Speaking of Still, his four-year-old daughter Leah was in attendance and helped the Bengals present a $1.34 million check to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital.

• How horrifying was Andy Dalton's outing? Dalton's 30 percent completion rate was the worst by a Bengals quarterback since 2000. Dalton's first interception on the opening series set the tempo for the offense. Appearing to be on a different page than tight end Jermaine Gresham, Dalton threw a strike to Browns linebacker Craig Robertson. It was an indicator of things to come. Dalton, whose night ended with more than four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, finished 10-of-33 for 86 yards, three interceptions and a QB rating of 2.0. Browns cornerback Buster Skrine was on the right side of two Dalton interceptions.

• Missing second-year running back Giovani Bernard, the Bengals' ground game runs through rookie Jeremy Hill. Hill, according to Pro Football Focus' Pete Damilatis, had his first career fumble after 148 touches, with the preseason included. Bengals head Marvin Lewis temporarily benched Hill for Cedric Peerman (2 carries, -2 yards) before realizing he was only hurting himself.

• Browns safety Tashaun Gipson, the league's leader in interceptions, forced a fumble on Hill. The former undrafted product from Wyoming has a real chance to make his first Pro Bowl appearance. Gipson, a restricted free agent at the end of this season, had another opportunity for an interception in the third quarter, but dropped it.

• Cornerback Joe Haden held Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green in check for a majority of the game. While Haden didn't guard Green on every snap, Green finished with just three receptions for 29 yards on 10 targets. Wide receiver Mohamed Sanu wasn't much better, finishing with two receptions for 20 yards on seven targets. An excellent game plan and effective cornerback play took away the Bengals' two most dangerous threats.

• Browns defensive tackle Desmond Bryant had a pair of sacks on back-to-back plays in the third quarter. Bryant blew past Bengals center Russell Bodine to get to Dalton. The sacks led to the Bengals' inefficiency, beginning the game 0-for-8 on third down.

• The wind at Paul Brown Stadium was certainly a factor. Chip-shot field goals and basic throws were blown away by the swirling winds. Now that we've entered November, Mother Nature will play its role.  

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