CLEVELAND — Nick Chubb rushed for two touchdowns and Myles Garrett and Cleveland’s defense frustrated Joe Burrow as the Browns thrashed Cincinnati 32-13 on Monday night, keeping the Bengals star quarterback winless against them.
Garrett, who came to FirstEnergy Stadium wearing a Halloween costume, led a scary defense that sacked Burrow five times and held the Bengals (4-4) to 229 total yards — 100 in the first half.
Burrow has already been to the Super Bowl in just three NFL seasons. However, the Ohio native has yet to beat Cleveland, dropping to 0-4 in four career starts against Cincinnati’s AFC North rival.
The Browns (3-5) ended a four-game losing streak, and in the process saved their season from slipping away as they try to stay competitive while awaiting quarterback Deshaun Watson’s return from an 11-game suspension.
Jacoby Brissett ran for a TD and passed for another, leading Cleveland to its fifth straight win over Cincinnati. He completed 17 of 22 for 278 yards and a 133.7 rating while outplaying Burrow.
Chubb scored on runs of 3 and 11 yards, and Brissett added a 3-yard TD run and connected with Amari Cooper on a 4-yard pass in the second half as the Browns built a 25-0 lead while playing their best all-around game in 2022.
Led by Garrett, Cleveland’s defense, which has struggled for most of the season, put relentless pressure on Burrow, who was without top receiver Ja’Marr Chase because of a hip injury.
However, even a healthy Chase may not have been enough to help Burrow. He finished 25 of 35 for 232 yards with two TDs and one interception.
Burrow connected on scoring passes in the fourth quarter to Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins, but those only helped him pad his stats and took some sting out of the scoreboard.
Garrett set the tone for a scary performance for the Browns by dressing up as Vecna, the sinister alien-like character from the TV series “Stranger Things.” This was indeed a strange night as the Browns finally looked like a competent team and recorded a lopsided win after so many close losses.
BENGALS BROKEN
Cincinnati did not allow a second-half touchdown in its first seven games before the Browns scored three TDs after halftime.
TRADE TALK
With the trade deadline Tuesday, Browns running back Kareem Hunt has been involved in rumors for weeks. The chatter about his future began when he demanded to be dealt in August after the team failed to offer him a contract extension.
Hunt ran for 42 yards on 11 carries.
HADEN HONORED
Former Browns cornerback Joe Haden served as the honorary game captain. He signed a one-day contract to officially retire with Cleveland, which drafted him in the first round in 2010. Haden was a two-time Pro Bowler during seven seasons with the Browns before playing for rival Pittsburgh.
INJURIES:
Bengals: CB Chidobe Awuzie went out with a right knee injury in the second quarter and didn’t return. … CB Tre Flowers (hamstring) left in the third.
Browns: RT Jack Conklin went to the locker room late in the first half with an undisclosed injury, but returned after halftime.
UP NEXT
Bengals: Host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Browns: Bye week before visiting Miami on Nov. 13, the first of four road games in five weeks.
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