7 winners and 2 losers from Bengals’ win over Browns

The Cincinnati Bengals were attempting to cling to positives to end the 2019 season, as the Cleveland Browns headed to town. As it turns out, the team fought hard and took it to their in-state rivals for just their second win of the year.

Here are the best and worst performers from the Bengals’ 33-23 win over the Browns.

Winners

Carlos Dunlap: The way the veteran defensive lineman finished the year may have been the best stretch of games we’ve seen from him. Dunlap had 2.5 sacks, five total tackles and a forced fumble. Dunlap had eight sacks in as many games after the bye.

Sam Hubbard: It’s been quite the second year for the edge defender. On Sunday, he had six tackles and 1.5 sacks, giving him 8.5 for the year.

Carl Lawson: Despite dropping a gimme interception, Lawson was a constant presence in the Cleveland backfield. He had two sacks and four tackles, as the Bengals’ defensive line swarmed Baker Mayfield.

Joe Mixon: Anyone get the license on that mack truck? Good lord, what a game by Mixon. He set a personal best with 162 rushing yards (his previous best of 146 came against the Browns a few weeks ago), at 6.2 yards per carry and hit pay dirt twice.

Darius Phillips: Despite getting owned on a ridiculous touchdown catch by Odell Beckham, Jr., Phillips had another productive afternoon. He picked off Mayfield twice and had an additional pass defensed. He’s a bit of a gambler, but he’s had some massive plays for the team this year—on both defense and special teams.

Randy Bullock: I won’t lie: I wasn’t confident in Bullock’s final attempt. But, he nailed two clutch field goals from deep in the rain to ice the win for the team. He did shank an extra point, but came up huge in the team’s second win of the year.

Zac Taylor: The team didn’t seem to quit on the first-year head coach, as they played well against the hated Browns. Not only did Taylor cap off a rough year on a high note, but he also avoided setting the single-season franchise record for the worst record in a given season.

Andy Dalton: It wasn’t a pretty performance by the veteran signal-caller, but it was a gutsy outing. His gritty touchdown run was emblematic of his Bengals tenure, which may have come to an end.

At least he grabbed a win, if it is his final game with Cincinnati. Dalton finished 16-of-28 for 190 yards, two touchdowns (one rushing, one passing) and an interception in the rain.

Losers

Giovani Bernard: For all of the great things Mixon did, Bernard was not his usual complementary self. He managed just four yards on three carries and didn’t notch a reception in the passing game.

John Ross III: It continues to be an uphill climb for the third-year wideout. He only grabbed two receptions on five targets (one was an interception), and he slipped on an end-around for lost yardage at a critical point in the game.