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Well, who saw that coming? Definitely not the talking heads on two major television networks who almost unanimously picked the Browns to beat the Bengals. Cincinnati's defense made sure that Johnny Manziel's coming out party was not going to take place against their group, while the offense rode a powerful rushing attack to a 30-0 win.
We're fairly certain that we know where this one is going to go, but it's a weekly feature and there were others who aided in the glorious shutout. Cast your vote and sound off on the winner for this week's Bengals Most Valuable Player Award!
Jeremy Hill, RB: The rookie was an absolute monster on Sunday and answered the bell when finally named the team's starting running back. As it seems to be with bigger backs, Hill just got stronger as the game wore on, churning out 148 yards on 25 carries. Again, Hill sniffed the six-yard per carry mark and added two touchdowns to his season total, which now stands at eight. After the Bengals' loss to the Browns about five weeks ago, Hill said that he thought Cleveland wasn't very good. Yeah, he backed that talk up pretty well.
Mike Nugent, K: What a game for a guy with such a heavy heart. After suddenly losing his father earlier in the week, it was unclear if Nugent would even suit up on Sunday, which would have been completely understandable. Instead, "Nuge" played and was a huge key to the win. He banged home three big field goals, including two 44-yarders in somewhat rough conditions. He added three extra points and accounted for 12 of the Bengals' 30 points on the afternoon. In a classy and correct move, the team gave Nugent one of the game balls, along with offensive coordinator Hue Jackson who sadly lost his father this week as well.
Carlos Dunlap, DE: Big No. 96 showed up in a familiar way on Sunday, namely in the way of big tackles and sacking the quarterback. Dunlap tied for the lead in tackles with six total and had a quarterback sack to his name. He was also seen chasing down running backs and Manziel on scrambles, showing both his nimbleness for his size and effort on plays that required hustle.