Browns bounce Bengals 17-6

Sorry,this is a bit late.Monday was a bit busier than usual.
The Cleveland Browns were looked at somewhat fortunate winners over Minnesota in week three and few thought they would come up with a home victory over their in-state rival Cincinnati.
I sure didn't anyway,but Ray Horton's defense played phenomenally,held the Bengals to just two field goals and allowed Cleveland to earn a 17-6 win.
Brian Hoyer tossed two touchdown passes with the game clincher to Chris Ogbonnaya with just under five minutes to go.
With the win,the Browns improved to 2-2 and moved into a tie for the AFC North lead with the Bengals and Ravens.
The week is short though,as the Browns will host the Buffalo Bills on Thursday in Cleveland.

Brownie Bits

1) Some (me included) questioned Brian Hoyer despite the win in Minnesota because he was picked off three times.
There still may be unanswered questions,but Hoyer went a long way towards answering one-he can be a game manager as he played a very smart game,did not throw an interception and showed a lot of touch on his passes.

2) Hoyer also shows lots of chemistry with Jordan Cameron,who caught a TD pass that was very David Tyreeesque and the key play on the game clinching drive for a 31 yard gain.
Sometimes these things just happen and for the second week in a row,Cameron had a huge game with 10 catches for 91 yards and the touchdown.

3) The running game numbers was not out of this world as Willis McGahee finished with 46 yards on 15 carries,but McGahee showed signs of chipping away rust as he ran very well on the final drive.
It will be interesting to see how McGahee runs on Thursday night.

4) Give plenty of credit to Joe Haden,who shut down his nemesis A.J. Green and did not allow Green to break free for the big play.
Green finished with seven catches,but for just 51 yards with a long of 16 on the day,I'll take that day every time.

5) Another sack for Barkevious Mingo,narrowly missed another and batted down two passes.
From what I've seen Barkevious Mingo is headed for defensive rookie of the year.

6) Still have concerns about Billy Cundiff as the Browns kicker.
Cundiff did nail a 51 yarder,but earlier had missed from 37 and 49.
Neither of the misses were chip shots,but had Cundiff missed from 51,I would guess there would be speculation on tryouts soon in Berea.

7) The offensive line allowed three sacks,but I still think that they did a better job in protecting Brian Hoyer than in Minnesota.
Shaun Laveao may return to the lineup for Buffalo at guard and that could help somewhat.

8) Four games in and the Browns have yet to allow 100 yards rushing.
Not in a game-for the SEASON!
The ability to shutdown the opposing running attack has kept the Browns in contention every week...

9) I still think the Browns need another corner and safety,but Buster Skrine and Tashaun Gipson each had nice games.
Skrine had an interception and Gipson seemed to be all over the field.

10) I don't want to get too excited.I've seen Cleveland QB mirages before,but between Brian Hoyer avoiding the big mistake and a hard noses defense,I'm anxious to see how they rebound against Buffalo.
A win just might get me excited for the future...

Photo Credits;Cleveland Plain Dealer...