National Football League
Cincinnati 34, Cleveland 27
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, September 16, 2012
Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Temperature: 76°
Head Official: Jerry Hughes
Attendance: 63036


Bengals 34, Browns 27: Andy Dalton tossed three touchdown passes and Adam Jones scampered 81 yards on a punt return for a score as host Cincinnati continued its recent dominance in the Battle of Ohio.

Dalton, who completed 24 of 31 passes for 318 yards, had a 44-yard touchdown to Brandon Tate down the sideline to convert the Bengals' first third-down attempt on the team's initial drive of the third quarter. Andrew Hawkins had a brilliant 50-yard touchdown reception and fellow wideout A.J. Green added a 10-yard score for Cincinnati (1-1), which has won four in a row and 13 of 16 against its Buckeye State rivals.

Trent Richardson, who mustered only 39 rushing yards last week, recorded his first NFL touchdown by taking a draw and rumbling 32 yards for a score in the second quarter. Richardson, who finished with 109 yards, became the first Browns rookie to rush for more than 100 yards since Lee Suggs ran for 186 versus the Bengals on Dec. 28, 2003.

Fellow rookie Brandon Weeden also fared well, throwing a 23-yard touchdown pass to Richardson just before the end of the third quarter. Weeden, who completed 26 of 37 passes for 322 yards, found Greg Little for a 24-yard scoring strike with 7:11 left to bring the Browns (0-2) within seven at 31-24.

Jones opened the scoring 1:47 into the game with his first punt return for a touchdown since the 2006 season, when he was a member of the Tennessee Titans. Jones took a quick step to his right, cut back toward the left sideline and weaved around five would-be tacklers to give the Bengals a 7-0 lead.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Richardson became the second Browns rookie since the merger with 100-plus rushing yards and a receiving and rushing touchdown in the same game. Kevin Mack accomplished the feat against San Diego in 1985. ... Cleveland LB Scott Fujita made his season debut after an appeals panel vetoed his three-game league suspension for his role in the New Orleans bounty scandal. He had three solo tackles and an assist. ... Browns CB Joe Haden began his four-game suspension for violating the league's NFL policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

Top Game Performances
Rushing
Cleveland   Cincinnati
Trent Richardson Player BenJarvus Green-Ellis
19 Attempts 21
109 Yards 75
5.7 Avg Yards 3.6
1 Touchdowns 0
32 Long 19
Receiving
Cleveland   Cincinnati
Mohamed Massaquoi Player Brandon Tate
5 Receptions 3
90 Yards 71
18.0 Avg Yards 23.7
0 Touchdowns 1
22 Long 44
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Cleveland 439 130 309 3 2 1 6.0 0
Cincinnati 375 80 295 4 2 0 2.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • Cincinnati will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Bengals have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Cleveland will play their next game at home against Buffalo. The Browns have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.