Bengals 19, Browns 17
Cedric Benson rushed 31 times for 150 yards and a touchdown as the Cincinnati Bengals snapped a 10-game losing skid with a 19-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday in a battle of AFC North rivals.
Clint Stitser kicked four field goals and Andre Caldwell caught four passes for 89 yards for the Bengals (3-11), who held the Browns to 59 yards on the ground.
Cleveland jumped out to a lead on its first possession after rookie Colt McCoy completed a six-play drive by hitting tight end Robert Royal with a 20-yard touchdown pass.
Cincinnati clamped down on defense after that and started moving the ball, tying it at 7-7 on Benson’s 18-yard scoring burst in the second quarter. The Bengals then took the lead into halftime on Stitser’s first field goal.
The Bengals led 19-10 in the fourth quarter when Cleveland (5-9) made it interesting, cutting the deficit to 19-17 on McCoy’s 46-yard touchdown pass to Brian Robiskie with 2:13 left. But Cincinnati recovered an onside kick attempt and ran out the clock.
McCoy finished 19 of 25 for 243 yards and two touchdowns in his return to the lineup after missing three games with an ankle sprain.