Bengals 23, Browns 20
Andy Dalton passed for 270 yards and a touchdown as the Cincinnati Bengals kept their playoff hopes alive with a 23-20 come-from-behind victory over the visiting Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Cedric Benson rushed for 106 yards and a score and Mike Nugent kicked a 23-yard field goal with 38 seconds left for the Bengals (7-4), who snapped a two-game slide and stayed within one game of the AFC North lead.
The Browns had a chance to take the lead with 1:51 left but Phil Dawson’s 55-yard field goal attempt fell short, leaving the door open for Cincinnati.
Dalton wasted no time bringing the Bengals into the red zone, hooking up with rookie A.J. Green on a 51-yard catch to the Cleveland 2-yard line.
Cincinnati settled for Nugent’s third field goal to take its first lead of the day.
The Browns held a 20-10 advantage in the third quarter after Dawson connected from 54 yards.
Dalton needed five plays to pull the Bengals back within a field goal, hooking up with Green on a 35-yard strike down the left sideline to move into Cleveland territory and then finding tight end Jermaine Gresham for a 22-yard score.
A 40-yard field goal by Nugent early in the fourth tied it at 20-20.
Colt McCoy passed for a pair of touchdowns for the Browns (4-7), who have dropped four of five.