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Cleveland Browns: Week 12 instant reactions after victory over Bengals

By Martin McConnell

CINCINNATI, OH - NOVEMBER 25: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Cleveland Browns throws a touchdown pass to Darren Fells #88 during the third quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - NOVEMBER 25: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Cleveland Browns throws a touchdown pass to Darren Fells #88 during the third quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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The Cleveland Browns came into their week 12 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals feeling pretty dangerous. What followed was a first half beating of the Bengals, and a leg up in the AFC North’s Battle of Ohio.

In the span of less than a year, the Cleveland Browns have gone from winless, to a force to be reckoned with. Behind rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield, the Browns have seen a franchise revival following the firings of Hue Jackson and Todd Haley. This game against the Cincinnati Bengals got a bit ugly early as the Browns scored early and often. Despite Cincinnati’s second-half storm, the Browns weathered this one, 35-20. Let’s get some instant reactions.

“The Dangerous One” Continues His Warpath

As the clock ticked down on Hue Jackson’s time in Cleveland, Mayfield transformed before our very eyes. The Browns moved Gregg Williams to head coach and Freddie Kitchens to offensive coordinator, and so far, the rest has been history. Mayfield has been stellar since the Browns’ two firings, and he continued his path of destruction today in Cincinnati.

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Mayfield threw three touchdowns in the first half, and following an Emmanuel Ogbah fumble recovery, he threw another in the second half. All told, Mayfield would have a 258-yard day, with multiple touchdowns. He has already surpassed Tim Couch’s Browns rookie touchdown record, and there are still five games left to play.

Not the Best Defensive Day

Jeff Driskel shouldn’t be scoring too much on anyone, really. And yet, the Cleveland Browns allowed the Cincinnati Bengals’ backup quarterback to pass all over them for a couple of drives in the second half.

There’s no easy solution to this one, the Browns just have to the defense cleaned up for the next game. They’ll see Deshaun Watson and the Texans in Week 13, who have been red-hot as of late. Get the defense figured out, or they could be in for a rude awakening next Sunday.

Hue Jackson Gets Embarrassed

The actual implications of this game were pretty “meh” to a lot of Browns fans. Sure, a win would be nice, but what really mattered was that this game left a bad taste in former head coach Hue Jackson’s mouth. Well, the Browns accomplished that in spades today, with an interception of Andy Dalton in the first half.

Following safety Damarious Randall’s interception, the former Packer made sure Hue got his game ball. That is to say, Randall smugly handed Jackson the ball following his interception.

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This was equal parts hilarious, and a bit disrespectful, in the best way. This was the perfect game to stick it to the former head coach, and it should be fun for Jackson to “watch the tape” after this less than stellar performance. Sound familiar?

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