CLEVELAND _ In the wake of the Bengals' 21-14 win over the Browns here at Huntington Bank Field Sunday that was one of those grand but gritty AFC North victories, center Ted Karras found himself quoting Bengals radio analyst Dave Lapham.
"Like Lap says. A slobber-knocker," said Karras after the Bengals beat the Browns in resourceful fashion with a kickoff return touchdown, two interceptions and a fourth-down stop.
Despite generating a season-low 223 yards, the Bengals offense stepped up big when it had to with two second-half touchdown passes from quarterback Joe Burrow to favorite targets Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins and backup left tackle Cody Ford’s masterful effort against NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett.
Ford came off the bench early in the second quarter when a right knee injury forced left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. to the bench. The fact that Brown stayed on the sidelines in the second half talking Ford through gave the Bengals hope it's not a serious injury.
"That's the kind of guy he is. That's why he's a captain," Ford said. "That's the guy I've known since 2015 when I first got to Oklahoma. He was telling me what he was seeing from the sidelines and ways I could manipulate the rushes I was getting."
Garrett, who came in with 12 career sacks against the Bengals, moved around a bit and had some shots against rookie right tackle Amarius Mims. But he usually spends most of his time over the left tackle and on Sunday Garrett didn't get a sack and was held to four tackles, one hit on Burrow and one tackle for loss.
After Karras kept Giants two-time Pro Bowl tackle Dexter Lawrence in check last week, he observed, "The last two weeks we've faced two of the best defenders in the world and we responded.
"A testament to C. Ford. He came in and we ran the game plan."
As Karras said, "We always chip to Myles," alluding to extra men to help, but Ford still had to hold up.
"Maybe a couple of more chips to my side, but the game plan was the game plan," Ford said. "I tried to dictate the rushes. I just trusted my technique."
It snapped Garret's seven-game streak against the Bengals with at least a sack.
JONSING FOR 100
According to Elias, wide receiver Charlie Jones joined Bengals great Lemar Parrish as the only Cincy players with at least one punt and kick return for a touchdown. Parrish did it more than 50 years ago.
Jones had his punt return as a rookie last year against Baltimore and put another division rival on his wall Sunday when he opened the game with a 100-yard kick return. It was the Bengals' first since Brandon Wilson went 103 four years ago against the Giants and the first to open a game since Wilson in Baltimore in 2019.
It was pretty basic, if you call out of-this-world body control and key position change basic.
With the new kick-off rule, tight end Drew Sample has been in a new spot. But after watching the Browns on tape, special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons moved him back to his old spot nearer the front and
Sample came flying up the middle, rocked former Bengals cornerback Tony Brown II to his left and Jones cut behind Sample and kept cutting to the right sideline running away from kicker Dustin Hopkins.
Brown got back up and raced downfield to get a hand on Jones as he stepped inside the 10. Jones somehow kept his outside heel in-bounds as he saw the goal line and before he spilled out of bounds he put the ball on the pylon.
"I knew if I came all that way I had to score, I couldn't just stop at the two," Jones said. "I was tired. I just knew I didn't want to get stopped with a couple of yards to go. I knew I had to do something to get in the end zone and it worked out."
SLANTS AND SCREENS
Two minutes after safety Geno Stone recorded his first interception as a Bengal, he was carted off the field with 2:09 left in the game. But he seemed to be in good spirits as he walked out of the locker with a compression wrapped around his leg and shared a laugh with Burrow …
Head coach Zac Taylor said he had a positive sense about Brown and Stone, but is waiting to see what Monday brings …
Left end Sam Hubbard waited until his 97th NFL game and a broken pinky finger to get his first pro interception Sunday. Hubbard, looking at his finger, said he broke it in Kansas City in the second game and is getting the splint off next week, "but I was still able to make the interception," he said of the play in the third quarter.
Turns out it wasn't that much different from his last interception before this one, which he remembers came against Maryland 2015 for Ohio State and, "I stole the ball from (Buckeyes cornerback) Gareon Conley."
That one came on a simulated pressure with Hubbard dropping into coverage and so did this one as the ball bounced off the hands of Browns receiver Cedric Tillman as Browns fans pondered the whereabouts of Amari Cooper.
"I was playing run first, then dropped out to my location," Hubbard said. "Ball up in the air. Went up for it. Came down with it."
Finger and all.
And he didn't have to steal it from anybody …
