CLEVELAND -- Breaking long streaks of futility has been the Cleveland Browns’ kind of thing during the 2018 regular season, and that trend continued when they faced the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sunday afternoon.
The Browns (4-6-1) had not won on the road since October 11, 2015, and that streak of 25 straight losses away from home, the second-longest in NFL history, came to an end with a 35-20 victory over the Bengals (5-6) in an AFC North Division battle.
And the Browns do not plan on stopping there, as the team currently has the NFL’s longest playoff drought, as the franchise has not been to the postseason since the 2002 season.
“It’s now or never,” safety Jabrill Peppers said.
“We know we’re right there in the conversation. That’s the main focus. Everyone has disrespected us and labeled us as a win on their schedule. We come out with a chip on our shoulder every day. It’s a blessing seeing all sides of the ball come together.”
Earlier this season, the Browns snapped streaks for consecutive losses (17), winless weeks (18), setbacks or ties against AFC North Division competition (18) and Sunday defeats (36).
Along with breaking the road losing streak, Sunday’s win over the Bengals marked the first time since Weeks 8-10 of the 2014 season that the Browns posted consecutive victories, as they entered the game on the heels of a 28-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland on Sunday, November 11.
“It’s huge,” rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield said of the back-to-back victories.
“You see teams around the league that build on those wins. It builds the confidence and the energy throughout the locker room that you need to have to play on the road and finish tight games. You need to believe in it, so yeah, it’s huge for us. We need to continue that.”
Mayfield completed 19 of his 26 throws for 258 yards and a franchise single-game rookie-record four touchdowns. Mayfield averaged 9.9 yards per attempt and connected with eight different receivers in the win over the Bengals.
Tight end David Njoku and wide receiver Antonio Callaway led the way with 63 and 62 yards receiving, respectively. Both Njoku and Callaway had touchdown receptions, as did tight end Darren Fells and running back Nick Chubb.
Chubb accounted for two touchdowns in the win, as he rushed for a one-yard score in the first quarter before making a 14-yard reception in the end zone in the second period. Chubb finished the game with 84 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries, along with three catches for 44 yards and one score.
“I think our guys were excited about playing,” interim coach Gregg Williams said. “I mentioned this to you earlier this week, that we had a number of players this week coming into the building hours before they were required to be there.
“They were driving the coaches nuts about meetings, and also, wanting to get into the weight room and work out. “This is a good group of men that we have in that locker room. These guys want to do the things to get better. They want to practice and play. Usually, there is energy after a bye, and it was good to see that.”
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