National Football League
Cleveland 34, Cincinnati 24
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, October 14, 2012
Where: Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Temperature: 70°
Head Official: Peter Morelli
Attendance: 67060


Cleveland 34, Cincinnati 24:
Brandon Weeden threw two touchdown passes and Montario Hardesty, filling in for an injured Trent Richardson, scored the go-ahead TD as host Cleveland ended an 11-game losing streak with an upset of Cincinnati in the "Battle of Ohio."

Sheldon Brown returned an interception for a touchdown for Cleveland (1-5), which hadn't won since beating Jacksonville last November. Cleveland ended a four-game skid against the Bengals and avoided a franchise-record 12th straight loss by outscoring Cincinnati 27-3 in a span bridging the third and fourth quarters.

Andy Dalton threw three scoring passes - including two to A.J. Green, who has scored in five straight games - as the Bengals (3-3) lost to the Browns for the first time since 2010. Cincinnati has dropped two straight after winning three in a row.

Cleveland scored 13 straight points in a span of 8:30 and took a 20-14 lead on Hardesty's 1-yard plunge at the start of the fourth. Hardesty was in after Richardson left in the third with a rib injury.

After Weeden's 3-yard touchdown pass to Ben Watson made it 27-17, Brown's 19-yard interception return for a score gave Cleveland a 34-17 lead with 7:50 left in the fourth. Cincinnati answered with a 57-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to Green, and the Bengalsdrove to the Cleveland 9 on their next possession before Emmanuel Stephens sacked Dalton and Billy Winn recovered the fumble, sealing the win.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Dalton was 31-of-46 for 381 yards but thew three interceptions. ... The Bengals had a chance for a last-second field goal at the end of the first half after Green's 25-yard reception, but the officials declared the half over despite the fact there appeared to be one second left when Dalton spiked the ball. ... Weeden, who finished 17-of-29 for 231 yards, has thrown an NFL-worst 10 interceptions.

Top Game Performances
Rushing
Cincinnati   Cleveland
BenJarvus Green-Ellis Player Montario Hardesty
16 Attempts 15
62 Yards 56
3.9 Avg Yards 3.7
0 Touchdowns 1
20 Long 14
Receiving
Cincinnati   Cleveland
A.J. Green Player Josh Gordon
7 Receptions 3
135 Yards 99
19.3 Avg Yards 33.0
2 Touchdowns 1
57 Long 71
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Cincinnati 438 76 362 3 1 1 2.0 1
Cleveland 328 110 218 4 2 3 2.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • Cleveland will play their next game on the road against Indianapolis. The Browns have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Cincinnati will play their next game at home against Pittsburgh. The Bengals have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.