National Football League
Washington 38, Cleveland 21
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 16, 2012
Where: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Temperature: 58°
Head Official: Bill Vinocich
Attendance: 65083

Redskins 38, Browns 21:
Kirk Cousins went 26-of-37 for 329 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Alfred Morris ran for two scores as visiting Washington won its fifth straight despite being without Robert Griffin III.

Morris finished with 87 yards on 27 carries and Leonard Hankerson caught a pair of touchdown passes for the Redskins (8-6), who pulled even with the New York Giants (8-6) for first place in the NFC East. Washington plays at Philadelphia next week before finishing up the regular season by hosting Dallas.

Griffin (knee) practiced on a limited basis during the week but was left inactive by the Redskins. Fellow rookie Cousins threw an interception that led to a touchdown early in the first quarter but settled down after that, finding Hankerson for a 54-yard touchdown later in the first.

Cleveland took a 14-10 lead into the half but Brandon Weeden was intercepted on the second play of the third quarter and Washington needed only three plays to put Morris in the end zone with the go-ahead score. Hankerson caught his second touchdown pass on the next drive and Evan Royster rushed in for a 4-yard score with 11:19 left to make it a 31-14 gap.

Weeden went 21-of-35 for 244 yards, one TD and two interceptions while Trent Richardson rushed for a pair of scores for the Browns, who had their three-game winning streak snapped.

GAME NOTEBOOK:
Cleveland was attempting to win four straight for the first time since the 2009 campaign. … Washington owns the tiebreaker over both the Giants and the Cowboys in the East because they are 2-1 in games played between those teams. … The Redskins are assured of at least a .500 finish for the first time since 2008.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Washington   Cleveland
Alfred Morris Player Trent Richardson
27 Attempts 11
87 Yards 28
3.2 Avg Yards 2.6
2 Touchdowns 2
11 Long 14
Receiving
Washington   Cleveland
Pierre Garcon Player Greg Little
6 Receptions 5
65 Yards 74
10.8 Avg Yards 14.8
0 Touchdowns 0
17 Long 30
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Washington 430 122 308 5 1 2 2.0 1
Cleveland 291 58 233 3 0 1 2.0 2
Upcoming Games
  • Cleveland will play their next game on the road against Denver. The Browns have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Washington will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia. The Redskins have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.