One reason the Browns were able to destroy the Bengals on Sunday was because they kept making big plays. During Cleveland’s 41-16 win over Cincinnati, the Browns got three touchdowns that went for 60 yards or more.
The reason that’s notable is because it had been more than 50 years since any NFL team pulled off what the Browns accomplished: They got a passing touchdown, a rushing touchdown AND a defensive touchdown that all went for at least 60 yards, making the Browns just the fourth team in NFL history to get the 60-yard hat trick.
Before the Browns pulled off the feat against the Bengals, the last team to accomplish it came 54 years ago when the Chargers did it in a game all the way back in 1967. In 1966, two teams accomplished the feat (Kansas City and Washington) and along with the Chargers, those were the only three times it had ever happened before the Browns took the field on Sunday.
For the Browns, the big plays started early and then they just piled on from there. The first big play against the Bengals came on the opening possession of the game when Denzel Ward picked off Joe Burrow and then proceeded to return it 99 yards for a touchdown.
The pick-six helped push the Browns out to a 7-0 lead.
In the second quarter, the Browns tacked on another big play, but this time, it was their offense that made the magic happen. One play after the Bengals failed on a fourth-and-3, the Browns made them pay with a 60-yard touchdown pass from Baker Mayfield to Donovan Peoples-Jones.
That score gave the Browns a 21-7 lead.
With the Browns leading 24-10 in the third quarter, Nick Chubb closed out the big plays for the day by completely demoralizing the Bengals with a 70-yard scoring run.
The run by Chubb gave the Browns a 31-10 lead and at that point, it was pretty clear the Bengals weren’t going to be making a comeback.
The Browns’ win came in their first game since getting rid of Odell Beckham, which definitely didn’t go unnoticed in Cleveland’s locker room. After the win, Mayfield made sure to note that he trusts the guys who are “in the locker room.”
“We needed that win. Our whole locker room needed it. And they knew that. Played for each other,” Mayfield said, via ESPN.com. “I trust the guys in this locker room. When adversity hit, nobody flinched. It was a long week. I’d be lying if I said otherwise. But proud of these guys.”
Mayfield should be proud and that’s because not only did the Browns win, but they did something that no NFL team had accomplished in nearly 55 years.
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