CINCINNATI — A regular-season finale unlike any other in Browns history took place Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals .
For the first time in franchise history, or at least since they came back into the league in 1999, the Browns went into a game being able to rest several key players because they had a playoff spot locked up. So that's what they did against the Bengals, who played their starters deep into the third quarter in a 31-14 win.
The Browns (11-6) will be the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs. They will head to Houston on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. to face the Texans (10-7), who won the AFC South when the Jacksonville Jaguars lost 28-20 to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
The Texans had set up the opportunity on Saturday night by beating the Indianapolis Colts 23-19 in Indianapolis.
The NFL was to announce the exact date and time of the opening-round matchup later Sunday evening.
The 101st edition of the "Battle of Ohio" was reduced to the Browns playing a bunch of backups , including Jeff Driskel , their fifth starting quarterback, and the Bengals (9-8) playing for pride and a winning record. Not exactly the stakes some thought might ride on the game when they opened the season against each other in Cleveland , a 24-3 Browns win.
That game featured Deshaun Watson and Joe Burrow as the quarterback matchup. When the teams met in Sunday's rematch, it was Driskel against Jake Browning .
Driskel did throw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to David Bell to make the final score look respectable. The quarterback, who was starting because starter Joe Flacco was given the day off, finished 13-of-26 passing for 166 yards with two touchdowns, two interceptions and a 63.9 passer rating.
Browning finished 18-of-24 passing for 156 yards with three touchdowns, an interception and a 113.9 passer rating. Running back Joe Mixon added 111 rushing yards plus touchdowns both rushing and receiving for Cincinnati.
The seasons for Watson and Burrow both ended with injuries in games at the AFC North champion Baltimore Ravens . Watson sustained a broken bone in his shoulder in a Week 10 Browns win there, while Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury literally four days after Watson's injury in a Week 11 Bengals loss at Baltimore.
Follow along here as the Browns put the regular season to bed before turning their attention to the playoffs.
The Browns finally got on the board with 8:45 remaining when David Bell pulled in a 31-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jeff Driskel. The pass came on fourth and 4 and pulled Cleveland to within 31-7.
The drive, though, was costly. Rookie Cedric Tillman needed assistance walking off the field after taking a big hit on an 18-yard catch, after which he remained down for several moments and was later taken to the locker room to be evaluated for a head injury.
Later in the drive, running back Pierre Strong Jr . limped off the field. After several minutes talking with trainers, he was carted back to the locker room with a back injury.
The Browns backups trail the Cincinnati Bengals 31-0 with just 15 minutes remaining in the regular season. The Bengals have a 322-120 edge in total yards.
Quarterback Jake Browning found receiver Andrei Iosivas for the second time in the end zone to give the Bengals a 31-0 lead with 3:32 remaining in the third quarter. This time, it was a 7-yard pass.
The scoring strike capped a 99-yard drive by Cincinnati. It took 14 plays and 8:12 of clock time.
The Browns managed to get on the Bengals' side of the field at the end of the first half. However, they couldn't get points because time ran out before they could spike the ball at the Cincinnati 28 after a 14-yard pass to Jordan Akins in the middle of the field.
The Bengals, who have played their starters while the Browns rested almost all of theirs, have a 241-71 edge in total yards.
The Bengals turned Logan Wilson 's interception of Browns quarterback Jeff Driskel into a 45-yard field goal with 1:55 remaining in the first half. It pushed the Cincinnati lead out to 24-0 over Cleveland.
The Browns were hoping to get out of Cincinnati healthy heading into the playoffs. Right before the two-minute warning in the first half, that hope went out the window when defensive tackle Shelby Harris left with a shin injury.
Harris threw his helmet to the ground as he walked toward the medical tent. After briefly going in there, he was taken to the locker room.
Harris was questionable to return.
Jeff Driskel's first start for the Browns has not been a good one, even considering the circumstances of who was or was not playing. Driskel was 3 of 8 for 23 yards through six possessions with two interceptions, including one by linebacker Logan Wilson with 3:14 remaining in the first half.
The Browns' backup defense finally forced a punt on Cincinnati's fifth possession. However, the key to the sequence was the fact the Bengals were pinned back on their own 4 by the punt from Corey Bojorquez.
Bojorquez uncorked a 51-yard punt to flip the field and give the Cleveland defense a chance.
The Bengals are already over 200 total yards as they have opened up a 21-0 lead with 9:19 remaining in the second quarter against the Browns backups. Quarterback Jake Browning hit Andrei Iosivas for a 3-yard touchdown pass.
Cincinnati has a 224-0 edge in total yards.
The Bengals starters are leading the Browns backups 14-0. Cleveland has zero net yards of offense, compared to 159 for Cincinnati
Jeff Driskel is 2-of-4 passing for 5 yards as the Browns quarterback. Driskel has been sacked twice.
Joe Mixon ran for the Bengals' first touchdown on a short run on their second possession. He jump-started their third drive with a 44-yard run through Cleveland's defense, which had most of its starters not even dressed Sunday.
The drive concluded with Mixon catching a 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jake Browning. It gave Cincinnati a 14-0 lead with 48 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Bengals didn't turn it over on their second drive. That allowed them to put the first points on the board.
Running back Joe Mixon scored on a 1-yard run with 6:07 left in the first quarter. The score, giving the Bengals a 7-0 lead, capped a 7-play, 60-yard drive.
The Bengals were moving the ball on the Browns defense, which was almost exclusively backup players. Bell stepped in front of the pass from quarterback Jake Browning and, after tipping it in the air to himself, came down with the ball at the Browns 33.
The starting lineup for the Browns on defense was this:
Defensive end: Isaiah McGuire
Defensive tackle: Jordan Elliott
Defensive tackle: Shelby Harris
Defensive end: Alex Wright
Linebacker: Tony Fields II
Linebacker: Matthew Adams
Linebacker: Mohamoud Diabate
Cornerback: Vincent Gray
Safety: D'Anthony Bell
Safety: Ronnie Hickman
Cornerback: Kahlef Hailassie
Jeff Driskel got the football first as the fifth starting quarterback for the Browns this season. His first pass was intercepted at the Cincinnati 45 by safety Jordan Battle .
This was the preseason-like starting offense for the Browns:
Quarterback: Jeff Driskel
Running back: Pierre Strong Jr.
Tight end: Harrison Bryant
Wide receiver: Elijah Moore
Wide receiver: David Bell
Wide receiver: James Proche II
Left tackle: Geron Christian
Left guard; Michael Dunn
Center: Nick Harris
Right guard: Luke Wypler
Right tackle: James Hudson III
The Browns' essentially-meaningless regular-season finale at the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday made for an all-star inactive list. Almost all of the names, though, were known before they even left Cleveland a day earlier.
The seven players listed are cornerback Greg Newsome II, safety Juan Thornhill , receiver Amari Cooper, receiver Marquise Goodwin , kicker Dustin Hopkins , cornerback Mike Ford Jr. and defensive end Myles Garrett. Garrett (shoulder, hamstring), Cooper (heel), Newsome (knee), Ford (calf), Thornhill (calf) and Hopkins (left hamstring) were all ruled out on Friday afternoon.
Goodwin was listed as questionable on Friday with a knee injury. He was downgraded to out on Sunday.
Receiver Elijah Moore cleared concussion protocol and was first in line as the receivers took throws from the quarterbacks. He was listed as questionable coming into the game.
Those seven, though, won't be the only Browns players who won't play against Cincinnati as they try to rest up for next weekend's AFC wild card round. Quarterback Joe Flacco was also ruled out, but remains active as the No. 3 quarterback behind starter Jeff Driskel and backup P.J. Walker .
That was the only other player who the Browns have announced won't play. Players such as left guard Joel Bitonio and cornerback Denzel Ward would certainly look to be among those to get the day off.
TV channel: CBS WOIO-TV (Channel 19)
Stream: Paramount+ , Fubo (free trial) .
Announcers: Tom McCarthy (play-by-play), James Lofton (analyst), Jay Feely (analyst) and Tiffany Blackmon (sideline reporter).
The Cleveland Browns Radio Network will carry the game, with Jim Donovan (play-by-play), Nathan Zegura (analyst) and Je'Rod Cherry (sideline reporter) on the call. Among the affiliates in the Akron-Canton area are WAKR-AM 1590, WONE-FM 97.5, WHBC-AM 1480, WQKT-FM 104.5, WKRK-FM 92.3, WKNR-AM 850 and WNCX-FM 98.5. It can also be heard on Sirius/XM, either on channel 138 or 381.
The Browns have also started a Spanish-language broadcast, with Rafael "Rafa" Hernández-Brito (play-by-play) and Octavio Sequera (analyst) on the call. Games will be streamed on La Mega Cleveland , as well as heard on WNZN-FM 89.1 in Lorain and WVKO-FM 103.1 in Columbus.
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook ; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 5 p.m. ET, Saturday.
Moneyline (ML): Browns +275 (bet $100 to win $275) | Bengals -345 (bet $345 to win $100)
Against the spread: Browns +7 (-115) | Bengals -7 (-115)
Over/Under (O/U): 37O: -110 | U: -110)
Browns: Defensive end Myles Garrett (shoulder, hamstring), out; safety Juan Thornhill (calf), out; kicker Dustin Hopkins (left hamstring), out; punter Corey Bojorquez (left quad), questionable; receiver Amari Cooper (heel), out; receiver Marquise Goodwin (knee), questionable; linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk (calf), questionable; cornerback Mike Ford Jr. (calf), out; receiver Elijah Moore (concussion), questionable; cornerback Greg Newsome II (knee), out
Bengals: Receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring), doubtful; cornerback Jalen Davis (groin), questionable; cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (shoulder, calf), questionable
The Browns improved to 11-5 and clinched their first playoff berth since 2020 — and third since returning to the league in 1999 — with a 37-20 win over the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Cleveland raced out to a 27-7 first-half lead and turned it over to its defense from there. Quarterback Joe Flacco threw for 309 yards, including 296 first-half yards, and three touchdowns for his fourth consecutive 300-yard passing game as the Browns' starter. Safety Ronnie Hickman added the Browns' third defensive score of the season, a 30-yard interception return to open up a two-score first-quarter lead they never relinquished.
The Bengals fell to 8-8 this season and saw their playoff hopes end with a 25-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. Cincinnati jumped out to a 17-7 first-half lead. However, the Chiefs mustered six Harrison Butker field goals, including four in the second half, to rally for the win. Quarterback Jake Browning threw for 197 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for a touchdown, for the Bengals. However, the Chiefs sacked him on back-to-back plays on the final Cincinnati series to essentially end its hopes for a win.
Sunday's game will be the 101st meeting between the Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals. The series dates back to 1970, two years after the Bengals founding by former Massillon, Ohio State and Browns coach Paul Brown, who also was Cincinnati's first head coach.
Overall: Bengals 52-48
In regular season: Bengals 52-48
In playoffs:N/A
In Cleveland: Browns 30-20
In Cincinnati: Bengals 32-18
Streak: Browns won the last meeting
Last meeting: Browns won 24-3 in Cleveland on Sept. 24, 2023
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns backups drop season finale to Cincinnati Bengals
