Cleveland
Browns
0-1
24
FINAL
34
Cincinnati
Bengals
0-1
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 18 showdown, the Cincinnati Bengals topped the Cleveland Browns 34-24, solidifying their playoff positioning with a critical win. The stakes were high as both teams fought for momentum heading into the postseason, but it was the Bengals who emerged victorious in front of their home crowd.
Cincinnati’s offense was led by Joe Burrow, who threw for four touchdowns, showcasing his elite playmaking ability. Despite the efforts of Taylen Green, who amassed 358 passing yards for the Browns, it was Burrow's precision and timing that made the difference in crucial moments. Quinshon Judkins also contributed with a solid 74 rushing yards, but it was KC Concepcion Jr who stole the spotlight with 129 receiving yards, keeping Cleveland competitive throughout the contest.
Defensively, the Bengals were anchored by Antonio Hamilton Sr, who recorded eight total tackles, consistently putting pressure on the Browns' offense. The turning point came late in the third quarter when Burrow connected for a touchdown pass that extended the Bengals' lead, forcing Cleveland to play catch-up. Cashius Howell added a half-sack, but it was the overall defensive effort of Cincinnati that stifled the Browns' attempts to regain control, sealing their victory as they prepare for the challenges ahead.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taylen Green | QB | 42 | 31 | 74% | 358 | 3 | 0 | 122.9 |
| Joe Burrow | QB | 35 | 23 | 66% | 296 | 4 | 0 | 130.1 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quinshon Judkins | HB | 19 | 74 | 3.9 | — | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| Chase Brown | HB | 16 | 39 | 2.4 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Taylen Green | QB | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Samaje Perine | HB | 3 | 8 | 2.7 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Andrei Iosivas | WR | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| KC Concepcion Jr | WR | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Joe Burrow | QB | 4 | 3 | 0.8 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Mike Gesicki | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tee Higgins | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Burton | FB | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Harold Fannin Jr | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Royer | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jerry Jeudy | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KC Concepcion Jr | WR | 6 | 129 | 21.5 | 84 | 2 | 70 | 0 |
| Tee Higgins | WR | 6 | 92 | 15.3 | 20 | 1 | 25 | 0 |
| Mike Gesicki | TE | 8 | 87 | 10.9 | 20 | 1 | 28 | 0 |
| Ja'Marr Chase | WR | 4 | 84 | 21.0 | 22 | 2 | 38 | 0 |
| Harold Fannin Jr | TE | 6 | 66 | 11.0 | 29 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Jerry Jeudy | WR | 6 | 64 | 10.7 | 26 | 1 | 26 | 0 |
| Denzel Boston | WR | 5 | 57 | 11.4 | 9 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Joe Royer | TE | 3 | 22 | 7.3 | 14 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Andrei Iosivas | WR | 1 | 17 | 17.0 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Tylan Wallace | WR | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Erick All Jr | TE | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Michael Burton | FB | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Chase Brown | HB | 3 | 6 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Quinshon Judkins | HB | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antonio Hamilton Sr | CB | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Ronnie Hickman | FS | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryan Cook | FS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Allen | DT | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Demetrius Knight Jr | WILL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jeff Okudah | CB | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jared Verse | REDG | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carson Schwesinger | MIKE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyson Campbell | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jordan Battle | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oren Burks | WILL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cashius Howell | REDG | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dax Hill | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Emmanuel McNeil-Warren | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mason Graham | DT | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grant Delpit | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah | WILL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mekhi Blackmon | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Barrett Carter | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Boye Mafe | REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Denzel Ward | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quincy Williams | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Isaiah McGuire | REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swayze Bozeman | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shemar Stewart | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tacario Davis | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dexter Lawrence II | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| DJ Turner II | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daniel Thomas | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Damarri Mathis | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Wright | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evan McPherson | K | 2 | 2 | 4 | 27 |
| Andre Szmyt | K | 1 | 1 | 3 | 48 |
| Corey Bojorquez | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

