Cleveland
Browns
5-11
38
FINAL
33
Cincinnati
Bengals
5-11
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 18 showdown, the Cleveland Browns narrowly defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 38-33, solidifying their playoff hopes in the 2026 season. With both teams fighting for postseason positioning, the stakes were high in this divisional clash that kept fans on the edge of their seats until the final whistle.
Cleveland's Shedeur Sanders put on a show through the air, throwing for 366 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Browns' offense with precision and poise. Quinshon Judkins contributed with a solid ground game, rushing for 63 yards, while Ja'Marr Chase of the Bengals showcased his prowess with an impressive 200 receiving yards, keeping Cincinnati in the hunt throughout the game.
Defensively, the Browns made pivotal plays when it mattered most. Jared Verse recorded 1.5 sacks, disrupting the Bengals' rhythm and applying pressure on their quarterback, while Grant Delpit's interception shifted momentum back to Cleveland during a critical moment in the game. The combination of timely defensive stands and Sanders' explosive offensive performance proved to be the difference in this tightly contested matchup.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shedeur Sanders | QB | 45 | 28 | 62% | 366 | 4 | 0 | 117.4 |
| Joe Burrow | QB | 41 | 20 | 49% | 334 | 3 | 2 | 80.7 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quinshon Judkins | HB | 20 | 63 | 3.1 | 23 | 1 | 29 | 0 |
| Chase Brown | HB | 14 | 51 | 3.6 | 17 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Dylan Sampson | HB | 4 | 27 | 6.8 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| Samaje Perine | HB | 2 | 25 | 12.5 | 16 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Joe Burrow | QB | 5 | 23 | 4.6 | — | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| Shedeur Sanders | QB | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Tahj Brooks | HB | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Ja'Marr Chase | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tee Higgins | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harold Fannin Jr | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ja'Marr Chase | WR | 7 | 200 | 28.6 | 100 | 2 | 69 | 0 |
| Jerry Jeudy | WR | 8 | 153 | 19.1 | 47 | 3 | 46 | 0 |
| Tee Higgins | WR | 7 | 99 | 14.1 | 22 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| Harold Fannin Jr | TE | 6 | 93 | 15.5 | 37 | 0 | 32 | 1 |
| Kayshon Boutte | WR | 6 | 90 | 15.0 | 21 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| Mike Gesicki | TE | 3 | 15 | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Mitchell Tinsley | WR | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 7 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Quinshon Judkins | HB | 3 | 15 | 5.0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Joe Royer | TE | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Deebo Samuel Sr | WR | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | — | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Brady Russell | FB | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Andrei Iosivas | WR | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | — | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Dylan Sampson | HB | 2 | -2 | -1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denzel Ward | CB | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Barrett Carter | MIKE | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grant Delpit | SS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jared Verse | REDG | 4 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryan Cook | FS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tacario Davis | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dax Hill | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joey Bosa | REDG | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyson Campbell | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyle Dugger | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ronnie Hickman | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah | WILL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carson Schwesinger | MIKE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yetur Gross-Matos | LEDG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Allen | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Demetrius Knight Jr | WILL | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DJ Turner II | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob Phillips | SAM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jordan Battle | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mason Graham | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Giles-Harris | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cashius Howell | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dexter Lawrence II | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Boye Mafe | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Hall Jr | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nathaniel Watson | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quincy Williams | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ar'Darius Washington | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evan McPherson | K | 1 | 2 | 2 | 31 |
| Corey Bojorquez | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trey Smack | K | 1 | 1 | 5 | 21 |

