Getty Images Myles Garrett and Sione Takitaki of the Cleveland Browns celebrate after a defensive play.
Greg Newsome and the Cleveland Browns defense were happy to “shut up” the Cincinnati Bengals on a primetime stage Monday night after some preseason trash talk.
The Browns’ defense had their best performance of the season against their AFC North rival in the 32-13 thumping, limiting the usually potent Bengals offense to just 229 yards — a chunk of that coming with the game in hand.
Newsome was motivated by some offseason comments from Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who joined The Pivot podcast with fellow Cincy receivers Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins in August.
Chase was asked about some of the top cornerbacks he faced during his record-setting rookie season with the Bengals. He was quick to name Denzel Ward but also had some shade for the “s*** talking” Browns, particularly Newsome.
“It’s game time when we see them. It’s just on sight, that’s it,” Chase said. “Not just because Cleveland talk the most s***. Denzel Ward did his thing. Same for Greg Newsome. I don’t think he elite (Newsome), but they just talk crazy.”
Newsome — who had three tackles and some tight coverage against the Bengals — took those comments to heart.
“They know what we did last year and for them to talk like that, we had to shut them up again,” Newsome said after the win. “So we did that today.”
Browns Eager to See Bengals Later in Year
The Bengals have now lost eight of their last nine against the Browns and Joe Burrow is 0-4 against Cleveland. The Browns also won the first matchup last year 41-6 — the worst loss of the Bengals’ Super Bowl berth campaign.
It should be noted that the Bengals were playing without Chase, who is sidelined with a hip injury. If all goes as planned, he’ll be on the field when the teams face off for a second time on December 11.
“Those guys really wanted to get after them and they definitely had this one circled,” Myles Garrett said. “I think we all did as far as what they said about us and our defense and what they were going to do. And we can’t wait to see them again at their house.”
The Browns moved to 3-5 with the win and kept their season afloat. With the AFC North still a tight race, that December date with the Bengals could have some additional meaning and it will come with QB Deshaun Watson under center.
“They’ve had our number the last couple of years,” Burrow said. “They always play well against us, they have real good players in defense and are really well coached.”
Browns Defense Coming to Life After Miserable Start
The Browns’ defense was missing multiple key pieces against the Bengals, most notably Ward — who missed a third consecutive game due to a concussion — and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. They’ve also lost two starting LBs to season-ending injuries in Anthony Walker Jr. and Jacob Phillips.
After starting the year with some very poor performances, the unit has bounced back in the last two weeks, with Garrett spearheading the turnaround. He had 1.5 sacks against the Bengals and set the tone.
“It has to be routine. It has to be the standard,” Garrett said. “We have to make sure that everything we did leading up to this game is the same the week after this one. We wave what it takes. We have taken our lumps, but we will show what we have and our dedication to the game and what it takes to get wins in this league because they don’t come easily.
“Right now, to get a win like this, and in a dominant fashion, it is showing the guys how good we can really be.”
The Browns can enjoy the spoils of victory as they head into the bye week but have to quickly gear up for some big matchups against the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.