Bengals Run Over Bills With Beer Truck, 23-17

Chicago may have the Refrigerator, but Cincinnati has the Brew.

Larry Kinnebrew, a 270-pound fullback, made a big slash in the rain Sunday, rushing for 128 yards in 30 carries and scoring on a two-yard plunge to help the Bengals defeat the Buffalo Bills, 23-17.

“Brew’s pretty good,” said Bengal offensive guard Max Montoya. “He’s like a runaway beer truck.”

Kinnebrew said the pelting rain at Rich Stadium worked to his advantage. “When the field is wet like this, you can run straight at them,” said Kinnebrew, who made his first start following a hand injury that sidelined him for four games. “There’s not too much cutting, and it’s hard for the defense to get its footing.”

Kinnebrew keyed a ball-control Cincinnati offense that had the ball 40:37 to Buffalo’s 19:23. The Bengals held a 207-89 advantage in rushing while improving to 4-5 and dropping the Bills to 1-8.

“We knew coming in we were going to use Kinnebrew a lot because of the weather,” said Bengal quarterback Boomer Esiason, who threw two touchdown passes. “We outweighed them 30 pounds a man across the offensive line and you’ve got to use that.”

After the Bills went ahead, 10-0, the Bengals came back to take a 13-10 lead in the third quarter. Esiason teamed with rookie Eddie Brown on a 68-yard touchdown bomb in the second quarter and passed to tight end M.L. Harris for a 22-yard touchdown in the third.

Esiason finished with 11 completions in 21 attempts for 193 passing yards.

In the fourth quarter, Kinnebrew, a third-year pro from Tennessee State, capped a 65-yard, six-minute drive with his touchdown plunge. Buffalo’s Anthony Steels fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Bengals converted that turnover when Jim Breech kicked a 31-yard field goal to make it 23-10.

Buffalo’s scores came on a 14-yard touchdown run by Greg Bell, a 43-yard field goal by Scott Norwood and a five-yard touchdown pass from reserve quarterback Bruce Mathison to tight end Eason Ramson with two seconds to play in the game. Mathison replaced starter Vince Ferragamo in the fourth quarter.