Bengals Take a Win When Browns Can’t, 23-21

The Cincinnati Bengals finally won, but it would be more accurate to say the Cleveland Browns lost.

The Browns had four chances to win the game, the last when Eric Thomas blocked Matt Stover’s 34-yard field goal attempt on the final play Sunday to preserve the Bengals’ 23-21 victory.

“Unbelievable!” Cincinnati tackle Anthony Munoz said as the Bengals celebrated as if they clinched a playoff spot. “To get a win, no matter how. . . . “

Jim Breech’s third field goal of the game, a 38-yarder with 13:41 left, gave the Bengals (1-8) their winning points.

Kevin Mack, who scored all three Cleveland touchdowns, fumbled the ball away at the Bengals’ 16 with five minutes left. Stover, who made his previous 10 field goals, hit the left upright from 47 yards away with 1:56 to play.

“It could have gone through from 60,” Stover said of his 47-yarder. “There was a wind blowing from right to left. The ball just hooked a little bit to the left.”

Sure-handed Brian Brennan dropped what would have been a touchdown pass from Bernie Kosar one play before Thomas blocked Stover’s final kick. Kosar drove the Browns (4-5) to the Cincinnati 17 in the final minute. Brennan got open in the corner of the end zone, but dropped Kosar’s pass with seven seconds left.

One play later, Thomas became a hero.

Boomer Esiason threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Mike Dingle and a 34-yarder to Eddie Brown to rally Cincinnati.

Esiason completed 18 of 30 passes for 185 yards, and Harold Green ran 24 times for 135 yards.

The Browns went ahead, 14-3, in the second quarter on Mack’s touchdown runs of four and two yards. Esiason’s scoring pass to Dingle--the rookie’s first NFL reception--and Breech’s 38-yard field goal with 29 seconds left in the half to cut the deficit to 14-13.

Esiason put the Bengals ahead, 20-14, with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Brown on Cincinnati’s first possession of the second half.

The Browns regained the lead, 21-20, on Mack’s two-yard scoring run.

Kosar completed 19 of 31 passes for 285 yards, leaving him one pass shy of Bart Starr’s NFL record of 294 without an interception.