Question: How many lightbulbs can A.J. Green change without a ladder? Answer: All of them – because he IS the ladder. The Green Ladder.
Bengals rookie WR - The Green Ladder.
Look, we leaned three important facts yesterday. One, smoking-hot Faith Hill looks better and better each week on that Sunday Night Football intro. Damn. Two, the Cincinnati Bengals, who can play tit-for-tat with the NFL’s best teams (see Pittsburgh and Baltimore games), unfortunately do the same with NFL middle-of-the-roaders, too, like Cleveland. Three, A.J. Green is simply a stud. Damn.
Green’s week-one catch to beat the Browns was routine. His ladder-climbing catch yesterday was anything but, as the Bengals rookie WR Green skied to haul in an Andy Dalton pass across the middle of the field. Green caught the ball at the 30-yard line and was run out of bounds at the 2. The Bengals (7-4) settled for Mike Nugent’s 26-yard game-winning a field and another come-from-behind win, 23-20.
After trailing the entire game, the Bengals erased 17-7 and 20-10 deficits to beat their intra-state rivals to go 7-4 on the season. The victory marks the third time this season the Bengals won after trailing by 10 or more points at the intermission, tying the NFL’s single-season record that was set by the Chiefs in 1980 and matched by four teams since then (including the Lions this season).
The Browns blitzed on third-and-8, and Dalton threw it down the middle just before he got hit. Green adjusted, leaped high above cornerback Joe Haden for the catch at the 30-yard line, then kept going until he was pushed out at the 2.
The Green Ladder skies for game-winning grab over helpless Cleveland defense.
The Green Ladder’s game-turning play gave him 110 yards against the Browns, who along with the Steelers had been the only teams in the NFL that hadn’t allowed a 100-yard receiving game. For the second time in three games, a botched snap cost Cleveland an opportunity to take a late lead. Phil Dawson was well short on a 55-yard try with 1:51 left after the snap skipped along the ground.
Dawson had already connected from 32 and 54 yards, his longest field goal of the season. On this one, he never had a chance. Only weeks earlier, the Browns had the same thing happen. A bad snap caused Dawson to miss a 22-yard kick with 2:13 left, allowing St. Louis to close out a 13-12 win in Cleveland.
Down 20-10 late in the third quarter, Dalton helped the Bengals get a win that kept them in the thick of the playoff chase. He was 21 of 31 for 270 yards and his 16th touchdown pass of the season, topping Greg Cook for the Bengals rookie record. Cedric Benson carried 21 times for 106 yards, his second 100-yard game against the Browns.
McCoy was 16 of 34 for 151 yards with a pair of touchdowns. His fourth-down pass was knocked away at midfield with 10 seconds to go, sealing Cincinnati’s win.
The win keeps the Bengals in the thick of playoff contention as they prepare to travel to Pittsburgh next week.
