CINCINNATI (AP) — Jake Browning threw three touchdown passes, Joe Mixon rushed for a season-high 111 yards and a score, and the Bengals got an easy 31-14 win over a Browns team resting most of its starters for the playoffs.
Locked in as the No. 5 seed in the AFC, Cleveland was content to play out the regular season with backups. The Browns play former Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Texans in Houston Saturday in the wild-card round (4:30 p.m./NBC).
Quarterback Joe Flacco, star defensive end Myles Garrett, receiver Amari Cooper and cornerback Denzel Ward were among the Browns’ starters who didn’t play.
Cincinnati finished at 9-8, its third straight season above .500, and every team in the AFC North had a winning record.