Cleveland Browns inside linebacker Karlos Dansby (56) and teammate Buster Skrine (22), a former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga cornerback, celebrate after the Browns defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 24-3 in their game on Nov. 6, 2014, in Cincinnati.CINCINNATI - Andy Dalton's harried look summed it up. Cleveland's defense was all over him all night long, turning an AFC North showdown into a shockingly one-sided matchup.
With every sack and every interception, the Browns showed they're for real. Former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga cornerback Buster Skrine made two of the pickoffs, totaling 30 yards in the returns, and broke up three other passes.
Cleveland improved on its best start in 20 years by taking full advantage of Dalton's miserable night Thursday, beating the Cincinnati Bengals 24-3 and ending one of its most enduring streaks of futility.
The Browns (6-3) moved into a first-place tie with Pittsburgh and snapped their streak of 17 straight losses to division opponents on the road. The last win? Also in Cincinnati, a 20-12 victory on Sept. 28, 2008.
Just like the Browns, the Bengals (5-3-1) were trying to break away from some bad franchise history. They've played some of their worst games in prime time and wanted to show they were finally ready to hold up under the national attention.
Instead, they crumbled along with their quarterback.
Dalton was 10-of-33 for 86 yards with three interceptions and two sacks. It was another big-game meltdown for the fourth-year quarterback, who has led his team to the playoffs three years in a row only to lose opening games all three times.
Cincinnati fell to 18-41 in prime time.
The game marked the first since 1986 - when Bernie Kosar and Boomer Esiason were the quarterbacks - that the intrastate rivals played with first place on the line so late in the season. The Browns won that one 34-3.
And they were in charge right from the start of this one, too.
Playing in a cold, gusty wind, Dalton was repeatedly off-target and made a big early mistake. His first pass was high and incomplete. His next one was intercepted by linebacker Craig Robertson, who returned it to the 18. Five plays later, Ben Tate went into the end zone from 4 yards for the lead.
It never got any better for Cincinnati, which self-destructed in a tone-setting first half.
Kevin Huber's 25-yard punt into the wind set up a 59-yard touchdown drive by the Browns, highlighted by Brian Hoyer's completions of 17 and 22 yards to Travis Benjamin. Isaiah Crowell carried the last two yards for a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter.
Billy Cundiff's 32-yard field goal made it 17-3 at halftime. It was Cleveland's biggest halftime lead in Cincinnati since 1994, when the Browns won 28-20.
The Browns essentially put it away late in the third quarter when Hoyer completed a 28-yard pass to tight end Gary Barnidge in the middle of tight coverage. Terrance West went in from a yard out for a 24-3 lead that sent some Bengals fans to the exits.
Cleveland rushed for 170 yards after managing only 158 in the last three games combined. West led the way with 94 yards on 26 carries. Hoyer was 15 of 23 for 198 yards.
The only good moments for the crowd of 65,871 came after the first quarter when 4-year-old Leah Still - daughter of defensive tackle Devon Still - was on the field for a check presentation. The girl is fighting cancer and flew in from Philadelphia to see her father play for the first time.
The Bengals raised more than $1 million for cancer research and treatment through sales of Still's No. 75 jersey. Still wrote "Leah Strong" on the eye black strip across his face, and police officers at the game had his No. 75 on the back of their uniforms.