Tyler Eifert and Andy Dalton combined three times as Cincinnati Bengals beat Ohio rivals Cleveland Browns 31-10 to become the first AFC North team ever to win their first eight matches of the season.
Browns started well by securing the first down but after their play was subsequently broken up it was the hosts who scored first when Dalton found Eifert for a nine-yard touchdown.
The visitors responded well and drove the conference leaders back, but the Bengals' defence held firm against a 71-yard drive to the redzone to restrict Browns to a 27-yard field goal through Travis Coons.
Bengals went searching into the Browns backfield again in the second quarter and though a Desmond Bryant sack ended a drive shortly after the restart, the hosts found their second touchdown minutes later.
Another Cincinnati drive which started from the Browns' three-yard line was kept alive by an offside call against Randy Starks on the fourth down, and the 80-yard move was finished off when Dalton again found Eifert in the endzone.
Johnny Manziel, in at quarterback for the Browns with Josh McCown injured, produced a fine play with 19 seconds left of the half when he span right and fired to Duke Johnson to complete a 92-yard touchdown drive and reduce the deficit to 14-10.
The third quarter began with an successful Cincinnati challenge on a spot on a Manziel scramble, but after Nate Orchard tackled Dalton on a third down run, they had to settle for adding just three points to their lead courtesy of a 28-yard Mike Nugent field goal.
Bengals got their third touchdown of the night early in the fourth quarter as Mohamed Sanu scored from 25 yards out on reverse.
The unprecedented eighth win was crowned with just under eight minutes to play when Dalton found Eifert for a third time with a 19-yard pass and the tight end beat Tramon Williams to score his hat-trick touchdown.
Tom Nightingale
