NFL game summary for 10/17/1971:
Bo Scott registered the last of his three TDs in the final half-minute to give the Browns a victory and a two-game lead in the Central AFC. Cleveland had trailed 24-13 with nine minutes to play. Essex Johnson scored two TDs for Cincinnati in the second half in which he carried 15 times for 98 yards.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 128.2 (14) | 203.8 (2) | 332.0 (4) | 12 |
| DEFENSE | 112.5 (9) | 130.2 (6) | 242.8 (7) | 17 | |
 | OFFENSE | 142.0 (11) | 181.2 (8) | 323.2 (5) | 5 |
| DEFENSE | 126.5 (15) | 181.8 (20) | 308.2 (17) | 11 |
Line: Browns by 7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns (4-1-0) | 0 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 27 |
| Cincinnati Bengals (1-4-0) | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
( 0- 7) CIN Paul Robinson 10 yard rush (Horst Muhlmann kick)
( 3- 7) CLE Don Cockroft 35 yard field goal
( 3-10) CIN Horst Muhlmann 12 yard field goal
( 6-10) CLE Don Cockroft 22 yard field goal
( 6-17) CIN Essex Johnson 3 yard rush (Horst Muhlmann kick)
(13-17) CLE Bo Scott 3 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick)
(13-24) CIN Essex Johnson 49 yard rush (Horst Muhlmann kick)
(20-24) CLE Bo Scott 7 yard pass from Bill Nelsen (Don Cockroft kick)
(27-24) CLE Bo Scott 4 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick)
CLE CIN
First Downs: 17 15
Rushes-yards: 26-64 40-232
Yards/rush: 2.5 5.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 18-35-213-2 10-22-122-1
Sacked-yards: 1-8 2-15
Net pass yards: 205 107
Net yards/pass: 5.7 4.5
Total net yards: 269 339
Total plays: 62 (41% run) 64 (62% run)
Yards/play: 4.3 5.3
Fumbles-lost: 1-1 3-1
Turnovers: 3 2
Penalties-yards: 4-42 6-51
Attendance: 60,284
Passing:
CLE: Bill Nelsen, 18 of 34 for 213 yards and 1 TD (2 int); Leroy Kelly, 0 of 1 for 0 yards CIN: Ken Anderson, 10 of 21 for 122 yards (1 int); Fred Willis, 0 of 1 for 0 yards
Rushing:
CLE: Bo Scott, 14 for 42 yards and 2 TDs; Leroy Kelly, 11 for 24 yards; Bo Cornell, 1 for -2 yards CIN: Essex Johnson, 15 for 98 yards and 2 TDs; Jess Phillips, 13 for 87 yards; Paul Robinson, 4 for 34 yards and 1 TD; Ken Anderson, 4 for 9 yards; Fred Willis, 3 for 2 yards; Dave Lewis, 1 for 2 yards
Receiving:
CLE: Milt Morin, 8 for 97 yards; Fair Hooker, 3 for 73 yards; Bo Scott, 3 for 1 yard and 1 TD; Gary Collins, 2 for 24 yards; Leroy Kelly, 2 for 18 yards CIN: Bob Trumpy, 3 for 43 yards; Chip Myers, 3 for 43 yards; Jess Phillips, 3 for 31 yards; Essex Johnson, 1 for 5 yards
Kick returns:
CLE: Ken Brown, 1 for 34 yards CIN: Lemar Parrish, 4 for 84 yards; Essex Johnson, 1 for 21 yards
Punt returns:
CLE: Leroy Kelly, 4 for 37 yards
Interceptions:
CLE: Dale Lindsey, 1 for 29 yards CIN: Lemar Parrish, 1 for 0 yards; Fletcher Smith, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 4 for 179 yards CIN: Dave Lewis, 5 for 236 yards
Field Goals:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 2/3 CIN: Horst Muhlmann, 1/1
CLE: Bill Nelsen, 18 of 34 for 213 yards and 1 TD (2 int); Leroy Kelly, 0 of 1 for 0 yards CIN: Ken Anderson, 10 of 21 for 122 yards (1 int); Fred Willis, 0 of 1 for 0 yards
Rushing:
CLE: Bo Scott, 14 for 42 yards and 2 TDs; Leroy Kelly, 11 for 24 yards; Bo Cornell, 1 for -2 yards CIN: Essex Johnson, 15 for 98 yards and 2 TDs; Jess Phillips, 13 for 87 yards; Paul Robinson, 4 for 34 yards and 1 TD; Ken Anderson, 4 for 9 yards; Fred Willis, 3 for 2 yards; Dave Lewis, 1 for 2 yards
Receiving:
CLE: Milt Morin, 8 for 97 yards; Fair Hooker, 3 for 73 yards; Bo Scott, 3 for 1 yard and 1 TD; Gary Collins, 2 for 24 yards; Leroy Kelly, 2 for 18 yards CIN: Bob Trumpy, 3 for 43 yards; Chip Myers, 3 for 43 yards; Jess Phillips, 3 for 31 yards; Essex Johnson, 1 for 5 yards
Kick returns:
CLE: Ken Brown, 1 for 34 yards CIN: Lemar Parrish, 4 for 84 yards; Essex Johnson, 1 for 21 yards
Punt returns:
CLE: Leroy Kelly, 4 for 37 yards
Interceptions:
CLE: Dale Lindsey, 1 for 29 yards CIN: Lemar Parrish, 1 for 0 yards; Fletcher Smith, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 4 for 179 yards CIN: Dave Lewis, 5 for 236 yards
Field Goals:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 2/3 CIN: Horst Muhlmann, 1/1