NFL game summary for 10/01/1972:
Leroy Kelly rushed for 83 yards on 22 carries and moved into fifth place on the all-time NFL ball-carrying list. It represented a move from 10th place at the start of the 1971 season. The Browns' Frank Pitts caught four passes for 105 yards including a 68-yard TD pass from Mike Phipps.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 183.5 (2) | 129.5 (19) | 313.0 (11) | 4 |
| DEFENSE | 64.0 (1) | 107.0 (5) | 171.0 (1) | 6 | |
 | OFFENSE | 108.5 (17) | 134.0 (15) | 242.5 (19) | 5 |
| DEFENSE | 105.5 (7) | 196.5 (20) | 302.0 (15) | 4 |
Line: n/a
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals (2-1-0) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Cleveland Browns (2-1-0) | 10 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 27 |
( 0- 7) CLE Leroy Kelly 2 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick)
( 0-10) CLE Don Cockroft 31 yard field goal
( 3-10) CIN Horst Muhlmann 26 yard field goal
( 3-13) CLE Don Cockroft 30 yard field goal
( 6-13) CIN Horst Muhlmann 14 yard field goal
( 6-20) CLE Frank Pitts 68 yard pass from Mike Phipps (Don Cockroft kick)
( 6-27) CLE Bob Briggs 11 yard fumble return (Don Cockroft kick)
CIN CLE
First Downs: 19 14
Rushes-yards: 30-128 34-109
Yards/rush: 4.3 3.2
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 21-43-221-2 12-24-198-0
Sacked-yards: 1-18 2-18
Net pass yards: 203 180
Net yards/pass: 4.6 6.9
Total net yards: 331 289
Total plays: 74 (40% run) 60 (56% run)
Yards/play: 4.5 4.8
Fumbles-lost: 2-2 2-0
Turnovers: 4 0
Penalties-yards: 1-5 4-50
Attendance: 81,564
Passing:
CIN: Ken Anderson, 21 of 43 for 221 yards (2 int) CLE: Mike Phipps, 12 of 24 for 198 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
CIN: Essex Johnson, 15 for 71 yards; Jess Phillips, 6 for 25 yards; Fred Willis, 5 for 11 yards; Ken Anderson, 2 for 18 yards; Doug Dressler, 2 for 3 yards CLE: Leroy Kelly, 22 for 83 yards and 1 TD; Ken Brown, 11 for 28 yards; Mike Phipps, 1 for -2 yards
Receiving:
CIN: Jess Phillips, 5 for 30 yards; Chip Myers, 4 for 50 yards; Bob Trumpy, 4 for 28 yards; Speedy Thomas, 3 for 43 yards; Essex Johnson, 2 for 51 yards; Fred Willis, 1 for 9 yards; Doug Dressler, 1 for 5 yards; Drew Buie, 1 for 5 yards CLE: Frank Pitts, 4 for 105 yards and 1 TD; Fair Hooker, 4 for 47 yards; Milt Morin, 2 for 34 yards; Ken Brown, 1 for 15 yards; Leroy Kelly, 1 for -3 yards
Kick returns:
CIN: Lemar Parrish, 2 for 43 yards; Bernard Jackson, 1 for 22 yards CLE: Reece Morrison, 1 for 32 yards; Ken Brown, 1 for 22 yards
Punt returns:
CIN: Tommy Casanova, 3 for 23 yards; Lemar Parrish, 2 for 22 yards CLE: Thom Darden, 2 for 14 yards
Interceptions:
CLE: Mike Howell, 1 for 1 yard; Ben Davis, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
CIN: Dave Lewis, 5 for 229 yards CLE: Don Cockroft, 8 for 361 yards
Field Goals:
CIN: Horst Muhlmann, 2/4 CLE: Don Cockroft, 2/3
CIN: Ken Anderson, 21 of 43 for 221 yards (2 int) CLE: Mike Phipps, 12 of 24 for 198 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
CIN: Essex Johnson, 15 for 71 yards; Jess Phillips, 6 for 25 yards; Fred Willis, 5 for 11 yards; Ken Anderson, 2 for 18 yards; Doug Dressler, 2 for 3 yards CLE: Leroy Kelly, 22 for 83 yards and 1 TD; Ken Brown, 11 for 28 yards; Mike Phipps, 1 for -2 yards
Receiving:
CIN: Jess Phillips, 5 for 30 yards; Chip Myers, 4 for 50 yards; Bob Trumpy, 4 for 28 yards; Speedy Thomas, 3 for 43 yards; Essex Johnson, 2 for 51 yards; Fred Willis, 1 for 9 yards; Doug Dressler, 1 for 5 yards; Drew Buie, 1 for 5 yards CLE: Frank Pitts, 4 for 105 yards and 1 TD; Fair Hooker, 4 for 47 yards; Milt Morin, 2 for 34 yards; Ken Brown, 1 for 15 yards; Leroy Kelly, 1 for -3 yards
Kick returns:
CIN: Lemar Parrish, 2 for 43 yards; Bernard Jackson, 1 for 22 yards CLE: Reece Morrison, 1 for 32 yards; Ken Brown, 1 for 22 yards
Punt returns:
CIN: Tommy Casanova, 3 for 23 yards; Lemar Parrish, 2 for 22 yards CLE: Thom Darden, 2 for 14 yards
Interceptions:
CLE: Mike Howell, 1 for 1 yard; Ben Davis, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
CIN: Dave Lewis, 5 for 229 yards CLE: Don Cockroft, 8 for 361 yards
Field Goals:
CIN: Horst Muhlmann, 2/4 CLE: Don Cockroft, 2/3