NFL game summary for 12/09/1973:
The Ken Anderson-Isaac Curtis Show moved Cincinnati closer to the AFC Central title with a 34-17 win over Cleveland. Anderson hit rookie Curtis, the Bengals' number one draft choice, with three touchdown passes and he completed 11 of 19 for 201 yards. Essex Johnson, with 91 yards for the game and 965 for the year, and Boobie Clark, with 69 and 931, moved toward the 1,000-yard mark. The Bengals sacked Browns' quarterback Mike Phipps five times.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 148.3 (11) | 99.8 (23) | 248.2 (22) | 29 |
| DEFENSE | 140.6 (11) | 120.9 (8) | 261.5 (8) | 20 | |
 | OFFENSE | 163.5 (6) | 149.5 (10) | 313.0 (6) | 24 |
| DEFENSE | 128.2 (7) | 136.4 (13) | 264.7 (10) | 30 |
Line: Bengals by 3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns (7-4-2) | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
| Cincinnati Bengals (9-4-0) | 7 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 34 |
( 0- 7) CIN Isaac Curtis 9 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Horst Muhlmann kick)
( 3- 7) CLE Don Cockroft 40 yard field goal
( 3-14) CIN Isaac Curtis 70 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Horst Muhlmann kick)
( 3-21) CIN Isaac Curtis 20 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Horst Muhlmann kick)
( 3-24) CIN Horst Muhlmann 10 yard field goal
(10-24) CLE Gloster Richardson 6 yard pass from Mike Phipps (Don Cockroft kick)
(17-24) CLE Van Green 15 yard fumble return (Don Cockroft kick)
(17-31) CIN Boobie Clark 1 yard rush (Horst Muhlmann kick)
(17-34) CIN Horst Muhlmann 45 yard field goal
CLE CIN
First Downs: 10 21
Rushes-yards: 23-78 46-173
Yards/rush: 3.4 3.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 13-27-111-2 11-19-201-0
Sacked-yards: 5-41 0-0
Net pass yards: 70 201
Net yards/pass: 2.2 10.6
Total net yards: 148 374
Total plays: 55 (41% run) 65 (70% run)
Yards/play: 2.7 5.8
Fumbles-lost: 4-1 2-1
Turnovers: 3 1
Penalties-yards: 6-81 5-48
Attendance: 58,266
Passing:
CLE: Mike Phipps, 13 of 27 for 111 yards and 1 TD (2 int) CIN: Ken Anderson, 11 of 19 for 201 yards and 3 TDs
Rushing:
CLE: Greg Pruitt, 6 for 12 yards; Mike Phipps, 4 for 42 yards; Ken Brown, 4 for 12 yards; Leroy Kelly, 4 for 9 yards; Bo Scott, 4 for 0 yards; Billy Lefear, 1 for 3 yards CIN: Boobie Clark, 22 for 69 yards and 1 TD; Essex Johnson, 19 for 91 yards; Ken Anderson, 4 for 10 yards; Lenvil Elliott, 1 for 3 yards
Receiving:
CLE: Gloster Richardson, 3 for 44 yards and 1 TD; Fair Hooker, 3 for 26 yards; Ken Brown, 3 for 3 yards; Milt Morin, 2 for 27 yards; Greg Pruitt, 2 for 11 yards CIN: Isaac Curtis, 5 for 117 yards and 3 TDs; Charlie Joiner, 5 for 70 yards; Bob Trumpy, 1 for 14 yards
Kick returns:
CLE: Billy Lefear, 4 for 162 yards; Greg Pruitt, 2 for 62 yards CIN: Bernard Jackson, 2 for 56 yards; Lemar Parrish, 1 for 2 yards
Punt returns:
CLE: Leroy Kelly, 1 for 7 yards CIN: Lemar Parrish, 4 for 24 yards
Interceptions:
CIN: Bernard Jackson, 1 for 0 yards; Ken Riley, 1 for -3 yards
Punting:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 4 for 178 yards CIN: Dave Lewis, 4 for 166 yards
Field Goals:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 1/2 CIN: Horst Muhlmann, 2/2
CLE: Mike Phipps, 13 of 27 for 111 yards and 1 TD (2 int) CIN: Ken Anderson, 11 of 19 for 201 yards and 3 TDs
Rushing:
CLE: Greg Pruitt, 6 for 12 yards; Mike Phipps, 4 for 42 yards; Ken Brown, 4 for 12 yards; Leroy Kelly, 4 for 9 yards; Bo Scott, 4 for 0 yards; Billy Lefear, 1 for 3 yards CIN: Boobie Clark, 22 for 69 yards and 1 TD; Essex Johnson, 19 for 91 yards; Ken Anderson, 4 for 10 yards; Lenvil Elliott, 1 for 3 yards
Receiving:
CLE: Gloster Richardson, 3 for 44 yards and 1 TD; Fair Hooker, 3 for 26 yards; Ken Brown, 3 for 3 yards; Milt Morin, 2 for 27 yards; Greg Pruitt, 2 for 11 yards CIN: Isaac Curtis, 5 for 117 yards and 3 TDs; Charlie Joiner, 5 for 70 yards; Bob Trumpy, 1 for 14 yards
Kick returns:
CLE: Billy Lefear, 4 for 162 yards; Greg Pruitt, 2 for 62 yards CIN: Bernard Jackson, 2 for 56 yards; Lemar Parrish, 1 for 2 yards
Punt returns:
CLE: Leroy Kelly, 1 for 7 yards CIN: Lemar Parrish, 4 for 24 yards
Interceptions:
CIN: Bernard Jackson, 1 for 0 yards; Ken Riley, 1 for -3 yards
Punting:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 4 for 178 yards CIN: Dave Lewis, 4 for 166 yards
Field Goals:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 1/2 CIN: Horst Muhlmann, 2/2