NFL game summary for 10/03/1976:
Ken Anderson tied a club record with four touchdown passes, two each to Lenvil Elliott and Isaac Curtis, and Willie Shelby established a club mark with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, the NFL's longest in 1976, as the Bengals defeated their in-state rivals. Brian Sipe completed a record 26 passes for Cleveland and had the Browns within seven, 31-24, after three quarters. Anderson's second TD pass to Elliott and Boobie Clark's one-yard run for a score clinched the game.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 155.3 (11) | 125.3 (23) | 280.7 (20) | 5 |
| DEFENSE | 105.0 (4) | 93.7 (3) | 198.7 (2) | 11 | |
 | OFFENSE | 145.0 (12) | 170.7 (11) | 315.7 (14) | 9 |
| DEFENSE | 129.0 (9) | 131.7 (9) | 260.7 (7) | 6 |
Line: Bengals by 7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals (3-1-0) | 21 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 45 |
| Cleveland Browns (1-3-0) | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
( 7- 0) CIN Lenvil Elliott 19 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Chris Bahr kick) ( 7- 7) CLE Cleo Miller 6 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick) (14- 7) CIN Willie Shelby 97 yard kickoff return (Chris Bahr kick) (21- 7) CIN Isaac Curtis 44 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Chris Bahr kick) (24- 7) CIN Chris Bahr 40 yard field goal (24-10) CLE Don Cockroft 33 yard field goal (31-10) CIN Isaac Curtis 7 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Chris Bahr kick) (31-17) CLE Reggie Rucker 26 yard pass from Brian Sipe (Brian Sipe run) (31-24) CLE Greg Pruitt 4 yard pass from Brian Sipe (Don Cockroft kick) (38-24) CIN Lenvil Elliott 29 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Chris Bahr kick) (45-24) CIN Boobie Clark 1 yard rush (Chris Bahr kick)
CIN CLE
First Downs: 25 26
Rushes-yards: 36-133 27-127
Yards/rush: 3.7 4.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 19-27-265-2 26-42-290-0
Sacked-yards: 0-0 0-0
Net pass yards: 265 290
Net yards/pass: 9.8 6.9
Total net yards: 398 417
Total plays: 63 (57% run) 69 (39% run)
Yards/play: 6.3 6.0
Fumbles-lost: 0-0 3-2
Turnovers: 2 2
Penalties-yards: 5-66 7-95
Attendance: 75,817
Passing:
CIN: Ken Anderson, 19 of 27 for 265 yards and 4 TDs (2 int) CLE: Brian Sipe, 26 of 42 for 290 yards and 2 TDs
Rushing:
CIN: Archie Griffin, 16 for 75 yards; Boobie Clark, 13 for 53 yards and 1 TD; Ken Anderson, 4 for 6 yards; Lenvil Elliott, 3 for -1 yards CLE: Greg Pruitt, 15 for 70 yards; Cleo Miller, 5 for 24 yards and 1 TD; Larry Poole, 2 for 17 yards; Brian Duncan, 2 for 14 yards; Mike Pruitt, 2 for 2 yards; Brian Sipe, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
CIN: Lenvil Elliott, 5 for 89 yards and 2 TDs; Isaac Curtis, 5 for 87 yards and 2 TDs; Chip Myers, 3 for 38 yards; Archie Griffin, 2 for 12 yards; Boobie Clark, 2 for 11 yards; Bob Trumpy, 1 for 21 yards; Billy Brooks, 1 for 7 yards CLE: Reggie Rucker, 9 for 141 yards and 1 TD; Greg Pruitt, 8 for 39 yards and 1 TD; Steve Holden, 5 for 75 yards; Oscar Roan, 3 for 31 yards; Larry Poole, 1 for 4 yards
Kick returns:
CIN: Willie Shelby, 4 for 164 yards and 1 TD; Lenvil Elliott, 1 for 17 yards CLE: Steve Holden, 3 for 68 yards; Mike Pruitt, 3 for 63 yards; Brian Duncan, 1 for 25 yards
Punt returns:
CIN: Lemar Parrish, 2 for 2 yards
Interceptions:
CLE: Neal Craig, 1 for 8 yards; Jerry Sherk, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
CIN: Pat McInally, 2 for 78 yards CLE: Don Cockroft, 3 for 120 yards
Field Goals:
CIN: Chris Bahr, 1/1 CLE: Don Cockroft, 1/3
CIN: Ken Anderson, 19 of 27 for 265 yards and 4 TDs (2 int) CLE: Brian Sipe, 26 of 42 for 290 yards and 2 TDs
Rushing:
CIN: Archie Griffin, 16 for 75 yards; Boobie Clark, 13 for 53 yards and 1 TD; Ken Anderson, 4 for 6 yards; Lenvil Elliott, 3 for -1 yards CLE: Greg Pruitt, 15 for 70 yards; Cleo Miller, 5 for 24 yards and 1 TD; Larry Poole, 2 for 17 yards; Brian Duncan, 2 for 14 yards; Mike Pruitt, 2 for 2 yards; Brian Sipe, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
CIN: Lenvil Elliott, 5 for 89 yards and 2 TDs; Isaac Curtis, 5 for 87 yards and 2 TDs; Chip Myers, 3 for 38 yards; Archie Griffin, 2 for 12 yards; Boobie Clark, 2 for 11 yards; Bob Trumpy, 1 for 21 yards; Billy Brooks, 1 for 7 yards CLE: Reggie Rucker, 9 for 141 yards and 1 TD; Greg Pruitt, 8 for 39 yards and 1 TD; Steve Holden, 5 for 75 yards; Oscar Roan, 3 for 31 yards; Larry Poole, 1 for 4 yards
Kick returns:
CIN: Willie Shelby, 4 for 164 yards and 1 TD; Lenvil Elliott, 1 for 17 yards CLE: Steve Holden, 3 for 68 yards; Mike Pruitt, 3 for 63 yards; Brian Duncan, 1 for 25 yards
Punt returns:
CIN: Lemar Parrish, 2 for 2 yards
Interceptions:
CLE: Neal Craig, 1 for 8 yards; Jerry Sherk, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
CIN: Pat McInally, 2 for 78 yards CLE: Don Cockroft, 3 for 120 yards
Field Goals:
CIN: Chris Bahr, 1/1 CLE: Don Cockroft, 1/3