By NATE ULRICH
Tribune News Service
CLEVELAND — All the hype, all the buzz surrounding Johnny Manziel’s first NFL start fizzled in nightmarish fashion Sunday as the Browns’ immensely popular rookie quarterback proved to be overwhelmed and overmatched by the Cincinnati Bengals.
A Browns fan shoving Bengals rookie running back Jeremy Hill when he attempted to leap into the stands after a touchdown in the second quarter ended up being the best moment for Cleveland in Johnny Football’s debut. The former Heisman Trophy winner from Texas A&M flopped mightily, and the Browns watched their slim playoff hopes get buried with a 30-0 defeat in their home finale at FirstEnergy Stadium.
The Browns (7-7) are mathematically incapable of winning the AFC North because they fell 2 1/2 games behind the division-leading Bengals (9-4-1). They also have been all but eliminated from earning a wild-card berth.
Browns coach Mike Pettine decided last week to give Manziel the nod to replace slumping veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer, who started the first 13 starts of the season but lost his job after throwing eight interceptions and one touchdown in the previous four games.
Excitement enveloped Northeast Ohio in anticipation of Manziel, the 22nd overall pick in this year’s draft, taking the reins of the offense. Boy, were the Browns’ faithful let down.
Manziel completed just 10-of-18 passes for 80 yards with two interceptions.
He had a third interception negated by a neutral-zone infraction in the second quarter and finished with a passer rating of 27.3. He took three sacks.
The Browns were also shut out for the first time since Nov. 16, 2009, when the lost to the Baltimore Ravens. The offense gained only 107 yards and five first downs, two of which were by penalty.
Manziel became the 21st quarterback to start for the Browns since their expansion era began in 1999. Hoyer (2013) and Jeff Garcia (2004) were the only quarterbacks on that long list who won their first start with the Browns, and Hoyer is the only one with a winning record as a starter (he’s 10-6).
The Browns hammered the Bengals 24-3 on Nov. 6 with Hoyer controlling the offense.
With Manziel throwing all of his interceptions in the first half, the Bengals earned a 20-0 halftime lead and never looked back.
Hill finished with 25 carries for 148 yards (5.9 average) and two touchdowns.
Hill had a bull’s-eye on his back entering the game because after the Browns crushed the Bengals last month, he said, “They’re probably worse than I thought, to be honest with you. They didn’t do anything special to me. I mean, respect to them, they won the game. But that’s all I’ll give them.”
Manziel completed 4-of-9 passes for 22 yards with two interceptions in the first half. He posted a passer rating of 12.0.
Under his guidance, the offense gained 58 yards and just four first downs, two of which were by penalty, through two quarters.
