We poked some fun at the Cleveland Browns when it was announced that career backup quarterback Brian Hoyer had been named the team's starter, but Hoyer's been balling today. He's followed up his good-but-not great debut with a solid first half against the Bengals.


Hoyer began the day by completing his first eight pass attempts and leading the Browns on a 12-play, 95-yard scoring drive that ended with a beautiful touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Cameron. Hoyer's been making quick, smart passes all day, and hasn't been afraid to throw deep. The result of that fearlessness has been plays like the one above, a 33-yard strike to Josh Gordon.


At the end of the first half, Hoyer's line is 16-24 for 178 yards and a touchdown. He ended the half by leading his team into field goal range with an effective two-minute drill—a drive that came without the benefit of any timeouts—but Billy Cundiff shanked his attempt.

And it's not just Hoyer that's playing well. The Browns defense stood strong on two Bengals drives that reached deep into the red zone, and has held the Bengals to 114 yards of total offense. So, um, go Browns?