Coley Harvey, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Jeremy Hill earns Bengals' first weekly award this season

CINCINNATI -- Three days after being the only running back in the league to rush for more than 100 yards in Week 15, Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week on Wednesday morning.

The rookie was recognized for his 148-yard, two-touchdown performance in Sunday's 30-0 Bengals road win over the Cleveland Browns.

Earlier last week, offensive coordinator Hue Jackson told Hill and fellow running back Giovani Bernard he wanted to change up the backfield roles. For now, Bernard was no longer the starter. As he set the game plan for the Browns, Jackson wanted Hill to be the feature back as the Bengals attempted to force the run.

Bernard had a strong game, too, rushing 15 times for 79 yards. Overall, the Bengals picked up 244 yards on the ground.

But it was Hill's performance that was clearly the highlight of the game. It came five weeks after he told reporters he didn't think the Browns were a very good team following Cleveland's 24-3 win in Cincinnati. It was his belief that the Bengals simply hurt themselves that night and that they truly were better than the Browns.

He said nothing along those lines after Sunday's game. Instead, he let his play do the talking.

In the first half alone, he rushed for 103 yards on 16 carries, and collected all 36 yards on the Bengals' second scoring drive of the game. According to Pro Football Focus, he forced five missed tackles, and 87 of his 148 yards came after contact.

This is the second weekly honor Hill has earned. The night of the first game against the Browns, the NFL announced that he had earned Rookie of the Week honors for his 152-yard outing in a Week 9 win over the Jaguars.

As far as player of the week honors, this is the first time this season a Bengal has earned such recognition. The previous time was last December, when quarterback Andy Dalton was named the AFC's Offensive Player of the Week after a Week 14 win over Indianapolis. Dalton also earned player of the month honors for October last season.

Hill has 877 yards rushing, and is on pace for 1,002. He would be the team's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2012, when BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for 1,094.

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