BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns have a share of first place in the AFC North and at 6-3 have their best record after nine games since they were 7-2 in 1994 — the last year they won a playoff game. But they are not content.

Coach Mike Pettine told his players after beating the Bengals 24-3 on Thursday to take the weekend off and report back to team headquarters in Berea, Ohio, on Tuesday. The reward for a well-played game predictably was met with a loud cheer in the visitors’ locker room in Paul Brown Stadium.

“I just felt last night was really a function of what we’ve been preaching: team football, mental toughness,” Pettine said on Friday. “I think the mental part of it was emphasized this week just because of the short week and the schedule, just your whole football world, you get out of that routine, that’s very difficult to deal with, especially having to go on the road. But I thought the guys handled it great. The staff handled it great.

“And now we’re fortunate we get a little bit of time to enjoy it, with essentially a mini-bye but our approach is no different. We’ll be very focused when we get back in. The last time we had a big win in the division was Pittsburgh (the Browns won 31-10) and we didn’t play so well the next week against Jacksonville, so that’s something I’ll certainly address with the team when we get back together.”

The run offense, absent the last three games, returned against the Bengals as the Browns rushed for 170 yards and three touchdowns on 52 carries. They want to do the same thing when their season resumes on Nov. 16 in a home game against the Houston Texans.

Terrance West rushed 26 times for 94 yards against the Bengals. Isaiah Crowell had 12 carries and Tate 10. Pettine said that doesn’t mean each back will have double-digit carries in each of the last seven games.

“The depth we have there, it will still come down to the game plan and how the week of practice goes,” Pettine said. “We have options. We can steer it a couple different ways.

“I’m not going to sit here and say ‘We’re committed to a three-running back system for the rest of the season; here’s how we’re going to do it.’ I would still put it in the week-to-week category.”

Crowell had one carry vs. Oakland on Oct. 26 and none against Tampa Bay on Nov. 2.

REPORT CARD VS. BENGALS

PASSING OFFENSE: B-plus — You have to look beyond quarterback Brian Hoyer’s 198 yards passing total. It was his first sub-200-yard game of the season, but he completed 15 of 23 passes on a night when the Browns relied on their run offense. Leading receiver Andrew Hawkins missed the game with a left leg injury, and tight end Jordan Cameron missed the game with a concussion. Hoyer made a clutch pass for a 28-yard gain to backup tight end Gary Barnidge to the Bengals 3 to set up the Browns’ third touchdown.

RUSHING OFFENSE: B — The Browns rushed the ball a season-high 52 times and got one touchdown each from Ben Tate, Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West. After averaging less than 2 yards a carry in each of the last three games, the Browns showed signs they are coming out of their rushing slump by averaging 3.3 yards a try. Hoyer attributed the improvement to Nick McDonald’s third game as the starting center replacing Alex Mack, who is on injured reserve with a broken leg.

PASS DEFENSE: A — Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton is getting ripped nationally for completing only 10 of 33 passes for 86 yards while throwing three interceptions. The Browns contributed to his misery with a relentless pass rush and tight coverage by cornerbacks Joe Haden and Buster Skrine. Skrine had a pair of interceptions and linebacker Craig Robertson had one. The Browns broke up 13 passes.

RUSH DEFENSE: B — The Bengals were without running back Giovani Bernard. The Browns held them to 96 yards on 22 carries. It helped that the score forced the Bengals to throw much of the second half, but it also helped that defensive end Phil Taylor returned from missing four games with a knee injury. The Bengals’ longest run was 13 yards.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C — The Bengals’ three points came off a fumble by punt returner Jim Leonhard. Billy Cundiff kicked off three times for touchbacks to run his season total to 33. Kick returner Marlon Moore returned his only opportunity 25 yards on a night when the wind was a major factor for kickers.

COACHING: A — The Browns did not have a physical practice in the days leading up to the game in Cincinnati and as a result were as fresh as possible on the short week. Not giving up on the run paid off for offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. It took about half the season, but the cornerbacks are growing comfortable with the press style of coverage defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil wants his cornerbacks to use.