CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon has a promise of dinner for his offensive linemen on the table, and after his big game on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, he’s not backing down from it.

“They can get whatever they want,” Mixon said happily after the Bengals beat the Browns 30-16. A large part of that win was due to Mixon, who rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 51 yards.

“I’ll buy them dinner for sure, why not. They deserve it,” Mixon said. “They deserve it. We’re going to keep on working.”

Buying dinner for that many people won't come cheap, but Mixon promised the meal would be at someplace nice. The rookie gave credit to the offensive line several times and told reporters he and several members of the line had talked on Friday.

Whatever was said in that meeting obviously worked.

The offensive line has struggled this season in both run and pass blocking, but everything was clicking against the Browns. They allowed only three pressures in the passing game and gave Mixon time to find holes to run through.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Mixon had 66 rush yards after first contact for an average of 2.9 yards per carry, his most in a game this season.

“We kind of have an open dialogue. If someone’s got something they want to talk about, some questions or whatever, obviously we can spitball,” Bengals center Russell Bodine said. “We have a players’ meeting … every Friday, just to see where we’re at. So as far as it being out of the ordinary, no, it’s not. We had some stuff [for him] and there was some stuff from him too.”

“He brings a lot of energy,” guard Clint Boling added. “The guy’s obviously talented. You get him in space and it’s fun watching him run. I think once he’s taken over that role, he’s obviously done well with it. He brings a lot of momentum when he starts running the ball like that.”

Mixon said he feels like he’s improving in several areas, including his pass blocking.

“We have a $96 million quarterback that we have to protect, and I’m going to do my thing in protection to make sure he’s not on the ground,” he said.

Mixon said some of the things he needed to do to improve were “a little bit shaky” earlier in the season due to lack of timing with the starters because of the Bengals’ crowded group of running back. But even though he was competing for snaps with Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill, the group clearly had a bond.

That’s not always the case in situations where players are competing directly for playing time, but Hill and Mixon grew close this season. When Hill went on injured reserve and had season-ending surgery, he told Mixon to take the job and run with it.

“Jeremy is like a big brother to me,” Mixon said. “He just passed the torch to me and he just told you, ‘You know, you’ve got to take over.’ From there, I’m just doing whatever I can to get better.

“The day after he had surgery, I went to his house because he lives pretty much down the street from me. I checked in on him to see how he was doing. His spirits were high and I was just there to be a brother for him, a shoulder to lean on. Jeremy, he’s been a definite influence on me on how to think of the game and how the game evolves. ... We’re going to keep that bond with each other on and off the field.”

Mixon's elation was a stark contrast to earlier in the season when he expressed frustration with his lack of second-half carries against the Steelers. With another meeting with Pittsburgh coming up on Monday night, Mixon already had one eye on the next opponent.

“We’re going to enjoy this one tonight, we’ve got a huge one next week,” he said.