CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Browns dominance against the Bengals was nice while it lasted.
Down multiple receivers, the Bengals churned out 363 yards of offense to end a five-game losing streak to the Browns and avoid getting swept for a third straight year thanks to a 23-10 victory on their home field.
Here are our Top Takeaways from a disappointing trip to the banks of the Ohio river.
1. Joe Burrow finally beat the Browns. It took him five tries to do it, and it won’t be the last time either.
2. It’s safe to officially – and finally – shelve the playoff talk for the Browns. While they remain mathematically alive, loss No. 8 with four games to play ensured Cleveland will finish with a losing record against AFC foes, meaning they lack the necessary tiebreakers to back in.
3. Another wasted opportunity, and for that matter, season. But that’s what the Browns do, waste years and careers.
4. Individually, Deshaun Watson was better Sunday than he was last week, but still not good enough. He can’t work miracles, yet.
5. Watson’s final numbers: 26-42 for 276 yards with a touchdown, interception, and rating of 79.1.
6. In the fourth quarter Watson’s best play of the day – a 16-yard completion to Donovan Peoples-Jones while under duress, was followed by his worst – an interception on a throw to Peoples-Jones that Bengals safety Jessie Bates III recognized and jumped in front of.
7. It took 18 offensive possessions, not including end of halves, for Watson to put a touchdown on the board. Watson found tight end David Njoku, who stretched across the pylon for a 13-yard touchdown with 2:17 remaining in the third quarter to make it a 20-10 game. Njoku, who finished with seven catches for 59 yards and the score, caught the last three passes on the drive, including converting a fourth-and-5.
8. It’s hard not to think how much better the offense would have been the last two weeks had a QB change not been made with Watson’s return from suspension. Things ran pretty smoothly on that side of the ball before Watson took over and ground them to a halt. The bottom line is that the Browns essentially flushed an entire season down the drain for Watson.
9. Watson’s presence is going to have to force the Browns to rethink some of their blocking schemes. His mobility presents some challenges up front as evidenced by holding penalties. The run game was non-existent as well. Nick Chubb was held to 34 yards on 14 carries or 2.4 yards per carry. It was the second-worst afternoon for Chubb of the season only to the Bills, who held him to 19 yards on 14 carries and a 1.4 average. Watson ran six times for 33 yards.
10. Penalties killed the Browns in the first half. They were penalized seven times for 83 yards. The Bengals three for 30. On one drive alone Tony Fields II was flagged for roughing the punter to continue the Bengals possession, Isaiah Thomas for illegal hands to face which wiped out a Jadeveon Clowney sack and a pass interference penalty on Denzel Ward Helped set up Cincinnati’s first score. Burrow threaded the needle between a pair of defenders to Ja’Marr Chase for a 15-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
11. Chase talked the talk in August, and Sunday afternoon he walked the walk. Chase caught 10 of 15 targets for 119 yards and a touchdown in the win. The Browns secondary was helpless to stop him.
12. Joe Mixon took advantage of the loss of Browns linebacker Sione Takitaki, who provided a big impact in Cleveland’s Halloween night win, by racking up 96 yards on just 14 carries. He ripped off a 40-yard run aided by a missed tackle by safety Grant Delpit.
13. Once again, the Browns tradition of really smart people doing really stupid stuff continues. In the first quarter on fourth-and-1 from the Bengals 25, Jacoby Brissett was sent on. Knowing Cincinnati likely was expecting a QB sneak with Brissett, Stefanski went with a play action home run ball to the end zone to Peoples-Jones. In Stefanski’s defense, Peoples-Jones was wide open, but Brissett was cold coming off the bench and overshot him. Why not just leave Watson on the field to throw that?
14. Stefanski has never been shy about being aggressive on fourth down. Combined with a conversion on fourth-and-1 and fourth-and-4 in the fourth quarter, they’re now 17 of 32 on the season after Watson’s end zone lob to Peoples-Jones with 5:25 remaining in the fourth fell incomplete as did a fourth-and-4 throw to Amari Cooper with 3:43 remaining.
15. Defensive confusion cost the Browns a timeout in the first quarter they could’ve used at the end of the half. What else is new?
16. Before the half with the ball at midfield, kicker Cade York could be seen lobbying special teams coordinator Mike Priefer to try a 68-yard field goal to no avail. York has had too many blocked kicks already and a low trajectory to drive one home from that distance risked a block plus scoop and score for the Bengals. Simply put, not worth it.
17. Myles Garrett continued his sack streak against Burrow by taking the Bengals QB down in the third quarter. Garrett came back on the next play to bat a pass down and force a punt. He added another sack giving him eight sacks in five games. In all Garrett had three QB hits and three more tackles for loss in addition to two batted passes.
18. The Bengals delivered the knockout punch by dipping into their bag of tricks. Burrow handed off to Joe Mixon, who tossed the ball back to Burrow before finding Trenton Irwin wide open for a 45-yard touchdown and a 20-3 lead with 7:26 left in the third quarter.
19. One thing has been clear about Andrew Berry’s first three draft classes – they just aren’t nearly good enough to build, let alone sustain, a winning football team. Like so many GMs before him, Berry has missed much more than he has hit, and even his hits are suspect at best. The young players play consistently inconsistent, and when they are at their worst, the Browns seem to pay the most during games.
20. As we approach mid-December with the playoffs a pipe dream, now begins the slow journey to the offseason. ‘Tis the season.