Both teams had already been eliminated from the playoffs weeks ago, but the Bengals were trying to end on a three-game winning streak and now finish 6-11.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
1. Turnovers proved costly
The Bengals had nine turnovers returned for touchdowns this season, which is tied for the most in franchise history with the 2002 team — after allowing just seven combined over the previous three seasons. Two of those nine returns happened Sunday, and they were the only touchdowns Cleveland managed.
Burrow was throwing to the end zone to try to extend a 6-0 lead in the first quarter when Browns defensive tackle Shelby Harris tipped the ball at the line of scrimmage, altering the pass enough for linebacker Devin Bush to make an easy interception. Bush returned it 97 yards for a touchdown, and less than two minutes later, Cleveland’s defense was celebrating in the end zone again.
Bengals tight end Noah Fant fumbled at the end of a 5-yard catch, and Browns cornerback Sam Webb recovered and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown to put Cleveland up 14-6. Fant is the first player since Daniel Jones in 2019 to have three fumbles returned for touchdowns in a single season.
“We beat ourselves today,” Burrow said. “False starts, turnovers, mental errors — it certainly wasn’t high-level football today. … We certainly can’t have the mental errors we had today. What caused that, I don’t know, but it can’t happen.”
Credit: JEREMY MILLER
Credit: JEREMY MILLER
2. A Jekyll and Hyde day for the defense
The touchdowns given up off turnovers were especially disappointing considering how bad Cleveland’s offense was most of the game, managing just 40 yards in the first half and yet still taking a 14-12 lead into halftime. Cincinnati otherwise only gave up a pair of field goals, and the Browns finished with 200 net yards.
Despite the early errors, the Bengals’ offense turned it up a notch late to take a lead with 1:29 left, and that should have been enough.
With DJ Turner sidelined the last drive with a right calf injury and Dax Hill limping off, as well, Cleveland quarterback Shedeur Sanders suddenly looked like an NFL star. Cincinnati was missing the Trey Hendrickson-like closer that had been lacking in the five other games the team lost by five points or less this season.
Hendrickson exited the Week 8 game against the Jets, a 39-38 loss, with a re-aggravated hip injury and never played again. The Bengals saw Myles Murphy and Joseph Ossai step up in Hendrickson’s absence, but Ossai missed the final three games due to an ankle injury and only one of the six sacks on Sanders on Sunday came on the last drive, for no loss.
No one could make a play on the two third-down plays Cleveland converted with passes on that last drive, including an 11-yard pickup on third-and-1 when the Browns moved into field goal range with 31 seconds left.
“They had a two-minute drive to win the game,” Taylor said. “It’s just frustrating. It’s just frustrating — that’s the biggest thing. And we just weren’t able to finish it in some area to finish that game and find a way to get a win.”
Andre Szmyt nailed a 49-yard field goal as time expired.
3. Myles Garrett won the day
Even though it took until 5:04 left in the game for Myles Garrett to get his one sack needed to set the NFL single-season sack record, his impact was noticeable.
The Bengals weren’t specifically focused on keeping him from the record, but to have success against Cleveland, teams have to account for Garrett. Cincinnati took a more conservative approach to its offense to try to protect Burrow from injury and negate Garrett’s ability to wreak havoc.
That meant running the ball more, which allowed Chase Brown to hit the 1,000-yard milestone he just missed last season, but it also took focus away from the best part of Cincinnati’s offense.
Ja’Marr Chase didn’t have a catch in the second half until the Bengals’ last drive, and the Bengals didn’t consistently air the ball out until they were chasing the go-ahead score while trailing 17-12 in the fourth quarter.
Garrett got his 23rd sack on Cincinnati’s second-to-last drive, and the Bengals were trying to run a no-huddle, hurry-up offense near midfield when officials stopped the game to allow the Browns to celebrate the record – though Taylor said he wasn’t aware they planned to do that. Two plays later, unable to take advantage of that pace they had often found successful, they had to punt on fourth-and-15.
Cincinnati forced a three-and-out and then scored the next drive, but perhaps a more aggressive approach sooner would have paid dividends.
Burrow said the game plan to mitigate the effect of Cleveland’s pass rush was effective while the Bengals were running the ball well – finishing with 142 yards on the ground, including 72 for Brown – but it got to the point of the game they had to pass and that was effective, too, but not enough for the win.
“It’s challenging because you commit resources to that (negating Garrett), and it takes away resources elsewhere,” Burrow said. “For the most part, I thought we were pretty good against him today. You can see how impactful he is – we have no help on him one time and he gets one. … He’s an aware, elite player that you have to revolve your game plan around.”
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