Joe Flacco threw for 290 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, and rookie running back Dylan Sampson caught six passes for sixty-four yards on offense, while the defense sacked Joe Burrow on three consecutive snaps in the second half to pace the defense.
The now 0-1 Browns travel to Baltimore next week, and based on what I saw from the Ravens in Buffalo, good luck with that!
Brownie Bits
1) The Browns placed all of their chips on the foot of Andre Szmyt, and it backfired, but this is about more than Szmyt.
It's about Andrew Berry not signing a proven challenger to Dustin Hopkins in training camp, and when Hopkins gave the team little choice other than releasing him, the unproven Szmyt was handed the job by default.
The Browns cannot afford to miss mandatory kicks; likely, Szmyt will likely be released this week, and hopefully someone with experience will be the replacement.
2) Joe Flacco did throw two interceptions, but both were passes that were dropped by receivers Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman and into the arms of a waiting Bengal.
Neither can be placed on Flacco, and both Jeudy and Tillman were at fault for both picks.
3) Jerry Jeudy finished with six catches for sixty-six yards, but dropped a fourth-down pass to end a drive and added the previously mentioned interception.
The Browns are paying Jeudy like a number one receiver, but on a good team, Jeudy would be a number two or an excellent third option.
4) The Browns played rookie tight end Harold Fannin a great deal, and although Fannin had one drop as well, the Bowling Green product finished with seven catches for sixty-three yards.
Fannin's catches were the most ever for a rookie tight end in week one of an NFL season.
5) The Browns struggled running the football, finishing with a mere forty-nine yards on twenty-four attempts, with rookie Dylan Sampson leading the team with twenty-nine yards.
For a team that proclaims the need to run the football this season, that number was disheartening.
6) The offensive line may not have helped the run game, but they did a solid job protecting Joe Flacco, as they allowed only two sacks, an acceptable number, considering the Bengals' pass rush includes an elite rusher in Trey Hendrickson.
7) Myles Garrett sacked Joe Burrow on two of the three consecutive sacks of Joe Burrow in the fourth quarter, but Burrow did one small thing that was just as important as Andre Szmyt's missed field goal in the Cincinnati win.
On the third sack, just as Garrett arrived in the pocket to grab Burrow for the sack, Burrow lunged forward and got the football out of the end zone (barely), avoiding the safety that would have given the Browns a one-point win.
8) Stat of the day: second half offensive yards- Browns 216, Bengals 7.
9) Greg Newsome played well at the corner in place of Martin Emerson, knocking down two passes, and Newsome shared coverage time with Denzel Ward on Jamarr Chase, holding the Bengal standout to only two catches for twenty-six yards.
10) Many are optimistic after this game, but I'm not.
Almost everything they needed to do to win, they did, and they still didn't complete the task.
The schedule gets tougher, and the team struggled to run the ball.
I'm afraid this might be the high point for a while.
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