Bengals @ Browns
Final Score: Bengals 17, Browns 16
Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1.bsky.social on Bluesky)
Fans of the Cincinnati Bengals will be wondering what feels better – watching an exciting offense put up big numbers but lose, or escaping the opening game of the season with a win despite one of the worst offensive performances from an elite unit you will ever see? After recent seasons, I am guessing the latter. However, it comes with a bitter taste. The 141 yards of total offense is by far the fewest in Head Coach Zac Taylor‘s reign, and for all the promise of coming into the season hot after playing Joe Burrow and the starters more in preseason, this was far from [insert fire emoji] good. Only mediocre quarterback play from veteran Joe Flacco and a missed field goal (and PAT!!!) from kicker Andre Szmyt spared the Bengals what would have been a disastrous defeat. This was not a good football game to watch either, especially after the half as both teams spiralled into offensive meltdown mode.
Three Up
- Chase Brown – the explosive (well, normally) back handled all the carries in the Bengals backfield and despite the lack of chunk plays, fantasy managers will be assured that their pick will be a fantasy darling simply through volume as proved today. Brown averaged just two yards per carry but found paydirt to salvage his fantasy day
- Dylan Sampson – the 2024 SEC Offensive Player of the Year was one of four Browns rookies who flashed their capabilities in this contest – the former Tennessee star already looks to have usurped Jerome Ford as the lead back with 18 touches including the majority of check-down throws from Flacco too. He’ll be a popular waiver wire add this week
- Harold Fannin Jr. – the Browns invested a third round pick in the tight end from Bowling Green, and his ability to run routes across the formation makes him an interesting fantasy asset. Looking more like a wide receiver at times, Fannin Jr. showed his ability to stretch the field from the slot.
Three Down
- Ja’Marr Chase – the off day from the Bengals offense hurt Chase the most as he gathered just two of his five targets and left fantasy managers disappointed on the opening weekend. Chase recorded his worst fantasy production since Week 18 of 2023. Yikes.
- Jerome Ford – Ford was the shining light of the backfield last year with Nick Chubb injured but he carried the ball just six times for eight yards and did not see any work as a pass-catcher. His time as a relevant fantasy asset in Cleveland is likely done.
- David Njoku – six targets for the former first round pick is decent but the emergence of the rookie Fannin Jr. and the spreading around of targets from Flacco has fantasy managers questioning the promise of a larger role.
Cincinnati Bengals
Quarterback
Joe Burrow: 14/23, 113 Yards, TD, 3 Sacks | 2 Carries, 3 Yards
There was some positives for Burrow in the first half that should be highlighted – the offensive line was better and he often had time in a clean pocket to throw; he looked to be in complete control in the first half and led two of the three meaningful first half possessions for the Bengals for touchdowns. However, as the offensive line tired and the run game stagnated going into the fourth quarter, Burrow came under increasing pressure and his reliable connection with Chase wasn’t there. That resulted in six punts in seven second half possessions at a time in the game when the Browns were burning the time on the clock with tedious drives with little to show for it. A disastrous hat-trick of sacks in the fourth quarter (two coming for his nemesis Myles Garrett) resulted in the unthinkable for most Bengals fans – Taylor decided to trust in his defense to make stops rather than give Burrow the license to go out on convert fourth downs to win the game. That is a worrying thought although let’s temper that with the fact it is only Week 1.
Garrett totally took over this game in the fourth quarter and in hindsight it was probably best for Burrow to be off the field as the Browns were also struggling to move the ball against an improved Bengals defense. As Burrow said in his post-match presser, “we stole one here”. That doesn’t help fantasy managers though.
Running Back
Chase Brown: 21 Carries, 43 Yards, TD | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 8 Yards
Two yards per carry, yikes! And for much of the first half it felt like 10 yards per carry as Chase showed his ability to dodge tackles and burst through holes to drive the Bengals downfield. His 5 yard run for a score on the opening drive of the game was well deserved as he touched the ball 10 times on the 12-play drive. You really thought the sky was the limit after that drive but unfortunately for Brown, the Browns plugged the holes in the middle in the secod half and the Bengals couldn’t sustain drives leaving less opportunity for Brown to wear the defense down. Volume is key here though, and his total domination of backfield touches is the key footnote from this acceptable Week 1 output from Cincinnati’s lead back.
Samaje Perine: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 6 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Tee Higgins: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 33 Yards
The “second” of Cincinnati’s star wideouts, Higgins led the team in yards on what was a slim pickings for this receiver corps, especially in the second half. His most meaningful contribution was a nice 13-yard grab over the middle on third-and-short on the opening drive of the game to move the sticks and take the Bengals down near the redzone. Burrow also found Higgins on a third-and-long on the back of a turnover to move the ball into field goal range in the third quarter – a drive that proved to be their only scoring drive of the half. You can’t really blame Higgins at all, he showed up when he needed to.
Noah Fant: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 21 Yards, TD
The Bengals once addressed the tight end position in the off season with a move for former Seattle and Denver hope Fant, who has never lived up to his draft capital since entering the league. With Mike Gesicki deemed inadequate last year, it was fitting that Burrow’s first touchdown throw of the season went to Fant in the corner of the end zone on a broken play by the defense. It has to be noted that Gesicki also drew a couple of targets in the redzone too so Cincinnati are looking at getting their tight ends involved a little more, maybe at the expense of third receiver Andrei Iosivas, who played 34 snaps but wasn’t targeted. Fant’s other work was mainly done on short yardage routes over the middle.
Ja’Marr Chase: 5 Targets, 2 Receptions, 26 Yards
A perplexing stat line for one of the NFL’s best wide receivers but it wasn’t a total breakdown between the two LSU alums. Burrow threw deep down the sideline to Chase twice in this game – the first resulting in a defensive pass interference call against Greg Newsome III near the goal line that setup the Fant score. The second time the ball was broken up by Newsome on a good play in which Chase got both hands on the ball too. With only 23 passing attempts from Burrow, opportunity was limited but this should never happen to a quarterback and wideout with this kind of history and chemistry.
Mike Gesicki: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 14 Yards
Drew Sample: 1 Target
Cleveland Browns
Quarterback
Joe Flacco: 31/45, 290 Yards, TD, 2 INT, 2 Sacks | 2 Carries, 6 Yards
Oh, Joe! After 17 seasons in the NFL, what is there left to say? This is the type of performance that epitomises the veteran’s late-career renaissance but also shows why he is nothing more than a stand-in who is better than most journeyman backups and mid-round rookies but nowhere near the game-winner he once was. Flacco made all kinds of throws in his 31 completions and it should have been enough to win the Browns the game. His two turnovers also had an element of misfortune with both Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman seeing the ball pop up out of their hands and into the hands of the Bengals’ secondary. Admittedly, both throws were too low and contributed to the interceptions.
Flacco enjoyed sustained drives despite them being both largely unproductive and tedious to watch. It was a lot of short and medium throws on crossing routes and to the sideline but it worked as the Browns enjoyed a significant advantage in time of possession – over 35 minutes compared to 25 for the Bengals. That certainly showed in the second half after Flacco struggled to just 87 yards passing in the first half. The missed kicks killed their opportunity to sneak a win out of this, however. A nice throw to Tillman in the back of the endzone gave them hope but Flacco never really looked like going on to be a match-winner.
Running Back
Dylan Sampson: 12 Carries, 29 Yards | 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 64 Yards
Making full use of his opportunity, rookie running back Sampson was the brightest star in an otherwise disappointing offense. His ability to run to the outside and find the edge before exploding back inside for extra yardage was the main takeaway. He has elusiveness in running his lanes and then can exhibit quick feet and has an effective change of direction at speed. The latter was more evident in the passing game where he actually led the team in targets and catches ahead of the wide receivers. He only actually averaged 2.4 yards per carry and his opportunities as a rusher dried up when trailing in the fourth quarter, something that Cleveland might do a lot this season on the back of this performance. He has the trust of the coaching staff, clearly (outrushing incumbent back Ford 20-7 in looks) and that will be important in the coming weeks as their more prized rookie back gets up to speed.
Jerome Ford: 6 Carries, 8 Yards
But time’s up for Ford it seems, especially if troubled rookie Quinton Judkins finally gets on the practice field going into next week. Ford carried the ball just six times and wasn’t a factor in the passing game or short yardage, with another rookie Raheim Sanders firmly given that role it seems. Even when given an opportunity against a middle-of-the-road defense, averaging 1.6 yards per touch isn’t going to do you any favors.
Raheim Sanders: 3 Carries, 3 Yards, TD
The rookie they call “Rocket” wasn’t called upon often but when he was he made it count with some effective, old-school power-running in a couple of key short yardage downs. The first was huge – a fourth-and-one at midfield late in the first quarter after the Bengals had nudged ahead. He converted and then the Browns went down to the goal line and he was once again entrusted with the rock at the 1-yard line on fourth down. He converted and well done young man. We didn’t see Sanders outside of these opportunities.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jerry Jeudy: 8 Targets, 5 Receptions, 66 Yards
Bearing in mind that the Browns’ number one receiver had totalled 42 yards before the final chunk play of the game that ran out the clock, this wasn’t a promising showing despite his quarterback attempting 45 passes. Jeudy was also responsible for the mishandled low catch that popped up into the hands of Jordan Battle in Cleveland’s own territory midway through the third quarter when the Browns were trailing but on the ascendency. Indeed, his first catch only came inside the two-minute warning in the first half. So, it wasn’t like he was a focal point of an otherwise uninspiring offense. With Flacco’s tendency for short throws over the middle and easy options out of the backfield (also a flaw of Head Coach Kevin Stefanski‘s system at times), Jeudy didn’t see any field-stretching opportunities despite the Bengals defense showing vulnerability there (and also last season, of course).
Harold Fannin Jr.: 9 Targets, 7 Receptions, 63 Yards | 1 Carry, 3 Yards
The star of the show in this passing game, the rookie tight end immediately looked comfortable working across the formations in a number of routes (something that the draft profile warns about). His ability to create separation was notable and almost every catch was uncontested bar from a couple that were short and over the middle, a tight end’s usual bread and butter. This performance was even more impressive considering the Browns already have a star pass-catching tight end that they love in Njoku. The flash play was a 22-yard catch on a scramble from Flacco down the right sideline in the fourth quarter, with the rookie doing well to make himself available to give his quarterback an option to extend the play – a valuable trait in a pass-catcher that doesn’t always develop so quickly with rookies. The beat reporters have raved about him in camp so this perfoormance wasn’t totally out of left field. However, at less than 5% rostered in most formats, this will undoubtedly peak interest. And so it should, it was a brilliant showing. The only blemish was a drop in the fourth quarter on a deeper ball from Flacco that would have put the Browns into field goal territory.
Cedric Tillman: 8 Targets, 5 Receptions, 52 Yards, TD
After emerging in the middle of last season as a viable option in this offense, Tillman missed time late in the season but came out of the gates in this contest with a nice catch on the opening touchdown drive for the Browns before standing out in a third quarter drive that made this Browns offense look more than functional for at least one drive in this game. It was his contested 13-yard grab on third down in the third quarter that moved the chains and got the Browns back in the game. Tillman was rewarded a few plays later with a easy grab in the back of the end zone on a crossing route from Flacco for a 5-yard score. Tillman scored three touchdowns in four games in the middle of last year when given an increased role, and he averaged over 50 yards in those contests. He is a WR3 with upside especially if this passing volume keeps up. Keep an eye on him.
David Njoku: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 37 Yards
Outside of a couple of strong catch-and-runs from the big tight end, Njoku was relatively quiet and ineffective throughout this contest. He took a short throw over the middle in the first half and rumbled through and past a couple of Bengals defenders to give everyone hope of a big fantasy day but somewhat strangely the Browns didn’t really go back to him as an option until late in the game. Frustrating but then again that’s Stefanski and the Browns on offense.
Jamari Thrash: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 5 Yards
Isaiah Bond: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 5 Yards