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The Cincinnati Bengals suffered a sweep by the Cleveland Browns in the 2020 Battle of Ohio, losing Sunday’s game, 37-34.
Despite multiple losses along the offensive line, Joe Burrow had a big day alongside his trio of star wide receivers, including a rookie by the name of Tee Higgins. That, somehow, just wasn’t enough thanks to the Lou Anarumo-led defense.
Here’s some instant analysis from the game, including a game ball and key stats.
Quick Hits
— Big third-down connection between Joe Burrow and A.J. Green on the game’s first drive. Turns out that Green’s breakout from the week prior perhaps wasn’t a fluke.
— Very, very good first drive — even for the offensive line — derailed by a batted ball in the redzone that gets intercepted. As it happened, it was clear how the team responded on both sides of the football could dictate the feel of the entire game.
— And respond they did — Darius Phillips picked off a horrendous pass by Baker Mayfield two plays later.
— After plenty of speculation, if not controversy, both Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins were out there on the first defensive third-down of the game for the Bengals, a stop. But their participation all day was very, very limited.
— While offensive line play was mostly a strong point in the first half, there were some head-scratching decisions like leaving tackles alone with Myles Garrett that had predictable bad results, including a strip sack of Burrow.
— Bengals lost Jonah Williams and Trey Hopkins to injuries — meaning they lost their two best outright linemen.
— Burrow’s touchdown pass near the end of the first half into a tight window should do much to silence any critics of his arm strength.
— Key moment? Green fails to convert and the Bengals settle for a field goal to go up 20-17 after the defense got absolutely smoked on the first drive of the second half.
— In true yo-yo nature, the Cincinnati defense’s gradual collapse didn’t deter Burrow, who led another touchdown drive in the mid-fourth, hitting up Higgins for a score.
— The fact Lou Anarumo was getting so thoroughly out-coached in the second half against a Browns offense without Odell Beckham is, in a word, problematic.
— All of the above put Burrow in a position to win it and in the process, he took the team in lead in rushing surpassed the 400-yard passing mark.
— Not that it mattered, because the defense coughed up yet another score, securing the season sweep.
Key Stat
6-of-9: Cincinnati’s conversion rate on third downs, a solid rate that speaks to quality play-calling, even after losing some key offensive linemen.
Game Ball
Joe Burrow: How tough is the rookie No. 1 pick for hanging in there against a strong pass-rush while down his two best offensive linemen? The pocket awareness, zip on the ball into tight windows and key throws to A.J. Green were great to see.
What to Fix
The line: Cincinnati’s line was actually playing some really good football to start the game, sans when the coaches put guys alone with Myles Garrett. But losing Hopkins and Williams is a killer. Bobby Hart later went down in the fourth quarter, too. This is why the Bengals have so many linemen practicing at different positions, but they’d be wise to go ahead and sign someone like Quinton Spain when he visits next week.
Top Takeaway
Burrow’s got “it”: No kidding, right? Whatever “it” is, Burrow’s got droves of it. Regardless of Sunday’s result, the way he rallied from behind multiple times behind a hobbled offensive line is something both the team and fans can build upon for the future.
Rest assured the Browns will be dreading playing him twice a year for a long time.