By the skin of their teeth, the Bengals were able to start the season 1-0 with a big win in Cleveland.
Browns kicker Andre Szmyt missed an extra point in the third quarter and a chip-shot, 36-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter — keeping the Browns behind.
And while Joe Flacco has two interceptions to his name, both of them came on drops by Cleveland receivers.
The Bengals didn’t win this game as much as the Browns lost it with their mistakes.
Cincinnati had just 11 first downs and 141 total yards. Quarterback Joe Burrow finished the game 14-of-23 for 113 yards with a touchdown. Tee Higgins led with three catches for 33 yards while Ja’Marr Chase was held to just two catches for 26 yards.
The Bengals averaged just 2.9 yards per play, with Cleveland edge rusher Myles Garrett dominating the second half. There was a sequence of two consecutive plays on a key drive in the fourth quarter where Garrett recorded a sack. He finished the game with five total tackles — four for loss — with 2.0 sacks and three QB hits.
The Browns offense looked much like it did with Flacco during the 2023 season. The 40-year-old veteran QB finished 31-of-45 for 290 yards with one touchdown and two picks. The Browns outgained the Bengals 327 to 141, running 71 plays to 49 plays.
But with the turnovers and the missed kicks, the Browns could not turn all of their chances into a victory.
Now at 1-0, the Bengals will host the Jaguars for their home opener next week.
It won’t get easier for the 0-1 Browns, as they’ll be in Baltimore to take on Joe Flacco’s old team, the Ravens, in Week 2.