Rival Report: Bengals move forward while Browns experiment continues
The fourth week of the 2017 NFL regular season pitted AFC North rivals against each other and although the Cincinnati Bengals gained a step after a rough start, the experiment for the Cleveland Browns in finding an identity and a win continues. The battle for Ohio went in favor of the Bengals, who crushed the Browns by a score of 31-7, but there were some bright spots mixed with dark clouds for both teams.
Despite win, Bengals still not in great spot
After starting the regular season winless, Bengals fans will be the first to admit that their team is far from being spectacular. With Bill Lazor’s promotion, Cincinnati was hoping that after they’d made improvements in the game against the Green Bay Packers, they’d handily own the Browns. Yes, the score made it appear to be a blowout, but the Bengals were playing…well, the Browns.
On the opening offensive series, Andy Dalton – who has struggled – fumbled the ball on their second play as Jake Fisher was overwhelmed by Emmanuel Ogbah of the Browns and swatted the ball away. The Browns took advantage of the opportunity, recovering the ball on the Bengals’ 30-yard line. It was the perfect setup for DeShone Kizer to get a quick shot into the end zone. Unfortunately, the Browns were forced to count on Zane Gonzalez to put a field goal through the uprights and when it missed, the Bengals were able to take a deep breath.
Sunday was Dalton’s best performance of the season. He completed 25-of-30 passes for 286 yards and picked apart the Browns’ defensive backfield. Dalton also did not throw a pick in the game, finishing with a 146 passer rating and four touchdowns. There’s still room for growth and the Bengals hope Lazor gets Dalton over the slump in production moving forward.
Defensively, the Bengals were solid as Vontaze Burfict returned from suspension and made plays all over the field. Both Darqueze Dennard and William Jackson added big plays and Clayton Fejedelem grabbed a nice interception in the red zone. Although young, the defensive backs held up favorably. Linebacker Carl Lawson played so hard he lost some teeth trying to bring down Kizer in the fourth quarter.
When I’m bringing (Kizer) down I see my teeth just in the air. I’m like, ‘oh crap.’ … It didn’t hurt. I just saw my teeth in the air. – C. Lawson
Giovanni Bernard, Joe Mixon, Tyler Kroft and A.J. Green all combined to make some splash plays for the Bengals offense. Kroft caught six receptions for 68 yards and two touchdowns as Green caught five passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. Bernard had the flashiest touchdown play in a 61-yard catch-and-run into the end zone.
https://twitter.com/Bengals/status/914557284532985856
Learning curve for Browns may be too much
Kizer, as a rookie, was handed the ball and told to win. Unfortunately, Kizer may have been thrown to the lions too quickly. Against the Bengals, the young quarterback completed just 16-of-34 passes for 118 yards and one interception. In an offense that netted just 45 net yards rushing, all the pressure has been placed on his shoulders to get the ball to targets that haven’t been assisting him much.
That Duke Johnson, a running back, had nine receptions to Kenny Britt‘s three and Ricardo Lewis’ five illustrates just how limited the Browns offense is in overall production. Isaiah Crowell added seven rushes for just 20 yards and a single reception.
On Monday, following the fourth loss, Bengals cornerback Adam Jones made a statement that Hue Jackson, the coach in Cleveland, doesn’t have a roster that is capable of winning, Kizer objected.
[Jones] is not in our locker room … He doesn’t know what the talent looks like. He doesn’t know the grind that we put in. He doesn’t know the camaraderie that we have. I look forward to hearing his comments once we do figure this out. – D. Kizer
Credit the young man for defending his coach and his teammates. Unfortunately, blame the Browns organization for not developing a team that does not have such a steep learning curve. They spent two seasons and two and a half offseasons dismantling their veteran leadership on the field (mostly by trading the players away for draft picks) to go ‘young and fast’, but the experiment has produced little to put hope on. Jackson, as head coach, is 1-19 since his hiring. Haslam has hamstrung his franchise.
I don’t like my record any more than you do or anyone does; it’s horrible … But that being said, I understand and I place more emphasis on improving players and trying to get them to the right spot and trying to win … There’s a winner and a loser and we’ve been on the other side of this ledger way too many times. But we got to keep pushing. – H. Jackson
That the Browns went to Kevin Hogan, who completed five-of-eight passes seems to indicate that Jackson is aware that his team needs a spark. Whether any major changes will be made is really up in the air and depends on how much Haslam and Jackson have bought into the experiment.
Some good news is that Myles Garrett looks ready to begin a return to the roster. Whether it is too late for him to make an impact…well, that’s anyone’s guess.
https://twitter.com/Browns/status/914579876065067008
