Joe Burrow, Bengals Not Panicking, But Browns Have Their Number Following Ugly Season Opening Loss in Cleveland

Cincinnati is 1-3 in regular season openers with Burrow at quarterback. Their lone win was in 2021 over Minnesota.

Author:
James Rapien
Publish date:
Sep 11, 2023 10:51 AM EDT

In this story:

CINCINNATI — Another year, another season opening loss.

It's déjà vu for the Bengals. After starting the season 0-2 last year, they're halfway there following Sunday's 24-3 loss to the Browns.

Joe Burrow and the offense struggled all game long. They punted on their first seven possessions and never got going. Burrow completed 14-of-31 passes for 82 yards.

That's by far the lowest amount of passing yards he's had in a game since the Bengals took him with the top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

His previous low was 148 yards in a 32-13 win over the Raiders in 2021.

It’s one week. Obviously, not up to our standard, not up to my standard. Got 16 more. Just got to keep trucking," Burrow said. "Stuff like this happens. We have been here before. We are going to come back stronger. We will have a good week of practice, get better this week and come back on Sunday, hopefully get a win."

It doesn't get any easier for the Bengals. The Ravens come to town on Sunday. It's too early in the season to call it a "must-win," but not many teams win the division after starting 0-2 in the standings and in the division.

The Bengals did it last season. They don't want to have to dig out of a similar hole this year.

"We played sh****," Ja'Marr Chase said bluntly. "We gotta execute. I don't want to keep blaming that on the conditions. That's what it looked like for us."

The Bengals failed to score a touchdown for the first time with Chase and Burrow on the field together.

Their longest passing play was a 12-yard toss between the two Bengals' stars. They were out of sync all game long and it wasn't just Burrow and Chase. Tee Higgins didn't have a catch, despite being targeted eight times.

"Obviously we weren’t good enough with me putting the ball in the right place in our one-on-one situations," Burrow said. "We just didn’t come out on top today."

This might be a one-game outlier for the 2023 season, but one thing is certain: the Browns have the Bengals number.

Maybe that's why this déjà vu moment feels all too familiar. The Browns have held the Bengals to 16 total points in their past two matchups in Cleveland.

They have the pass rush to make Burrow uncomfortable. They also have cornerbacks that are talented enough to keep Tyler Boyd, Chase and Higgins in check.

Zac Taylor is 0-5 in Cleveland and Burrow is 1-5 against the Browns.

The Bengals play the Browns in Week 18. If both teams have it their way, they'll already have punched their ticket to the postseason by then. If not, then the Bengals better figure out a formula to beat their in-state rival.

The Battle of Ohio has been one-sided in recent years. The Bengals will likely have to find a solution if they're going to get where they hope to go this season.

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