Bengal Beatdown: Cleveland Crushes Cincinnati 41-16 in Battle of Ohio
CINCINNATI — The Bengals were hoping to beat the Browns and keep pace in the AFC North, instead they're in danger of falling to last place in the division.
Cleveland crushed Cincinnati 41-16 on Sunday, showing the Bengals and the rest of the NFL that they could still be the best team in the AFC North.
The Browns never trailed on Sunday. They controlled the game from start to finish.
"We didn't deserve to win, Cleveland did," head coach Zac Taylor said.
The Bengals fall to 5-4. They've lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.
“People are going to paint a picture of overreaction when you lose two games in a row. We are not," Taylor said.
If the Steelers beat the Bears on Monday night, the Bengals will be in last place in the AFC North.
Here are some postgame observations:
Turnovers
The Bengals turned the ball over three times on Sunday.
Joe Burrow threw two interceptions, including a pick-six. Ja'Marr Chase also fumbled in the first half.
The Browns scored 16 points off of the turnovers.
Burrow completed 28-of-40 passes for 282 yards and two interceptions.
Bad Defense
The Bengals' defense appeared to turn over a new leaf in the seven weeks of the season, but that's in the past after what we've seen from them in the past two games.
This group had a bunch of missed tackles for a second-straight game and gave up two explosive plays—a 60-yard touchdown to Donovan Peoples-Jones and a 70-yard touchdown run to Nick Chubb.
This defense tricked people into believing they're a top-10 unit. They haven't played anywhere close to that in back-to-back weeks.
Battered Burrow
Burrow was sacked five times by the Browns on Sunday. Cleveland also had 12 quarterback hits. Burrow was getting hit or touched on nearly every play in the second half.
Star pass rusher Myles Garrett did damage, but the Browns sent cornerbacks and safeties off the edge—and more times than not they were able to get a hit on Burrow.
Browns safety Troy Hill finished with three sacks, four quarterback hits and three tackles for loss.
"Two sacks came from the [running] backs," Taylor said.
He dismissed the idea that Hill's blitzing surprised them, but it was certainly something the Browns had success with.
Baker's Bengals
Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield continues to own the Bengals. He completed 14-of-21 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns.
Mayfield improves to 6-1 against Cincinnati. Meanwhile, Burrow falls to 0-3 in head-to-head matchups against the Browns. It's the only AFC North team Burrow hasn't beat since joining the Bengals in 2020.
MVP
Running back Joe Mixon was the lone bright spot on Sunday and clearly the Bengals' most valuable player. He finished with 64 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 13 attempts.
Mixon also had five receptions for 46 yards.
Drops
Chase dropped a touchdown late in the third quarter with the Bengals trailing 34-10. It's the second time the rookie has dropped a pass in the end zone in as many weeks.
Chase also had a deep ball go off of his hands midway through the fourth quarter. It was a tough catch, but one that he's certainly capable of making. He finished with six receptions for 46 yards.
Tee Higgins also dropped a potential touchdown in the first half. He also couldn't hang onto a deep contested catch in the fourth quarter.
Injuries
Linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither suffered a left foot injury in the first half of Sunday's game and didn't return.
Safety Brandon Wilson appeared to suffer a significant left knee injury during a kickoff return. He was carted off the field and didn't return.
Attendance
The official attendance for Sunday's game was 65,451.
Up Next
The Bengals are on a bye next week. They play the Raiders in Las Vegas on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 4:05 p.m. ET.
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