Winners and Losers From Cincinnati Bengals' 17-16 Win Over Cleveland Browns

CLEVELAND — The Bengals beat the Browns 17-16 on Sunday in Cleveland. It was their first Week 1 win since 2021.

There were plenty of positives from the victory, but also a plethora of negatives. Here are our winners and losers from the 1-point win:

Winners:

DJ Turner II

Turner had the game-sealing interception with 1:24 left and the Bengals clinging to a 17-16 lead.

“It was a deep curl route, a stop route," Turner said. "We got physical at the top of the route. He bobbled the ball, I saw it and made a play."

Joe Flacco's pass was intended for Cedric Tillman. Turner came down with it instead.

Turner finished with two tackles, two passes defensed and an interception. That inteception is the biggest play of his young NFL career. The third-year pro stepped up in a big way for the Bengals on Sunday.

Jordan Battle

Battle finished with 12 tackles, one pass defensed and one interception. His interception led to a Bengals' field goal—the only points they scored in the second half.

That was the difference in the game.

"It was a great play," Battle said. "In cover two, just breaking on the ball. He made a bad throw inside the receiver, I think it was 3 [Jerry Jeudy], to tip it. Then just the focus to maintain and catch the ball. It put our offense in striking position."

That strike ended up being a 37-yard field goal by Evan McPherson. It was the final points for either team. Battle's big play helped the Bengals get out of Cleveland with a win.

Al Golden

Golden's defense stepped up in his first game as defensive coordinator. They held the Browns to 16 points, forced two turnovers and kept Cleveland from scoring over the final 22:20 of the game.

From proven vets like Trey Hendrickson, Logan Wilson and BJ Hill to young guys like Shemar Stewart, Joseph Ossai, Demetrius Knight and Dax Hill—the majority of this defense stepped up and made plays—especially in the second half.

"Very calm, collected. That's what I saw," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. "There was a time we had two young linebackers out there; two rookies out there when (Bengals LB) Logan (Wilson) came out. I'm watching just to see their body language. Didn't miss a beat. I think there's a lot of guys that fit that description. All those guys that got in there and got a chance to play. It was not too big for any of them. That's why they're here, because they're all built like that. And so we're going to have to call on all these guys as the season progresses.”

Losers:

Second Half Offense

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) wraps up Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) for a sack during the second half of an NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field, Sept. 7, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cincinnati led 14-10 at halftime. They scored touchdowns on two of their three first half possessions.

Things changed in the second half. The Bengals' offense was awful. They finished with two net yards of total offense in the half.

Joe Burrow was sacked on three-straight plays in the fourth quarter. They lost 18 yards on that possession. Cincinnati scored three points thanks to Battle's interception, but punted on their other five second half possessions.

"It’s hard. A lot of times, it’s just one play on a drive. If one play drills you and now you’re behind the sticks a little bit, that plays into their hands," Taylor said. "We had some great efficiency early on. There was a play here or there and there are things I can do to put us in a better spot. I think we’re all going to be accountable with that on offense. We felt like there was an opportunity there that we didn’t fully take advantage of. There's opportunities where I could put us in a better position. I look forward to correcting that all that after a win. It’s a lot easier."

The Bengals finished with 141 total yards, which is the lowest in Taylor's tenure with the team.

Cam Taylor-Britt

Taylor-Britt struggled for most of the game. He gave up a touchdown catch to Cedric Tillman and lost multiple 1-on-1 matchups throughout the contest.

Turner and Dax Hill both played well, but Taylor-Britt is going to need to play better if this secondary is going to be a quality unit.

Andre Szmyt

The Bengals should send a thank you card to Browns rookie kicker Andre Szmyt. The rookie kicker missed an extra point that would've given Cleveland a 17-14 third quarter lead. He also missed the go-ahead field goal 2:22 remaining in regulation. The 36-yard attempt was wide right.

"Similar to the extra point, I rushed my approach and pushed the ball," Szmyt said after the game. "I got to do better and I expect better out of myself. Just try and forget about it and move on to next week.”

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