Yes, It Was the Browns, But the Bengals' Defensive Performance Should Instill Confidence in Everyone

CLEVELAND – The Cincinnati Bengals may not have solved their slow-start issues, but they ended their losing-start problem.

And they have the defense to thank for Sunday’s 17-16 win in Cleveland to open the season.

If you think that sounds unusual, Logan Wilson says you’re right.

“When we went out on the field late after the offense didn't score any points, it was just like, ‘Well, we're going to get a stop,” the veteran linebacker said. “It's just like a different feeling on our sideline. We have the confidence that we're gonna find a way to get a stop. And we did."

Over and over and over again.

The Browns scored points on three of their first four possessions.

The Bengals defense held Cleveland scoreless on its final six drives.

Had the Browns finished any of those with any points at all, the Bengals not only lose yet another season opener, they do so after investing so much time, effort and verbiage into trying to fix the problem.

“I thought our defense did a great job rising up out there on the last couple of possessions of the game,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “They got two turnovers. We knew there was going to be adversity. There’s always adversity in Week 1. There’s always adversity when we play Cleveland. It’s never simple.

“So for our guys just to find a way to win in the end, I’m proud of them,” he added. “The best outcome of this game is 1-0.”

Yes, the Browns dropped five passes, two of which ended up being intercepted by safety Jordan Battle in the third quarter and cornerback DJ Turner II with Cleveland near midfield and just 90 seconds left in the game.

And yes, two other Browns drops came on back-to-back plays on third and fourth down at the Cincinnati 39 in the fourth quarter.

And yes, Cleveland rookie kicker Andre Szmyt missed an extra point and a chip-shot field goal from 36.

Joe Burrow may have summed up the win best.

“Any time you can win like this, you kind of steal one,” he said. “We stole one today.”

And the defense drove the getaway car.

The Bengals tackled well, especially against the run, and didn’t allow the type of demoralizing explosive plays that have been a hallmark of this defense for the last few years.

“We stopped the run,” said Battle, who tied his career high with 12 tackles, including a big one on Cleveland wide receiver Jerry Jeudy in the open field on third and 7 at the Cincinnati 42 in the fourth quarter.

“They had 2 (yards per carry,” Battle added. “The D-line did a good job stopping the run so Joe (Flacco) could put the ball in the air and give us a chance to make plays on the ball.”

The 2.04 yards per carry the Bengals allowed were their fewest against the Browns since allowing 2.00 in an 18-0 Cincinnati loss in 2001, and the fourth fewest in franchise history.

No one should be pronouncing the Bengals defense as fixed one game into the Al Golden era, especially when that win came against a bad Cleveland offense.

But Sunday’s performance instilled confidence in the players, and it should do the same to the fan base.

The tasks are going to get tougher, but the Bengals believe they will as well.

While Cleveland gained 278 yards through the air, the Cincinnati defense only gave up three plays longer than 19 yards and none longer than 25.

“You're gonna have to work for it when you play against us,” said defensive tackle B.J. Hill, who had one of the team's two sacks as part of his seven tackles.

“They might move the ball some, but you're not gonna score all the time,” he added. “We’re built for tough games. I think we played really good team football. We gave up some plays, but it is what it is. We got the win

It’s not just that the defense played well.

It played well when it absolutely had to.

That’s because Burrow and the offense put up one of the most dismal displays the league has seen in the last 35 seasons.

The 141 yards of offense were the fewest of the Taylor era and the 12th fewest in franchise history.

Nine of the 11 totals that were lower came before the turn of the century.

The Bengals had negative 18 yards in the fourth quarter. That’s the fewest by any team since at least 1991, breaking the previous mark of negative 17 set by the 2017 Bengals in a loss to the Steelers.

Burrow led the offense on a 67-yard touchdown drive to open the game.

The Bengals gained 74 yards the rest of the day, including just 7 in the second half.

It’s the fewest second half yards by the Bengals since at least 1991, and it’s the 12th fewest among all teams.

Burrow has bailed out the defense time and again the last few years.

Sunday, it was the opposite.

“They made big time plays today in big spots,” Burrow said. “I thought they stopped the run and put some pressure on (Flacco) in some key spots. The two turnovers were just great plays by our guys.”

The Bengals offense averaged 2.88 yards per play.

It was the 12th time since at least 1991 the Bengals failed to break 2.9 per play. They were 0-11 in the previous instances.

Taylor understandably had high praise for the defense in his postgame speech to the team.

“The defense put this game on their shoulders in the fourth quarter and came up with stop after stop after stop. I love it,” Taylor said before handing out game balls to Battle and Turner.

He also made a promise that the offense will do everything it can to make sure they aren’t in that position again.

But there could come a time.

And just knowing the defense is capable of carrying the team – regardless of who the opponent was Sunday – has a chance to have a lasting effect the rest of the season.

“It's huge," left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. said when asked what that kind of defensive performance means to the team. "It shows a lot about our growth. It shows a lot about our camaraderie. We got the ball in four minute (drill), and we didn't do anything with it. And they go out there and they make things happen.

“The way they showed up, we’re only going to grow from here.”