Bengals 17, Browns 16: Cleveland wastes golden opportunity to win opener with missed kicks, dropped passes

CLEVELAND — The Bengals had 7 yards in the second half and minus-18 in the fourth quarter — lowest in the league since at least 1991.Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase, who led the NFL last year in passing and receiving, were held to 113 and 26 yards. The high-powered Cincinnati offense managed 17 points.The Browns still couldn't win an opener, falling 17-16 on a gorgeous Sunday at Huntington Bank Field. They are 3-23-1 in Week 1 since returning to the league in 1999.Commentary: More of the lame, as Browns start year by losing game they should've won"It's tough but it's just football," coach Kevin Stefanski said. "You're gonna get kicked in the teeth every once in awhile."The Browns needed a dentist after this one.The victory was there for the taking.First, they kicked it away. When they got another chance, they dropped the ball. Then they kicked it away again.They added another drop, that turned into an interception, to seal their fate.After going 3-14 last season — and with another five games left in a brutal opening stretch — the Browns desperately could've used a victory to start the season. They just couldn't get it."It (ticks) us off, it got us really mad," tight end David Njoku said. "That's the mindset we need to have coming into this next week. (Ticked) off for greatness. Means we got to work our (rear ends) off and get back to it."In a low-scoring game, every point mattered.Rookies make strong first impression, led by Dylan Sampson and Harold Fannin Jr.The first one squandered was when Andre Szmyt, playing in his first NFL game, missed an extra point after the Browns took their first lead at 16-14 in the third quarter. The Bengals followed in the third quarter with a field goal that gave them the lead, and the Browns could never get back that point.The next chance for points came when rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. and Jerry Jeudy dropped back-to-back passes on third and fourth down as the Browns were on the edge of field goal range.The defense continued to provide chances, including three straight sacks of Burrow, but the Browns stayed stuck on 16 points.Szmyt had a chance for redemption and missed wide right from 36 yards with 2:22 left. The Browns could spend the next couple of days looking for a replacement, although Stefanski said he's "not there.""I was just kind of pushing the ball," Szmyt said. "I rushed my approach a little bit, ended up pushing it. I've got to make the adjustment and make the kicks."The Bengals, who won their first opener since 2021, scored touchdowns on two of their first three drives, then the Cleveland defense stopped them cold. Garrett had the first two of the three straight sacks, and Isaiah McGuire got the third, with Burrow leaping out of the end zone to avoid a sack.It wasn't enough.After another stop gave the Browns the ball at their 33-yard line with 1:50 left, a Flacco pass bounced off the hands of receiver Cedric Tillman and hung in the air for cornerback DJ Turner II to grab."Frustrated — 0-1, sick of losing," said Tillman, who had five catches for 52 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown. "We as a team, we got to do better. I got to do better, so learn from it, and try to get some wins."Flacco threw two interceptions. Both went off the hands of the receiver.Flacco stepped up to avoid pressure in the third quarter and threw over the middle for Jeudy, who dived to make the catch. The ball bounced off his hands and into the air for safety Jordan Battle to nab at the Browns 34-yard line."Can't be minus 2 (on turnovers) versus a good football team," Stefanski said. "That's the story of this football game. Tipped balls, and we gotta play cleaner."The defense held Cincinnati to its only first down of the half and a 35-yard field goal, which gave it a 17-16 lead with 2:48 left in the third quarter."If it touches my hands, I got to make that play no matter what," said Jeudy, who had five catches for 66 yards. "I had to try to make a play. Just sh** happens."The same way twice? That way? Come on now."The Browns had plenty of opportunities to secure the win. They blew them all."We'll take it, we'll take it," said Burrow, who went 14-for-23 for 113 yards, a touchdown and an 87.7 rating. "We stole one today, we're going to have to do better."The Browns offense was methodical, if not explosive. It had four drives of at least 10 plays.Flacco, 40, went 31-for-45 for 290 yards, a touchdown, the two deflected interceptions and a 75.2 passer rating. Running back Dylan Sampson had eight catches for 64 and Fannin seven for 63 in their NFL debuts."Flacco did a great job today by getting all his playmakers the ball and driving the ball downfield," Jeudy said.The Browns have 12 rookies on the 53-man roster, with six seeing significant playing time. The bad came with the good."I felt like we did a lot of good things, but we also did a lot of things that get you beat," said Flacco, who next week will return to Baltimore, where he spent the first 11 years of his career. "We kind of played like an inexperienced team a little bit today. It definitely hurts to feel like you could start the season 1-0 and then not do that."Garrett and cornerbacks Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II led the charge on defense. Garrett had two sacks, four tackles for loss and three quarterback hits, Newsome had two passes defensed and Ward one."I feel like once I can start to get my rhythm and find what works, it's really a snowball effect," said Garrett, who's sacked Burrow 11 times in nine games. "I was really inspired by the play of the other guys making plays, all across the field. There was the front, there was the 'backers and the DBs. It was a little bit of everybody. I'm just happy to be able to step up in those moments, but we got to have more and it's got to be quicker."Browns Myles Garrett said he was inspired by other members of defense but need to start faster. pic.twitter.com/mZq5Mrnwa5— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) September 7, 2025https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThe Bengals went with a lot more two-tight end packages and condensed formations rather than their usual three-wideout, spread-it-out formula. After they had a strong start running, they finished with 46 yards on 23 carries. Rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger led the team with eight tackles."You watch a Cincinnati Bengals offense, they're going to take their shots and stuff and I think they were so worried about the pass rush and what guys were doing they weren't even really running their scheme," left guard Joel Bitonio said. "(The defense) played good enough for us to win."Browns Joe Flacco: This league can be harsh when you don't win. pic.twitter.com/MVmOebigLs— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) September 7, 2025https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThe Browns were left to lick their wounds and regroup for the trip to Baltimore, which is one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl."This league can be harsh when you don't win and it can come down on you hard," Flacco said. "But at the same time, it is week to week. You go out there and you play the way you know how to play the next week, then that last week is forgotten about and you're feeling really good. If we're in the locker room in Baltimore at 4:25 next week and we won the game, we're going to be feeling really damn good."Garrett's message was simple."Keep your head up. We don't lose two in a row," he said. "You've got to look at the film and get up off the canvas quick."Browns Myles Garrett on letting winnable game slip away. pic.twitter.com/RcQYBY3N2p— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) September 7, 2025https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThe post Bengals 17, Browns 16: Cleveland wastes golden opportunity to win opener with missed kicks, dropped passes first appeared on BrownsZone with Scott Petrak.