Bengals vs. Browns: Cleveland Grades, Notes and Quotes
The Cincinnati Bengals steamrolled the Cleveland Browns in Week 13, 37-3, to sweep the 2015 season series of the Battle of Ohio. They improved to 10-2 for the second time in franchise history, while the Browns fell to 2-10.
With Tennessee’s win over Jacksonville, the Browns are in the driver seat for the 2016 NFL draft’s first overall pick.
This one against the Bengals was never really close.
Andy Dalton’s first-quarter 54-yard connection with A.J. Green set up the first score of the game. Dalton took a quarterback keeper in from three yards out while the Browns defense was confused and not lined up in time. They would never trail from there.
Still in the game, the Browns went for it on 4th-and-11 from Cincinnati’s 36, and Davis was sacked by Michael Johnson for a 10-yard loss.
Cincinnati took advantage of that favorable field position. Three plays and a minute and 15 seconds later, Dalton hooked up with a free-running Green for a 23-yard touchdown.
On the Bengals’ next possession, Barkevious Mingo and Paul Kruger sacked Dalton on 3rd-and-9—the team’s only sack or pressure of the game—setting up a 44-yard Mike Nugent field goal. That successful try put the Bengals ahead 17-0 with 6:24 to play in the first half.
Nugent hit another field goal to put the Bengals up 20-0 with 3:20 left in the half.
Still in the first half and after some poor clock management in the closing seconds, Travis Coons hit a 47-yard field goal to get the Browns on the scoreboard. The Bengals’ 20-3 lead would easily hold, though, as the Browns continued to struggle in the second half.
Coons attempted another 47-yarder after the Browns’ opening second-half drive stalled. It was tipped by Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap and fell short.
Soon after that miss, Dalton hooked up with Green again for 20 yards, setting up a one-yard Jeremy Hill rushing touchdown. Cincinnati’s 27-3 lead brought out the boo birds as Hill leaped into the stands to celebrate with some Bengals fans in the first row. Christian Kirksey was flagged for pulling him out of the stands and sparking a scuffle.
That’s when chants for quarterback Johnny Manziel broke out. Those cheers went unanswered but were followed by Austin Davis taking a sack, completing a long third-down pass to Darius Jennings and then drawing a third-down intentional grounding penalty after Geno Atkins flushed him from the pocket.
The Bengals scored again when Marvin Jones beat rookie Charles Gaines to extend their lead to 34-3. Nugent finished scoring with a 20-yard field goal with 5:47 left to play.
Position Grades for Browns
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Quarterback: D+
Davis became the 24th quarterback to start for the Browns since 1999. He completed his first pass, a nine-yard gain. He did some good things after that but wasn't very threatening down the field and wasn't able to engineer many positive drives.
Despite throwing some good balls, Davis took some untimely sacks and was flagged for two intentional grounding penalties. He also missed some receivers and sailed passes throughout the course of the game.
It’s safe to say the Browns’ search for a franchise quarterback is still alive and well after this one.
Running Backs: C+
Isaiah Crowell provided the only highlight-worthy play of the game for Cleveland, a 23-yard delayed run that would have helped set up a score, but Coons’ 47-yard field-goal attempt was blocked four plays later.
Duke Johnson was surprisingly used sparingly, receiving only nine total touches, and was relatively contained.
Crowell’s 11 rushes for 62 yards were a bright spot, but despite his success the team was trailing by too much to really commit to running the football—as has been the story all season.
Wide Receivers: C+
It’s tough to grade two players, the number of receivers the Browns finished this game with, but they did play well overall. Getting the ball to them accurately and without being harassed by the Bengals defense was the story of this game.
Brian Hartline had eight grabs on 11 targets for 83 yards, and undrafted rookie Darius Jennings finished with five catches on seven targets for 35 yards.
The Browns nickel-and-dimed the Bengals most of the day and took very few risks down the field due to the Bengals pass rush.
Tight Ends: C-
Tight end blocking has been poor all season, but at least Gary Barnidge had been a weapon for the Browns offense to this point. He dropped a third-down pass in this one and finished second on the team with five catches on eight targets for 58 yards.
Offensive Line: D
Cameron Erving was annihilated by Atkins all game. Anyone who the standout defensive tackle lines up against typically struggles, but the rookie was especially poor and was eventually pulled and replaced by Austin Pasztor in the fourth quarter after a holding penalty.
It’s not possible to give a positive grade to a unit that has underperformed and appears to have regressed throughout the season.
Defensive Line: F
The Browns got no push from their front-line defenders, and they were gashed again for more than 140 yards on the ground. Some major changes are needed with this group, and the team’s defensive coaches may be the first to go. Notably, and confusingly, rookie nose tackle Danny Shelton was absent during some key short-yardage situations.
Linebackers: D
Kruger and Mingo sacked Dalton once but were ghosts otherwise. Mingo also drew a costly facemask penalty.
Defensive Backs: F
Poor tackling, poor coverage and penalties helped account for one of the worst performances by the Browns secondary this season.
Green has struggled against the Browns in recent memory while Joe Haden had shadowed him. But Haden missed another game this week, and Green abused Tramon Williams for much of the day.
Rookie Charles Gaines missed a few tackles and looked out of place for much of the day. He was beat for a score by Marvin Jones.
Special Teams: D+
For the second week in a row, a Browns field-goal attempt was batted down. Coons’ 48-yard attempt made it past the line of scrimmage, and although it wasn’t returned for a touchdown, it still missed as a result.
The Browns special teams unit made no positive impact plays, and Andy Lee’s 39.7 yards-per-punt average was another poor outing for the usually proficient punter.
Coaching: F
Another week of clock mismanagement—and that’s generous because it’s clear the team is clueless from the top down about that concept—led to more frustrating moments.
It appears Mike Pettine’s team is not responding to him and is regressing in every area. Basic things like executing plays, calling timeouts and tackling seem like impossibilities for this team.
The Browns have now lost seven in a row and 15 of their last 17 games dating back to last season.
We’ll see how much longer owner Jimmy Haslam will put up with watching his product be dragged through the mud.
Browns Lose OG Joel Bitonio to Knee Injury
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Browns left guard Joel Bitonio missed the last two weeks with an ankle injury. He left the team’s Week 13 matchup against Cincinnati with an apparent left knee injury and was taken to the locker room for evaluation.
He didn’t return.
Rookie Cam Erving took his place before being benched for Pasztor in the fourth quarter.
Bitonio’s health problems have led to a bigger role for the rookie first-round pick. But Erving has not transitioned well to the guard position in the NFL. Hopefully Bitonio can get healthy and Erving can bounce back with more experience or a move to another position.
He was billed as a versatile offensive lineman who could help provide depth at multiple positions. At least to this point, that appears to have been false advertising.
Browns WRs Marlon Moore and Travis Benjamin Leave with Injuries
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The Browns came into Week 13 with just four active receivers, and they lost two of them during Sunday's game. Travis Benjamin left with a shoulder injury and did not return. Marlon Moore followed him, injuring his ribs and also leaving the action.
Neither returned.
That left rookie Darius Jennings and veteran Brian Hartline as the team’s only healthy receivers in the second half.
In another puzzling move, the Browns chose to keep healthy veteran Dwayne Bowe off the active roster again this week.
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Pettine: Browns QB Decision for Week 14 Coming Monday
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Davis didn’t look like anything special, but that doesn’t mean Pettine is willing to immediately take Manziel out of timeout and hand him the starting job again.
“We’ll make that decision tomorrow,” the coach said during his postgame press conference. “Get a chance to watch the tape and we’ll all circle back, circle up on it and see where we are with it.”
No matter who starts at quarterback for the Browns this season, there’s a real chance they'll finish with the top pick in the 2016 draft.
That means the possibility of drafting a new quarterback is in the mix. That’s especially true if Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer are given their walking papers.
Most new management teams will acquire their own players. But if Farmer stays and Pettine goes, there’s a good chance Manziel will be given another year to prove his worth.
Pettine: Tramon Williams Should Have Had Help on Green TD
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Pettine came to the defense of veteran cornerback Tramon Williams, who had a rough day on the outside against Green.
“On the (DB) Tramon (Williams) touchdown, he should have had top help,” Pettine said after the game. “Sometimes, you see a guy get run by, but he was supposed to be in trail coverage with help over the top.”
The help should have come from Tashaun Gipson, but he was near the middle of the field and in the end zone. Whether it was another miscommunication or just a lapse by Gipson, it was another indication that the Browns just aren’t clicking in the Jim O’Neil-led defense.
At this level it's unacceptable to have this many examples of these kinds of lapses. Poor execution is one thing, but it seems like the players are just not responding to what Pettine and O’Neil are trying to do.
All quotes obtained via press release emails from Browns communications manager Rob McBurnett.
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