CLEVELAND — Better to steal one than give one away.
Joe Burrow was held to 113 yards passing but two key interceptions helped the Cincinnati Bengals hold on for their first opening day win in four years, 17-16, over the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland. It was Cincinnati’s first Week 1 win since beating Minnesota, 27-24, in 2021 and its first in regulation since beating Indianapolis in 2018.
The Bengals had a disastrous series with eight minutes left when they were sacked on three straight snaps and faced 4th-and-28 from their 2. The Browns drove down to the Cincinnati 18 but Andre Szmyt, who earlier missed an extra point, was wide right from 36 yards with 2:22 remaining.
After the Bengals couldn’t convert a first down the Browns had one more chance but DJ Turner picked off a pass that deflected off the hands of Cedric Tillman with just over a minute remaining.
Burrow was just 14-of-23 for 113 yards and a touchdown while Browns quarterback Joe Flacco finished 31-of-45 for 290 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
“We’ll take it,” Burrow said. “We kind of stole one today.”
The Bengals took the opening drive and marched 68 yards in 12 plays to take their first lead. Chase Brown accounted for 36 of the 68 yards, rushing seven times for 29 yards and catching one pass for seven yards. Brown’s five-yard rush put the Bengals up, 7-0, with 7:32 left in the first quarter.
The Browns then took advantage of four Cincinnati defensive penalties – including a pair of pass interference penalties – to drive 67 yards on 16 plays for a game-tying touchdown. Raheim Sanders ran it in from one yard to tie the game with 12:42 left in the second quarter.
The Bengals lost starting right guard Lucas Patrick on their second offensive series with a right calf injury. Dalton Risner, who joined the team as a free agent two weeks before the opener, got his first game reps with his new team, replacing Patrick. On Cincinnati’s next drive, the Bengals responded with an eight-play, 54-yard drive, capped by a one-yard Joe Burrow toss to tight end Noah Fant on third-and-goal from the Cleveland 1.
The Browns also lost a starting offensive lineman when starting right tackle Jack Conklin suffered an eye injury and was replaced by Cornelius Lucas.
Szmyt converted from 45 yards out to cut Cincinnati’s lead to 14-10 with 23 seconds left in the first half. The Browns then continued their ball-possession game plan to open the third quarter, chewing up the first 7:40 of the second quarter. The 13-play drive was completed when Flacco found Cedric Tillman over the middle for a 5-yard touchdown and Cleveland’s first lead, 16-14. Andrew Szmyt missed the extra point to keep the game at two points. On the drive, Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson was run over by Harold Fannin Jr. and left the game in concussion protocol. He returned late in the third quarter.
The Bengals received a big break on Cleveland’s first offensive drive of the fourth quarter when the Browns had back-to-back drops on consecutive snaps, including one by Jerry Jeudy on fourth-and-4 at the Cincinnati 39.
The Bengals lost starting right guard Lucas Patrick on their second offensive series with a right calf injury. Dalton Risner, who joined the team as a free agent two weeks before the opener, got his first game reps with his new team, replacing Patrick. On Cincinnati’s next drive, the Bengals responded with an eight-play, 54-yard drive, capped by a one-yard Joe Burrow toss to tight end Noah Fant on third-and-goal from the Cleveland 1.
The Browns also lost a starting offensive lineman when starting right tackle Jack Conklin suffered an eye injury and was replaced by Cornelius Lucas.
Andre Szmyt converted from 45 yards out to cut Cincinnati’s lead to 14-10 with 23 seconds left in the first half. The Browns then continued their ball-possession game plan to open the third quarter, chewing up the first 7:40 of the second quarter. The 13-play drive was completed when Flacco found Cedric Tillman over the middle for a 5-yard touchdown and Cleveland’s first lead, 16-14. Andrew Szmyt missed the extra point to keep the game at two points.
Bengals starting safety Geno Stone left the game on the second series of the second half and was replaced by Tycen Anderson but returned midway through the fourth quarter.
The Bengals took a 17-16 lead on an Evan McPherson 35-yard field goal, set up by Jordan Battle’s interception on a deflection off the hands of Jerry Jeudy.
The Bengals received a big break on Cleveland’s first offensive drive of the fourth quarter when the Browns had back-to-back drops on consecutive snaps, including one by Jeudy on fourth-and-4 at the Cincinnati 39.
