Absent since his terrible leg injury in the second week last season, Nick Chubb has made his comeback in Cleveland! On the other hand, Deshaun Watson will now be missing. The quarterback injured his right achilles tendon two minutes before halftime. He had to be evacuated on a trolley.
Not very skillful, Dorian Thompson-Robinson will not have succeeded in replacing him at quarterback in this meeting. It was rather the defenses that performed today, while the attacks remained mostly amorphous. Note all the same: some flashes in Cincinnati's passing game with important touchdowns when it mattered most. In the end, it is a logical and deserved victory for the Bengals who are gradually catching up.
On the other hand, for Cleveland, the time is (almost) already to take stock. With the departure of Amari Cooper and the injury of Watson, it is difficult to see how the team could get back to winning ways. The result is there: only one victory and six defeats after seven weeks.
Deshaun Watson collapses before the break
No time to sit down, the Bengals are already scoring! On return, returner Charlie Jones finds the opening and takes off on a 100-yard run to score a direct touchdown. However, the intensity generated by this crazy action quickly fades. After an exchange of punts between the two teams, the Browns, still led by a struggling Deshaun Watson (15/17, 128 yards), found themselves in field goal position. But Dustin Hopkins' 49-yard kick misses the target.
Afterwards ? The match gradually took a defensive turn. On the fourth attempt, Joe Burrow (15/25, 182 yards, 2 TDs) tried to pass in force but suffered a sack on the opposing 42 yards. Cleveland recovers and Watson is sacked by Trey Hendrickson (2 tackles, 1 assist and 2 sacks) on third attempt. The punts keep coming and it’s the defenses that shine. The Browns defense even inflicted two consecutive sacks on Joe Burrow and completely numbed the Tiger attack.
Two minutes before the break, Watson finally seemed to find his rhythm but suddenly collapsed. In tears, he holds his right leg and ends up being evacuated on a trolley. Dorian Thompson-Robinson (11/24, 82 yards, 2 Ints and 3 races, 44 yards) replaces him at short notice. And it is finally Nick Chubb (11 races, 22 yards, 1 TD) who concludes this first half with an unconverted touchdown. Slight Bengals advantage at halftime with a score of 7 to 6.
Cincinnati takes over
Returning from the locker room, Joe Burrow finally found Ja'Marr Chase (5 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD) in the paint for the first points of the attack today. Moments later, a pass from Dorian Thompson-Robinson was deflected and landed in the arms of Sam Hubbard for an interception. The situation seems to be getting worse for Cleveland, but the Browns defense is holding up. The two teams are reduced to yet another exchange of punts.
It was at the end of the third quarter that Cincinnati took a comfortable lead. Tee Higgins (4 receptions, 82 yards, 1 TD) adds six points on a 25-yard pass in the middle before the punts continue again. And then, four minutes before the end of the match, Geno Stone appeared and intercepted Dorian Thompson-Robinson on a long pass to definitively seal the fate of this match. Evan McPherson tries to finish with a 50-yard field goal but misses. We arrive in garbage time, and Jameis Winston enters the quarterback position for the Browns.
After great efforts, he ended up finding David Njoku (10 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD) for a touchdown and followed up with a two-point conversion. Final scare for the Bengals: the Browns special unit attempts an onside kick but Mike Gesicki recovers in time. Final score, 21-14 for the Bengals and a second victory in a row.
