The Cleveland Browns hosted the Cincinnati Bengals for the Thursday Night Football game that kicked off the second week of the NFL season. The game ultimately became an offensive showcase as the two teams scored a combined 75. The Browns were on the winning end with the 35-30 victory, and many are speculating if the Browns are back and are ready to become a playoff team.
We have to credit the Browns for finding a rhythm on offense and Baker Mayfield having the much needed bounce-back game after the horrid game against the Ravens. Many will be optimistic after the Browns victory but don’t be fooled by this game, the Browns are not back to contending after this victory. Let’s first state that the Browns played a Cincinnati Bengals team that was the worst team in the NFL last season and had the worst rush-defense in the league, the Browns running for 215 yards shouldn’t come as a surprise as much as a given. We also have to keep in mind the Browns defense that allowed 30 points to a team that only managed 13 the week before, Myles Garrett did force a strip-sack that gave the Browns and easy score, but the defense allowed Joe Burrow ample time for most of the night and the ability to display why he was taken with the first overall pick.
Thursday night’s game was a reminder that the Bengals won’t be competitive simply by drafting the promising Joe Burrow. The Bengals were the worst team in the NFL last season going 2-14, it looks like little has changed. Cincinnati needed a generational quarterback, and they appear to have gotten one The lagging issue is that the roster had massive voids in every position. The roster needed to improve the offensive line, the defensive line, the linebacker group, even the secondary, they failed to add help to many of those positions. Tee Higgins is going to be a great receiver some day, but it made little sense for the Bengals to draft him when they already had AJ Green and Tyler Boyd as targets. The Bengals also have a formidable tight end group that has provided rookie Burrow as viable receiving options. The Bengals defense continues to look inefficient from last season, the offensive line is proven to be inconsistent, giving Joe Burrow great protection on one play and then collapsing on the next.
Joe Burrow looked great, don’t get me wrong. I know he threw 61 passes in the game which inflated his stats, but 300+ passing yards and 3 touchdowns are more than impressive for a second start. Joe Burrow displayed the ability to make any throw on the field, and his ability to angle his passes with the appropriate arc for the distance that the pass is thrown is just remarkable (darts for short distance and rainbows for deep balls). The throw that Joe Burrow made on 2nd down and ten yards to go with 9:43 remaining in the second quarter had my eyes widen, and my limbs freeze as I could only admire the placement and projection of a pass that was thrown to a cutting Joe Mixon down the middle of the field that was thrown before Mixon even turned to receive the pass. Joe Burrow assured the Bengals that every pass he threw would only be placed where a Bengals receiver could catch it. Yet, the remaining impression from this game is that the Bengals still have a lot of work to do.
This game reminded us why football is a great game. We were reminded that this game is a team sport and unlike other big sports that are followed in our country, one great player can’t win games by themself. A winning team needs to possess strength in all positions on the field. The Bengals landed a promising young quarterback in Joe Burrow, but if they allow him to be battered the way he was on Thursday night, and they don’t provide a defense that can assure that a lead is safe and a victory is reasonable, then Joe Burrow’s career is not going to be worth a dime.
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