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Oct 25, 2024

Browns: Nick Chubb, other studs and duds in loss vs. Bengals

The Cleveland Browns fell to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. The loss effectively closed the Browns’ playoff window for the season. The team is three games behind the wild card spot. The Browns sit

The Cleveland Browns fell to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. The loss effectively closed the Browns’ playoff window for the season. The team is three games behind the wild card spot. The Browns sit at 1-6 with two-thirds of the season left to contemplate their horrendous start. The Browns must contemplate before next season.

The Browns swung and missed big on a franchise quarterback. Watson tore his Achilles, ending his season, and possibly his career. Watson has played in 19 games in the past four seasons. The organization may hope the sample size is small and disparate enough to obfuscate the dreaded conclusion. However, it’s obvious that Watson will never return to the upper echelon of quarterbacks. The Browns must start preparing an exit from Watson.

The Browns may spend the next few weeks unloading players as they lick their wounds. The loss is making the Browns confront many hard truths about their future. For now, we must recap the game. Here are the Studs and Duds from the game.

Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (24) celebrates his rushing touchdown with guard Zak Zinter (70) and tight end David Njoku (85) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Nick Chubb came back to overwhelming support and love from fans. The running back only ran for 22 yards in 11 carries in his first game since his injury. Chubb added a touchdown to his stat line to make it more respectable. Chubb was going to make the stud list regardless of Sunday’s performance. He is incredible for healing so quickly. His presence was needed, it uplifted the entire organization.

Chubb had ten carries in the first half and didn’t see the field for most of the second half. The Browns are cautiously ramping up his activities. The Bengals played aggressively when Chubb was on the field. Their defense loaded up the box and sold out on the run. Chubb had a lot of runs dead at the line of scrimmage.

It’s hard to see how good a player is after a serious injury. Eyes have trouble registering minute differences in speed and acceleration. It was clear that Chubb still possessed his elite vision. The running back tried his hardest to make something out of nothing. Sometimes it worked, even if the gains were marginal. Hopefully, Chubb will have more production in the future as teams commit fewer resources to stop him.

CLEVELAND, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 22: Grant Delpit #9 of the Cleveland Browns celebrates after recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff against the New York Giants at Cleveland Browns Stadium on September 22, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Grant Delpit and Juan Thornhill did a great job in their return to action. The safeties unlocked the Browns’ coverage menu and sat on most of the Bengals’ explosive passing game. They made Burrow double-check his reads, giving the defensive line enough time to hit him. Delpit did a great job cutting off a stick route on fourth down early in the game. The Bengals receivers made a couple of plays, but that’s why they will be paid upwards of $30 million this offseason.

Delpit played well in run defense. He throws his body into a gap and wrestles down ball carriers. It’s reminiscent of how zombies attack in horror movies. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah attacks in a similar but more violent manner. The Browns throttled the Bengals run attack. Delpit had the most impressive run stop of the day, he hawked down Bengals’ running back Chase Brown from across the field. Next Gen Stats clocked Brown at 20.48 mph and was on his way to a touchdown. Delpit’s talent and determination were on full display.

Delpit played well for the Browns on Sunday. They shut down one of the best offenses in the NFL. Their performance was a glimpse at what many fans expected this season.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (1) runs the ball past Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward (21) in the NFL Week 7 game at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland October 20, 2024. The Bengals won 21-14.

Denzel Ward shut down his side of the field against the Bengals. The Pro Bowl cornerback was targeted four times and gave up two receptions for 11 yards. Nine of those yards came in one play against Ja’Marr Chase. Ward once again proved that he can lock down the best receivers in the NFL.

Ward’s most impressive play was a pass breakup against Tee Higgins. Ward went up for the jump ball with the 6-foot-4 receiver and tore the ball free at the high point. Ward has significantly improved at hand fighting at the catch point. Earlier in his career, it was a weaker area of his game. Now he climbs the ladder against the best and tallest receivers.

Ward is having a fantastic season despite the Browns’ slow start. The cornerback is leading the league in pass breakups in the NFL. He hasn’t benefited from turnover luck yet, but if he stays in the receiver’s hip pocket, those opportunities will come.

Oct 20, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

I do not want to kick someone when they’re down, but Deshaun Watson played poorly in the loss against the Bengals. It must be said before enough time passes to erode our memory. This game was bad, unlike the Ravens game that ended his 2023 campaign.

Watson completed 15 of 17 passes for 128 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. The modest stat line implies an efficiency that didn’t happen. Watson dinked and dunked his way up and down the field, passing up open receivers deep down the field for checkdowns. The Bengals’ defense sat on everything short. It was a major reason why the run game struggled.

Watson continued to struggle to operate the offense pre-snap. The quarterback let the play clock bleed to the final seconds before snapping the ball. At no time did the quarterback understand what he was looking at.

The Watson experience was over after fans booed him when he suffered his injury. There’s no returning from that for either the player or the fan base.

The risky move will go down as one of the worst trades in NFL history. The Browns have guaranteed Watson a lot of money over the next few years, but the salary can no longer be a reason to play him. Hopefully, Watson can come back healthy. But the Browns must realize this is a lost cause no matter what.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Julian Hicks (81) catches a pass for first down against Cleveland Browns cornerback Tony Brown II (38) during the second half of an NFL preseason football game at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Browns dug themselves into a hole against the Bengals when they allowed a score on the opening kick return. The Browns kicked it left and their defenders were caved in by double teams allowing for a highway to appear before Bengals’ returner Charlie Jones. The Browns couldn’t wrestle Jones out of bounds on their two attempts.

The Browns’ struggle with tackling players is amplified on special teams. When they miss a tackle, there’s too much space for the coverage unit to swarm. The Browns must fix their special teams unit.

It’s hard to conclude if the coaching is a failure, if the new return rule is the major cause, or if they’re struggling due to the quality at the end of the roster. The Browns missed on special teams ace Tony Brown II. He has been at the center of multiple blown coverage plays.

The Browns’ return unit has not performed much better. The team has failed to find a consistent returner, employs simplistic blocking approaches on kick returns, and severely lacks determination and a strong will.

The Browns’ defense is doing a relatively good job of keeping opposing offenses off the scoreboard. In games where points are so precious, yards become costly. The Browns cannot continue losing the field position game due to poor special teams.

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