The Cincinnati Bengals pulled off a stunning upstart win against the Cleveland Browns. In another nail-biter full of stunning defensive efforts, they emerged victorious 10-6. Myles Garrett, the Browns’ defensive star, dominated the field, accounting for two sacks and significantly hindering the Bengals’ offensive efforts. His pressure was a big reason the Bengals mustered only seven offensive yards after halftime.
The decisive play of the game was when Joe Flacco completed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Cedric Tillman. This play briefly turned the momentum to the Browns’ favor. Andre Szmyt’s misjudged potential go-ahead 36-yard field goal with a little more than two minutes remaining would come back to haunt the Browns. Szmyt had previously missed the extra point snap hold kick after Flacco’s touchdown.
Even the great Myles Garrett recognized the rub Szmyt was catching and gave the kid faith for what he’d do in the future.
“There’s going to be situations like this again, and he’s going to make those kicks.” – Myles Garrett
For Cincinnati, their victory was all the more memorable considering how poorly they’ve performed in recent years. The Bengals entered this game with a combined 1-11 record in Weeks 1 and 2 over the previous seasons, making this win crucial for their confidence moving forward.
Head Coach Zac Taylor made no mistake about it — being mentally tough was the key factor to winning this game.
“Forget about the stats, forget about the score, forget about how it all played out,” – Zac Taylor
Burrow added that the team had to learn how to win, and that sometimes wins are ugly.
“Any time you can win like this, you kind of steal one,” – Joe Burrow
Garrett’s history of success against Burrow in their prior meetings certainly stood out, with ten sacks registered in their last five meetings. Unlike last year, though, the Bengals figured things out and opened up their full offensive arsenal. They scored all the points they needed to win!
Though their offense was constantly under duress for the full 60 minutes, their defense matched the desperation on the other side of the ball. With Burrow at the helm and a healthy roster, Cincinnati aims to build on this victory as they navigate through the upcoming weeks of the NFL season.
Ben Baby, ESPN’s Bengal’s beat reporter makes mention of how big this win is. He’s hopeful it can jumpstart a better overall season going forward. The Bengals are looking to build off their momentum. Looking forward to their next matchup, they’re hungry to capitalize on the lessons learned from this nail-biter of a win.
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