Instant analysis after Bengals flop in blowout loss to Browns

The Cincinnati Bengals started rusty in rainy weather during the season opener against the Cleveland Browns and never recovered, suffering a 24-3 loss.

Back from a training camp calf injury and with a freshly-extended contract, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow posted a career-worst first-half line in a low-scoring, AFC North affair.

Here’s a look at some quick thoughts and notes coming out of the game.

Quick Hits

— First drive of the game, Trayveon Williams was the third-down back, as expected. Rookie Chase Brown was inactive.

— Rookie wideout Andrei Iosivas was a punt gunner, confirming his status as a key contributor.

— First drive of the game ended on a Joe Burrow sack as he tried to escape a collapsing pocket.

— Before a punt on the second offensive series, new tight end Irv Smith Jr. was the third-and-one target on a pass slightly high that probably registers as a drop.

— Huge opening quarter for Germaine Pratt:

Germaine Pratt, a surprise return, doing not-so-surprising things by getting in on a sack and a forced fumble in Q1.

— Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) September 10, 2023

— A not great start for the Bengals offense in the first half. Rust, partially due to the injury that cost Burrow most of training camp, didn’t help. Neither did misty, rainy conditions, producing a career-low 6 of 14 for 36 yards.

— Bengals finally got on the board in the second half via a McPherson field goal, assisted down the field by a defensive penalty. But he later missed another from 51 that would have made it 10-6.

— Dax Hill, finally starting in place of Jessie Bates, registered his first career interception.

— This one snowballed out of control as the rain started to come back down, with Burrow looking sluggish and the defense losing contain on big runs.

— Rookie punter Brad Robbins had a rough day, though benefit of the doubt applies due to weather. Still, it had a huge presence throughout.

Key Stat

0-8: Catches and targets for Tee Higgins. There were many bad stats in this one, but the inability for Burrow and Higgins to link up derailed a handful of drives and key moments and was the best example of how out of sync everyone was.

Game Balls

LB Germaine Pratt — A huge showing from Pratt, being around a sack and a fumble early.

S Nick Scott and Dax Hill — A productive day for the new safety duo, with Scott dominating the tackle charts and having a few key breakups and Hill getting that interception.

Top Takeaway

Deja vu: Another slow start for the Bengals. This one stems from rust, lack of reps together, that injury to Burrow and weather. That’s not to make excuses — the Bengals starting slow, especially on offense for a game they had all offseason to prep for, happens too often. The entire unit, from coaching to execution in the trenches and beyond, needs to be able to match the defense quickly or they could fall into an 0-2 hole with Baltimore up next.