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Can’t Kick, Can’t Catch, Can’t Win, Browns Lose To Cincinnati In Season Opener
Oops I Did It Again! Yes, those may be famous lyrics from a Britney Spears song, but those words also describe the Cleveland Browns, who once again found a way to lose a game they should have won.
Over the last 27 years, nobody has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory better than the Cleveland Browns.
Case and point, in Sunday’s 17-16 loss to the Bengals on the shores of Lake Erie, the Browns:
-Held the Bengals to 7 total yards of offense in the second half.
-Held the Bengals to only 141 yards of total offense for the entire game.
-Sacked Joe Burrow on 3 consecutive plays in the fourth quarter.
-Held Joe Burrow under 100 yards passing, when you subtract yards lost on 3 sacks.
-Held wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase to only 5 total catches for 59 yards and no touchdowns.
-Held one of the highest scoring offenses in the NFL last year to just 17 points.
-Joe Flacco threw for 290 yards and a touchdown.
All of this, and yet the Browns lost!
How you ask? Szmyt didn’t happen for starters!
-Kicker Andre Szmyt (pronounced Schmidt), who beat out Dustin Hopkins for the starting job, missed an extra point and a 36 yard field go in the fourth quarter.
-Jerry Judy dropped 2 key passes. One on a 4th and 5 play late in the game and another that the Bengals grabbed out of the aid for an interception.
-Cedrick Tillman also had a drop that ended in a Cincinnati interception.
-Even rookie Harold Fannin Jr., who was having a stellar start to his NFL career with 7 catches for 63 yards, dropped a pass in the 4th quarter.
-7 penalties for 53 yards didn’t help matters either.
Add up all those crucial mistakes, and they wiped out an impressive performance by the defense in what should have been an opening game victory for the Browns.
Instead, they will head to Baltimore for a Sunday afternoon affair in week 2 to play the Ravens in hopes of evening their record at (1-1).
