Browns Sad Script Continues In Loss To Bengals, 21-14: Game Notes

Now 1-6 on the season, the Browns are in the midst of a season from hell and one that could end up among the league's worst as things took a wild turn at Huntington Bank Field today.

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It was a weird day inside a stadium that has seen some weird things in its 25-year history of hosting NFL games. The script felt the same early as the Browns’ offense struggled through the first two quarters while the defense held respectable enough to keep them in striking distance. Then, as the Browns offense finally put together a couple successful downfield throws before half, Deshaun Watson took off on a designed quarterback run and his right Achilles seemed to pop. His season was over at that moment and an already lost season found itself in a stranger place.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson entered the game and although he had a couple early successful runs to start the second half, the young quarterback struggled throughout his time on the field. The Browns secondary couldn’t stop the duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins from breaking through in the third quarter and it was all downhill from there.

If we thought the organization was at a crossroads before this week, they are even worse off now with massive ramifications coming in the process of Watson’s eventual return — whenever that might be. Plenty of discussions about the future loom but we have to discuss today first.

Let’s dig into Week 7 Game Notes.

• We start with the strange decision to make Jameis Winston inactive for the day. Sure, he got into the game late due to Watson’s injury but the circus around his inactive label and Thompson-Robinson’s active status makes no sense. Especially when you consider the reports that DTR was told very late in the week he would have a chance to be activated. Strange choice all around.

• Deshaun Watson’s stat line looks promising going 15-17 for 128 yards but the offense again had next to zero rhythm throughout and check downs dominated, despite some throws being open downfield, for most of the first half. Watson only unleashed a few throws with 10+ air yards before the half. He was below average once again.

• Thompson-Robinson looked the same sort of overwhelmed he did when he had the surprise starting nod in Week Four of his rookie year against Baltimore. He ended with two interceptions, one of which was on Tillman, but nonetheless he looked like the speed of the game was too quick for him, and too many snaps felt like a player out of place.

• Jameis Winston led a touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter that felt like it had some life to it — certainly throwing into windows others have avoided this season. He deserves to start next week just to see what it can look like with a veteran of Winston’s style. Excellent catch from David Njoku on the touchdown.

• The wide receivers just look so uninterested in what is happening from down to down. It was glaringly bad today. They don’t run routes hard, fail to block with enthusiasm, and have disappointed for much of the year. Cedric Tillman has not developed in a Browns uniform, they have gotten so little out of Elijah Moore, the list goes on and on. Bigger questions need to be asked about the development of this position room.

• After last week’s promise in the run game, today took steps in the wrong direction. Nick Chubb only got loose for 22 yards on 11 carries and Pierre Strong and D’Onta Foreman only produced 11 yards on five carries. We will dig into the details but the gun run game was rough to watch.