Joe Burrow scored a touchdown in his NFL debut, but an offensive pass interference call on his last play robbed him of a win. (Journal-Herald)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is an analyst on the Cleveland Browns for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Browns v. Cincinnati Bengals
Thursday, 8:20 p.m., in FirstEnergy Stadium
Record: 0-1.
Last game: Lost to Los Angeles Chargers, 16-13, Sept. 3, in Cincinnati.
Coach: Zac Taylor, 2-15, second year.
Series record: Bengals lead, 51-42.
Last meeting: Bengals won, 33-23, Dec. 29, in Cincinnati.
League rankings: Offense is 22nd overall (15th rushing, 24th passing), defense is 12th overall (24th rushing, 10th passing) and turnover differential is minus-2.
Things to watch
1.Just what the Battle of Ohio needed – a soldier changing sides two days before the game. Yes, the Bengals claimed Austin Seibert after the Browns waived the kicker following a PAT and field goal miss in the 38-6 blowout loss in Baltimore on Sunday. But the Bengals fell short of firing their kicker, Randy Bullock, who missed a 31-yard game-tying field goal attempt in the Bengals opener and then clutched both calves in apparent pain. Zac Taylor said on Tuesday that Bullock remains the Bengals kicker and he will kick on Thursday. That’s assuming that Bullock is fully healthy. Perhaps Taylor wants to keep Seibert’s mind clear in the hours leading up to the game and will make a game-time decision. In any case, the possibility of Seibert kicking on his former home field against his former team is just another twist to a rivalry that has received a needed revival in recent years. Somewhere, Hue Jackson must be watching this one closely.
2.Quarterback Joe Burrow, the Athens, OH native and one-time Ohio State Buckeye, was not scintillating his NFL debut on Sunday. But he earned more respect from his new teammates with a display of moxie that almost pulled out a win. In the final 3:08 of the game and with no timeouts, Burrow drove his offense from the Bengals’ 18 to the Chargers’ 3. Then he completed a pass in the end zone to A.J. Green, but Green was flagged for pushing off. Taylor said if there were 2-3 seconds more left on the clock, he would have tried one more play for the touchdown. Instead, Bullock trotted in and shanked the field goal to send the game into overtime. Burrow overcame an interception on a ill-advised shovel pass on the previous series. Even though Burrow gave himself a D for his debut afterwards, the Bengals came away convinced their No. 1 overall pick in April is the real deal. They voted him a team captain before the first game. “I think you saw that quarterback’s a special player,” marveled Browns coach Kevin Stefanski.
3.The Bengals addressed their 32nd-ranked defense against the run by throwing a lot of money at three defensive free agents. They are nose tackle D.J. Reader, linebacker Josh Bynes and safety Vonn Bell. The early returns were mixed. The Bengals allowed 155 yards on 39 attempts to the Chargers in their opening day loss.
4.When the Bengals split the season series with the Browns last year, long-time No. 1 receiver A.J. Green missed both games with a serious foot injury. In fact, the injury cost him the entire season. His last game was Oct. 28, 2018. Green shook off some rust in his first game back. He led the Bengals with five caches for 51 yards, but missed on two touchdowns – the one disallowed at the end and one when Burrow misfired for him wide open at the Chargers 10.
Did you know … ?
1.Despite the Bullock field goal miss at the end, the Bengals quietly have fielded among the best special teams in a lot of years. Darrin Simmons is beginning his 18th season as special teams coordinator, making him the longest-tenured ST coach in the NFL. His teams were ranked No. 1 overall last year by Football Outsiders.
2.When the Browns called about interviewing quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt for the position of coordinator, the Bengals granted permission because they felt Van Pelt would get the opportunity to be the Browns’ offensive play-caller. It turned out that Stefanski balked at giving Van Pelt those responsibilities. The Bengals replaced Van Pelt by promoting offensive assistant Dan Pitcher to quarterbacks coach. The Bengals offensive coordinator is Brian Callahan – son of Browns line coach Bill Callahan – but Taylor calls the plays.
3.Under Taylor, the Bengals use 11 personnel – one back, one tight end, three receivers – more than any team. Taylor also will widen his spread formation with four, sometimes five, potential receivers on the line of scrimmage.
4.The Bengals’ offensive line was a mess last year, partly because 2019 first-round draft pick Jonah Williams missed the whole season with a knee injury. Williams is in place now at left tackle, but the line took another hit against the Chargers when right guard Xavier Su’a-Filo was lost with an ankle injury. The replacement is Billy Price, a 2018 first-round pick from Ohio State.
5.Seibert would be the eighth player to play for the Browns and Bengals in the same season. The others: Reece Morrison (1972), Lee Johnson (1988), Ralph Tamm (1991), Lynn James (1991), Joe King (1991), Sedrick Shaw (1999) and Derron Smith (2017). Also, there was one person to coach for both teams in the same season -- Hue Jackson (2018).
Small world: Bengals founder and first coach Paul Brown was the Cleveland Browns first coach and coaches the Browns to 10 consecutive league championship games in his first 10 years, winning seven … President Mike Brown is Paul Brown’s son … Defensive line coach Nick Eason played for the Browns from 2004-06 and was a coaching intern with them in 2013 … Kicker Austin Seibert was the Browns’ fifth-round draft choice in 2019 and was waived after missing two kicks in the 2020 season-opener.