Two missed kicks, multiple dropped passes cost Browns in 17-16 loss

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.

Instant takeaways from Browns’  17-16 loss to Cincinnati Bengals …

1. Double ugh!: A superlative defensive effort against Joe Burrow was wasted when a missed PAT and a missed 36-yard field goal cost the Browns an opening game victory. Young Andre Szmyt missed both kicks to the right, the second one coming with 2:22 left in the game, as the Bengals escaped with a 17-16 win. Burrow passed for a measly 113 yards and was sacked three times on successive plays to set up Joe Flacco’s potential go-ahead drive. Myles Garrett had the first two and Isaiah McGuire the third, as Burrow leaned forward to barely avert a safety. Remarkably, the Browns had two more possessions – their fourth and fifth in the fourth quarter – but Flacco’s pass for Cedric Tillman deflected off his hands on a low but catchable pass and cornerback T.J. Turner intercepted to end that hope. It was Flacco’s second interception as a result of a deflection. Flacco then took over at the 1 after a Cincinnati punt with 19 seconds left. That ended with a completion to Jerry Jeudy at the 29 as time expired.

2. Oops! Yikes!: Flacco had the Browns on the move entering the fourth quarter. But the drive stalled at the Bengals’ 39-yard line after a drop on third down by Harold Fannin, followed by a drop on fourth-and-5 by Jerry Jeudy. After the defense held Burrow on three plays, Flacco’s next drive was stopped at the Bengals 42. This time on fourth-and-7, the Browns punted.

3. First turnover: Flacco was threading the needle all afternoon and finally was intercepted at the 4:53 mark of the third quarter. It came on a pass out of the defense’s reach, but Jeudy had to dive for it and the ball deflected up and into the hands of safety Jordan Battle. The Bengals converted it into a 35-yard field goal and a 17-16 lead. Big play was made by Burrow connecting a third-and-9 pass to Tee Higgins just before absorbing a double hit from Myles Garrett and Carson Schwesinger. Schwesinger’s footsteps made a difference, too, on a third-down drop by Chase Brown inside the 10, necessitating the field goal.

4. Double dip: Stefanski worked the double dip to perfection. He deferred the opening kickoff to set up back-to-back drives to close the first half and open the second half. The Browns ended the first half with a field goal and opened the second half with a 69-yard touchdown drive. Flacco fired to Cedric Tillman from 5 yards out in the middle of the end zone for the TD. Alas, Szmyt missed the PAT. You felt it would play a huge role.

5. Defenses ruled: The first half was no offensive shoot-out, as both coaches were methodical in their game-plans. Burrow had 88 yards passing, Flacco 87. The Bengals went to their locker room, ahead, 14-10. The Browns had the ball at the 4:12 mark but seemed to let off the gas when they crossed the 50 on Jeudy’s first reception of 19 yards. The Browns showed little urgency as the clock dipped under 1 minute and the offense at the Bengals 32. Szmyt’s 45-yard field goal salvaged three points, but overall it was a disappointing 4-minute drive.

6. Eat the clock: The tone was set on both teams’ opening possessions. Burrow moved 68 yards in 12 plays and consumed 7:28 in a conservative but effective drive. The Bengals ran seven times with Chase Brown getting the TD from 5 yards out. Burrow’s quick decisions kept off pass pressure and it appeared the Bengals targeted Mason Graham on a lot of runs.

7. En garde!: Flacco responded with 16-play march, covering 67 yards and eating 9:57 off the clock. The Browns spotlighted rookie offensive players – they had 11 touches in the 16 plays. Tight end Harold Fannin had three targets. Rocket Sanders was used as the short-yardage ball-carrier and converted a fourth-and-1 with a 2-yard run and scored the TD on fourth-and-goal from the 1. The Bengals hurt their cause with four defensive penalties – one illegal contact, two pass interferences, and a personal foul when Trey Hendrickson’s left hand made contact with Flacco’s facemask.

8. Captain Creative: The Browns were always creative in short-yardage situations under former line coach Bill Callahan, and his protégé, Mike Bloomgren, continued that tradition. The Browns used defensive tackle Adin Huntington twice as a lead-blocker, and had two short-yardage plays with Huntington and an extra offensive lineman on the field. Also, Fannin ran a QB draw on first down after Flacco shifted out of the position and Fannin moved in.

9. No help: The Browns’ special teams weren’t holding up their side. Burrow inherited the ball at his 32-, 39- and 46-yard lines in the first half That last one was the result of a low Corey Bojorquez punt returned 20 yards by Charlie Jones. Burrow needed just eight plays to convert the gift into a touchdown on a 1-yard pass to tight end Noah Fant after a play-fake froze Carson Schwesinger. Greg Newsome’s pass interference penalty against Ja’Marr Chase at the 3 hurt the Browns.

10. Roles revealed: A couple defensive roles were disclosed at the start of the game. Isaiah McGuire started ahead of Alex Wright at left defensive end, and Myles Harden started ahead of Cam Mitchell at nickel back. There were no such mysteries on offense. McGuire made a hell of a play on the final play of the first half. Tackled twice by a Cincinnati linemen, he picked himself up and chased down Burrow for a short gain to end the half. Relentless effort there.

11. Pre-game notes: Browns had no surprises on their inactive list. Inactive were: Quarterback Shedeur Sanders (emergency QB3), defensive tackle Mike Hall, guard Zak Zinter, offensive tackle KT Leveston and receiver Gage Larvadain. Not a great sign that Zinter starts Year 2 inactive for Game 1.