Chubb returns, Watson suffers injury, and Browns still lose to Bengals 21-14

Cleveland fans got the return of Chubb and a change at quarterback, but it didn’t matter.

It was an eventful game in the Battle of Ohio, with Nick Chubb returning, Deshaun Watson likely tearing his Achilles, but then more mistakes in all areas, as the Browns lost 21-14. Let’s get to the full game recap.

1st Quarter

With everyone excited for the return of Nick Chubb, the Browns deferred the opening kickoff to try to let the defense start hot. Instead, the special teams unit for Cincinnati broke a wide open 100-yard kick return for a touchdown to immediately give them a 7-0 handicap.

On offense, the Browns ran a playaction fake on first down, and then QB Deshaun Watson threw high for Chubb and incomplete. A pass to WR Cedric Tillman then set up a 3rd-and-3, and then Chubb got the Shotgun handoff on third down. It looked like he had a hole, but he was tripped by his own offensive lineman after a gain of 2 yards, which forced a punt.

Cincinnati took over at the 21 yard line for their first offensive series. The Browns’ defense forced a three-and-out, and Cleveland took back over at the 37 yard line after the punt. Cleveland was able to pick up a couple of first downs, but then on a 2nd-and-3 situation, head coach Kevin Stefanski tried calling a trick play that didn’t pan out. Chubb was given another handoff on third down that was stuffed for no gain, and then K Dustin Hopkins came on for a 49-yard field goal attempt. Hopkins missed it wide left, keeping it a 7-0 game with 6:28 to go in the first quarter.

Cincinnati drove the ball to past midfield, but a holding penalty then set them in a 1st-and-16 situation. They worked it down to a 4th-and-3, but instead of attempting a 55-yard field goal, they decided to go for it. DT Shelby Harris got to QB Joe Burrow for the sack and a loss of 4 yards, allowing the Browns’ offense to take over at their own 42 yard line.

After getting a 6-yard gain on first down, RB D’Onta Foreman was stuffed for no gain on second down, and then Watson was sacked on third down by DE Trey Hendrickson for a loss of 6 yards, leading to another punt, down to the 10 yard line. Cincinnati utilized a jet sweep to WR Ja’Marr Chase to pick up 11 yards on the first play. That was followed by a 21-yard strike to WR Tee Higgins heading into the second quarter near midfield.

2nd Quarter

The Bengals didn’t convert a 3rd-and-2 at the 50 yard line, but then Bengals head coach Zac Taylor sent the offense right back out there to go for it. Instead, they took the delay of game and punted it away, with WR Jaelon Darden calling for a fair catch back at the 9 yard line. After one first down pass to Chubb, Watson took a big hit on second down, but LG Joel Bitonio was called for hands to the face, leading to a 1st-and-20. Cleveland could only gain a few yards to set up 3rd-and-17, which they couldn’t convert, leading to another punt.

The Bengals got a 23 yard return to set up their next drive at their own 44 yard line. Rinse and repeat, though, as the Browns’ defense forced another three-and-out and a punt. Just like the previous drive, Cleveland would begin backed up at the 9 yard line. On first down, Chubb did a great job throwing a block that prevented a sack, and led to a first down completion. The drive went south again after that, though, with an illegal shift, followed by Watson being sacked for a loss of 7 yards. On 3rd-and-16, Watson just dumped it short, leading to another punt, down to the 29 yard line.

Burrow took a hit to begin the next drive, but he still got off a 17-yard completion to Chase over the middle. Two plays later, though, DT Maurice Hurst got to Burrow when Cleveland brought a blitz, leading to a 3rd-and-13. Burrow was then sacked again, this time by DE Za’Darius Smith, for a loss of 7 yards. The Browns’ field position was improved this time on offense, starting at the 22 yard line with 5:25 to go in the first half.

Cleveland grinded their way to a first down after letting Watson do a quarterback sneak on 3rd-and-1. Watson then zipped a 13-yard pass to Njoku. That was followed up by 8- and 21-yard completions to WR Elijah Moore and TE Jordan Akins, getting the ball to the Bengals’ 25 yard line heading to the two-minute warning. After a 4-yard run by RB Pierre Strong, a quarterback draw was called for Watson, but he immediately fell, and on replay, you could see something snap in his lower right leg, likely his Achilles’ tendon, which would end his season.

QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson came out, and he threw the ball to the end zone, as Tillman drew a pass interference penalty in the end zone. On 1st-and-goal at the 1 yard line, Chubb got a touchdown, but it was called back because of a rare penalty of an offensive lineman being called offsides. On 1st-and-goal at the 6 yard line, Chubb got the handoff and picked up 4 yards. On 2nd-and-goal at the 2 yard line, DTR’s throw to the outside was knocked away. On 3rd-and-goal, the handoff went to Chubb, who got the ball about a foot away from the end zone. On 4th-and-goal, they went for it and gave it to Chubb, who got the pitch and spun in to the end zone for a touchdown, making it a 7-6 game. Hopkins’ struggles continued on the day as his extra point was no good with 0:56 to go.

The Bengals got one first down via roughing the passer, but the defense forced a punt after that. Cleveland would get the ball at the 20 yard line, but with only 30 seconds left and one timeout. They took a knee heading to the half.

3rd Quarter

The Browns botched the opening kickoff, leading to the drive starting at the 8 yard line. DTR began with a 9-yard pass to Njoku over the middle, followed by a first-down pass to Njoku. A few plays later, DTR kept the ball himself for a 34-yard burst.

A drop by Njoku was followed by another nice big run by DTR, but it was wiped away by another illegal shift. On 2nd-and-15, he got a pass to Tillman to set up a 3rd-and-10. DTR got a quick 8-yard strike to Moore, setting up 4th-and-2. They passed on the long field goal and decided to go for it again. DTR had Chubb open in the flat, but he stumbled a bit and then threw the ball low with pressure coming, leading to a turnover on downs.

The Bengals got into Cleveland territory with a 20-yard run on the first play. A couple plays later, RB Zack Moss was left uncovered in the flat to pick up 18 yards. Burrow capitalized on the momentum, and threw a perfect back shoulder pass to Chase for a touchdown, beating CB Greg Newsome in coverage, to make it a 14-6 game mid-way through the third quarter.

Foreman took a knee in the end zone this time, leading to a touchback and starting the drive at the 30 yard line, down 8 points. Penalties continued for Cleveland, as their first play had an ineligible man downfield call. Two plays later, DTR was throwing the ball to Akins, but Tillman, who was nearby, thought it was for him and tried to reach for it. That popped the ball in the air and the Bengals picked it off, taking over at the 43 yard line.

It was up to the defense to keep the Browns in the game again, They started well by forcing a 3rd-and-8, and then Cincinnati tried to keep Cleveland off guard with a run play that the Browns sniffed out. The Bengals punted instead of trying a 58-yard field goal, downing the ball at the 11 yard line.

Another run by DTR got a first down for Cleveland, but then the drive stalled out as he had to throw a couple of passes away due to pressure. On the ensuing punt, S D’Anthony Bell was flagged 15 yards for using his helmet on the tackle. That started Cincinnati’s drive at midfield, and then right away, Burrow found Higgins wide open for 19 yards into field goal territory. A few plays later, on a 3rd-and-4, Burrow hit Higgins on a quick slant, and CB Cameron Mitchell whiffed on the tackle, allowing him to score for a 25-yard touchdown to give them a 21-6 lead with 1:30 to go in the third quarter.

The Browns went three-and-out again to end the third quarter, as DTR once again missed a wide open running back (Strong) to the outside.

4th Quarter

The Bengals began the fourth quarter at the 17 yard line. Cincinnati got one first down conversion to burn some clock, but the defense forced a stop after that. With 12 minutes left in the game, the offense needed two scoring drives in a short time. The Browns began at the 19 yard line.

DTR faced pressure on the first play and had the ball poked away, as Bitonio fortunately fell on top of it. A couple of strikes to Tillman moved the chains up to the 40 yard line. A few plays later, on 3rd-and-5, Hendrickson somehow came free, and DTR dumped it for an interntional grounding. Despite there only being 8:43 to go, the Browns had to punt instead of going for it on 4th-and-5. P Corey Bojorquez got the ball downed at the 3 yard line.

The defense missed a shot at a safety on the running back on first down, forcing only a loss of a yard. But then on second down, the running back had a burst of 11 yards for a first down, getting out of danger territory. By time they punted, there was under 5 minutes to go, but the drive would begin at the Bengals’ 48 yard line. A couple plays later, on third down, DTR just sailed the ball downfield and it was intercepted by the Bengals, being returned to the Browns’ 30 yard line.

The Bengals missed a 50-yard field goal, and then QB Jameis Winston came on, as DTR was ruled out with a finger injury. The offense was still making mistakes with their third quarterback of the day, but Winston did get a couple of downfield passes to WR Jerry Jeudy and Tillman to get the ball to the 18 yard line. A completion to Moore made it 1st-and-goal at the 6 yard line with 1:59 to go.

The Browns had no luck before 3rd-and-goal, now back at the 8 yard line. Winston whipped it to Njoku in the back of the end zone for a touchdown to make it a 21-12 game. The Browns then went for two, tossing it to Tillman for the conversion and making it a 21-14 game.

Cleveland went for the onside kick, but the Bengals recovered, sealing the game for them.

Up next, the Browns stay at home to host the Baltimore Ravens.

Quick Hitters

• QB Deshaun Watson: 15-of-17 for 128 yards.
• QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson: 11-of-24 for 82 yards, 2 INT. 3 rushes, 44 yards.
• QB Jameis Winston: 5-of-11 for 67 yards, 1 TD.
• RB Nick Chubb: 11 carries, 22 yards, 1 TD. 1 catch, 10 yards.
• TE David Njoku: 10 catches, 76 yards, 1 TD.