Sunday’s Browns-Bengals Game Was A Bloodbath

While the Cincinnati Bengals beating the Cleveland Browns is hardly a headline, the ramifications from this game will be felt throughout the rest of the season. Cincinnati held on to win 21-14, a contest that came at a cost for both sides.

Cleveland ended the game on their third-string quarterback. In a surprising move, normal No. 2 Jameis Winston was moved to the No. 3/emergency third quarterback for this one. But he still found himself on the field late in this game. Starting QB Deshaun Watson suffered what appears to be a season-ending torn Achilles while backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson was unable to finish the game due to a finger injury.

With both quarterbacks declared injured, NFL rules allow for an emergency third quarterback to step in. It’s known as the “Brock Purdy Rule” after the San Francisco 49ers lost Purdy and backup Josh Johnson in the 2022 NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Out of healthy and available quarterbacks, the team had to finish the game with RB Christian McCaffrey at quarterback, making for an uncompetitive and unsatisfying finish.

Winston finished just 5-of-11 but threw for 67 yards and the only touchdown by a Browns QB, hitting TE David Njoku late in the fourth quarter. A successful two-point try made it a seven-point game but Cleveland couldn’t recover the onside kick and the Bengals knelt the ball out to win it. After an 0-3 and 1-4 start, Cincinnati is now 3-4 and back in the AFC North race.

Now 1-6, it’s not clear who the Browns will start against the Baltimore Ravens. Watson’s season seems over but Thompson-Robinson’s status is uncertain. Right now, Winston feels like the favorite.

The Bengals won the game but may have lost starting S Geno Stone for the season. Stone was injured late in the game, colliding with a teammate near the end zone. He was carted off with an air cast as the team announced him with a left tibia injury, an ominous sign.

Stone cashed in after a great 2023 campaign with the Baltimore Ravens, inking a two-year, $15 million with the Bengals. Making his seventh start for the Bengals, Stone recorded his first interception of the year today, returning it 49 yards the other way. Unfortunately, it could be his last.

Pittsburgh’s yet to see either of these teams. They’ll face Cleveland in Weeks 12 and 14 and Cincinnati in Weeks 13 and 18.