Beating the backups

Pondering how to take the Browns' 21-16 season-ending victory over the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday . . . 

Do I Kevin Stefanski-it and say it was a great way to end the nightmarish 2021 season, except he wouldn't say nightmarish?

Or do I look at it more practically and think Stefanski should send Bengals head coach Zac Taylor a thank-you card or note or text or whatever for the gift of giving the afternoon off to a significant number of his starters on both sides of the football?

It was basically the Browns' starters against the Cincinnati bench in a game that didn't have any real drama until the final quarter and even then, the final outcome was not seriously in jeopardy mainly because of a Cleveland defense that allowed just one touchdown.

The entire Bengals starting defensive line, two starting linebackers and a good chunk of the starting secondary enjoyed the game from the sideline along with every key member of the skill-set squad on  offense. 

That meant the Cleveland defense didn't have to worry about quarterback Joe Burrow, wide receivers Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, and rookie Ja'Marr Chase, who was in the game just long enough to set a club record for most receiving yards in a season, tight end C.J. Uzomah and running back Joe Mixon, locked in COVID-19 prison back in Cincinnati.

The final does not indicate how much the Browns dominated this one against the Bengals reserves as Case Keenum managed a relatively clean game other than a couple of brain-cramp moments on consecutive possessions at the tailend of the first half. 

The first, a strip-sack by Bengals defensive end Wyatt Ray, halved the score at 14-7 lead after the Browns had scored on a 26-yard strike to Jarvis Landry and a D'Ernest Johnson four-yard run. SafetyTrayvon Henderson, covering Landry the intended receiver, scooped up the ball and took it 29 yards for the score.

On the next possession, Keenum drove the Browns 63 yards to the Bengals' 11, badly overthrowing a wide-open Harrison Bryant in the end zone before his third-down attempt was deflected  and picked off by cornerback Mike Hilton.

The first half belonged to the Browns' defense, the Cincinnati attack breaching Cleveland territory just twice and not that deep. Kevin Huber ended each of the six possessions with a punt. With backup Brandon Allen running the show, those drives compiled just 51 yards and three first downs.

It was just a matter of keeping the Bengals' offense, which showed more energy in the second half,  between the 20s the rest of the way. They chipped away at the Cleveland lead with a 14-play, 52-yard drive that consumed more than eight and a half minutes, capped by an Elliott Fry 35-yard field goal.

The Browns came right back with a 79-yarder in nine plays, highlighted by a 35-yard burst by Nick Chubb that brought about a first and goal at the Bengals' 8. After a couple of Chubb runs that netted just a yard and a five-yard completion to Landry at the 2, stubborn Kevin Stefanski struck again.

How many times this season have we seen the head coach, probably influenced by the analytics of the game, disdain a field goal and go for the touchdown on fourth down and short near the opponent's goal line? Correct answer? Too many. It might take a few years to sink in that you should never leave points on the field.

So instead of TAKE THE POINTS!! to make it a seven-point game again, Stefanski gambled. And lost. Because Donovan- Peoples-Jones could not hold on to a Keenum bullet at the goal line. It was slightly behind him, but very catchable.

But after the fifth Bengals three-and-out of the day that had a little drama, Peoples-Jones muffing a punt that was recovered by A. J. Green in Cincy territory near midfield, the Cleveland offense came right back infantry style to take what turned out to be a commanding lead.

Johnson, who ran for 123 yards on 25 carries, was called on  nine straight times and pounded out 36 yards down to the Bengals 10. The 10th play was a beauty, a little screen pass to rookie Demetric Felton lined up in the slot to Keenum's right.

He took one step back at the snap, grabbed the short toss and negotiated the final 10 yards behind terrific blocks by tight end David Njoku, center JC Tretter and right guard Wyatt Teller with 7:14 left in regulation.  It was a well designed and executed play.

Still enough time for the Bengals' offense, operating much more efficiently at this stage of the game, to make it interesting. Which they did with the help of  Browns linebacker Jacob Phillips, whose dropped interception at his 10 would have slammed the door on what turned out to be a 13-play, 75-yard scoring drive, Allen and running back Chris Evans hooking up for the score from four yards with 2:26 left.

A failed two-point attempt created more drama in this meaningless game, this time involving a mysterious onsides kick -- actually the recovery -- by the Bengals, who had exhausted all their timeouts. Fry's attempt bounced into and out of the hands of Bryant near midfield and the scramble was on as the ball rolled free.

With at least a half dozen players diving at the football, it took officials nearly four minutes to unpile the mass of humanity wearing football paraphernalia. One can only imagine what was going on under there. Needles in haystacks have been found quicker.

Back Judge Jimmy Russell almost immediately signalled Bengals football as players from both teams pointed in their own direction in an effort to influence the call. No other officials signalled until referee Bill Vinovich ended the mystery by announcing it was Cleveland's ball, Green again credited with the recovery and the end of a three-game losing streak secured.

So the Browns are now 1-0 as they take the next six months off to lick their wounds in a season that began so hopefully and ended so dismally at 8-9.