3 plays that changed the game in Browns loss to Bengals

Although it was a 13-point win, just a few plays could have made all the difference in the Cleveland Browns game against the Cincinnati Bengals

A 23-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals dropped the Cleveland Browns to 5-8 on the season. It was already a long shot for them to make the playoffs but this loss all but ended their hopes.

As is the case with most games, even those where there’s a 13-point win, there are a handful of plays that really decided things. That was the case in Week 14 as these three plays changed the game for the Browns.

Browns game-changing play No. 3: The Flea-Flicker

Cleveland was down 13-3 at the half but hoped to make it interesting since they started with the ball in the third quarter. Unfortunately, their offense did nothing on back-to-back drives. The defense held after their first punt but they weren’t so lucky on the next.

Starting with the ball at their own 44, Cincinnati moved it to the Browns’ 45 on an 11-yard pass to Ja’Marr Chase. But then, they had a big play that broke the game wide open.

Joe Burrow handed the ball off to Joe Mixon, who turned around and tossed it back to the quarterback. The Flea-Flicker caught Cleveland’s defense off guard as Trenton Irwin was wide open for a 45-yard touchdown.

Martin Emerson was the closest defender and he likely had coverage on Irwin. However, Grant Delpit also bit hard on the fake as he sold out to stop Mixon.

Cincinnati had been in control of the game up until this point but it still didn’t feel out of reach. This play changed that feeling in the blink of an eye.

Browns game-changing play No. 2: Tony Fields roughing the kicker penalty

Cleveland’s defense started out by forcing a punt on a three-and-out, which meant they continued to have success against Joe Burrow. That kept rolling on the next few drives as well as they forced two more punts while giving up just 37 yards on those two possessions combined.

On the fourth defensive series, it appeared they were again going to be successful as they forced a third-and-15, and Myles Garrett batted a pass down that was intended for Samaje Perine. That meant Drue Chrisman was back to punt it away again — and with him kicking from his own 17, Cleveland was about to get solid field position.

That never happened though as Tony Fields II was called for roughing the kicker, which is a 15-yard penalty, and gave Cincinnati the first down. More issues followed on that drive as Burrow went deep for Ja’Marr Chase, who drew a pass interference on Denzel Ward, giving them another 33 yards for free.

Four plays later, Burrow hit Chase from 15 yards out for the first touchdown of the game. Again, they picked on Ward as he never saw the ball. While those plays were bad, they never would have happened if Fields isn’t called for the penalty. And who knows how different the momentum would be had the defense actually gotten off the field and continued to frustrate Burrow.

Browns game-changing play No. 1: Jacoby Brissett’s misfire

For those who have an issue with Kevin Stefanski calling plays, Sunday had to be very infuriating. The primary argument against him is that he sometimes refuses to take the points when available, and also gets too cute.

Each of those scenarios took place on the opening drive of the game for Cleveland. They had forced a punt after a three-and-out, then moved the ball 51 yards. However, they found themselves facing a fourth-and-one from the Cincinnati 25.

They could have trotted out Cade York for the 42-yard field goal but they instead elected to go for it. And they also decided it was best to bring in Jacoby Brissett, who has been the king of quarterback sneaks this season.

Stefanski hoped to catch the Bengals cheating due to Brissett’s success with the sneak as he instead dialed up a pass to the end zone — and it should have worked. Donovan Peoples-Jones was wide open for the touchdown but Brissett simply misfired.

This sums up how things go for a play-caller. Had Brissett been accurate, the Browns would be up 7-0 and everyone would be praising Stefanski for having the guts to dial that up. But since Brissett didn’t come through, the narrative changed and suddenly the call was terrible.

Sadly, people get play calling and execution confused and put the blame on the wrong person. But no matter how you classify this one, it was a play that swung the momentum in Cincinnati’s favor.

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