Cleveland Browns can't get running game going in loss to Cincinnati Bengals: Takeaways

CINCINNATI — There was an easy way to know why the Browns had success, at least offensively, against the Cincinnati Bengals. All you had to do was look at their rushing total.

During the Browns' five-game winning streak against their Ohio rivals, they averaged 163.4 rushing yards. On Sunday, that winning streak came to a halt in a 23-10 Bengals win largely because of what Cincinnati was able to do to that rushing total.

The Browns (5-8) were held to just 71 rushing yards on 25 carries (2.8 average) against the Bengals (9-4). That was 1 yard shy of their season low of 70 yards, set in a Week 6 loss to the New England Patriots.

"They showed up," right guard Wyatt Teller said. "I feel like our brand of football is that physical, downhill running, and they sold out to stop that today. A couple incomplete balls, and we're off the field faster than we'd like to be, right? Where usually we can run the ball, have a third-and-short, third-and-manageable and handle it, but we didn't stick to our plan.

"Then they started scoring, and we can't run the ball as much [because we're trying to catch up]. It's a luxury when you're close in the game, and we were, to score, we had to pass."

The only time the Browns had been held to fewer than 153 rushing yards by the Bengals during Cleveland's defunct series winning streak was on Oct. 25, 2020, when they had just 82 rushing yards in a win in Cincinnati. That was the only game during that stretch in which running back Nick Chubb did not play. He missed the game due to an injury.

Chubb was most certainly on the field Sunday. He just was unable to get going against a Bengals defense that limited him to 34 yards on 14 carries (2.4 average).

“I think everybody just cares about it, how important it is with the team we’re playing this week," Bengals defensive tackle DJ Reader said. "We kind of took a step back last week. This week we got it done. I think guys take pride in it. That’s what it is.”

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Reader's presence was something the Bengals had lacked for many of the previous meetings against the Browns. It was just the third time in six games since he signed with Cincinnati in 2020 that he actually played against Cleveland.

Reader had five tackles in Sunday's game to rank third on the team behind linebacker Logan Wilson (17 tackles) and safety Vonn Bell (seven).

"I mean, DJ Reader was a good player," left guard Joel Bitonio said. "He had some good plays, made some stops in the run game. I think, just overall, they beat us today. I don't know. I haven't watched the film yet.

"It was more sub-personnel. We had more receivers and stuff in the game, so it was a little different look in that sense. Yeah, I mean, he's a good player, so he definitely made the plays more."

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Amari Cooper tries to play through the pain

Receiver Amari Cooper was a question mark coming into Sunday's game due to an injury suffered in last Thursday's practice. He missed Friday's practice and was listed as questionable for the game in Cincinnati. After the game, Cooper described his issue as "more of a core muscle" injury.

Cooper, after a brief pregame workout, was cleared to play. Then on the first offensive play, he reinjured himself while making an 18-yard catch on a pass from Deshaun Watson and spent a couple of series mostly on the sideline.

"It wasn't so much a pitch count," Cooper said. "On the first play of the game, I got the ball, but I also kind of hurt it a little bit more. So I told him that's where it started to look like a pitch count. But then as the game went on, we started doing hurry up, I started feeling better. I guess it was adrenaline or something like that. So we just stayed in there."

Cooper finished with just two catches on seven targets for 42 yards. He had one would-be catch ruled an incompletion after the Bengals challenged the ruling on the field.

For Cooper, there remains a certain level of adjustment that he's going through to get comfortable with Watson, who was making just his second start of the season. Cooper has had only three real practices in the last two weeks with the quarterback due to rest days and the injury.

"I think it could be obviously a lot better, but that just comes with time," Cooper said. "He's just getting back in the groove. Obviously, I'm fighting through injuries, so it'll get better for sure."

Browns' pressure on Joe Burrow doesn't get home enough

The defensive secret to the Browns' previous success against Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was in their ability to get pressure on him. They had sacked him 17 times in four previous games, the most the 2020 No. 1 overall pick had been sacked by any team.

On Sunday, the Browns managed to officially sack Burrow just once, when defensive end Myles Garrett dropped him for a loss with 10:33 remaining in the third quarter. That was one of two sacks for Garrett, who was also credited with a sack of Ja'Marr Chase on a receiver pass early in the fourth quarter.

Garrett did have three quarterback hits in the game. The Browns had four as a team.

The Browns also had two sacks of Burrow negated by penalties. Both came on drives that eventually ended with Cincinnati touchdowns.

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Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah gives the Browns more injury concerns at linebacker

The Browns looked to have escaped from Cincinnati without a significant injury. However, that wasn't the case as linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah had to be carted off the field after the game with a left leg injury.

Owusu-Koramoah was carted from the field to the locker room, then hobbled in once he was there. He did speak to the media at his locker afterward and said the injury occurred late in the fourth quarter after a play was over.

"Yeah, I'll be OK," he said. "I'm going to get an MRI tomorrow and we'll see."

Owusu-Koramoah would just be the latest Browns linebacker to miss time if he can't play in Saturday afternoon's home game against the Baltimore Ravens. He's already missed two games due to a knee injury he suffered in the Week 7 loss at Baltimore.

The Browns have lost Anthony Walker Jr. (torn quad tendon), Jacob Phillips (torn pectoral muscle) and Sione Takitaki (torn ACL) to season-ending injuries in the linebacking corps.

Contact Chris at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Browns can't run well in loss to Cincinnati Bengals