Takeaways from the Bengals week two loss to the Cleveland Browns

CINCINNATI — The Bengals battled all night, but couldn’t slow down the Cleveland Browns offensive attack in a 35-30 loss Thursday night. The loss drops Cincinnati to 0-2 for the second straight season.

Here are my takeaways from Thursday night’s game.

1. There are two major glaring weaknesses on this team. The first of which is rush defense, and that was on grand display for a nationwide audience to see Thursday night. Cleveland gashed the Bengals defense for 215 rushing yards, 124 of them coming from Nick Chubb on 22 carries. It’s a wonder what can happen to an offense when its best player gets that many carries in a game. Kareem Hunt added 86 yards on 10 carries to showcase the Browns dynamic rushing attack.

2. The other glaring weakness of this Bengals team: their own ability to run the ball, let alone stop the opposing team from running it straight down their throats. My co-host, Justin Cashman, made a point during the game that Mixon approaches the line with a full head of steam. I don’t know if the offensive line doesn’t know that or is afraid of getting run into by him, but the point of their existence is to block and pave the way for the running back to accrue yards. The Bengals offensive line simply can’t run block, and it’s become extremely frustrating to watch. Mixon should be given every opportunity to excel, and the offensive line is letting him down. The Bengals have nine days to fix their run-blocking, and it’s time for offensive line coach Jim Turner to start showing his worth in allowing the $48 million man to do what he does best.

3. There is no way Joe Burrow should be throwing 61 passes in a game. SIXTY. ONE. Not even the premiere quarterbacks in the league attempt that many passes in a game. If the running game struggles to get going early, it should’t just be abandoned and force a rookie quarterback throw 61 times in a game. Especially not with this offensive line. Burrow can’t keep dropping back that much.

4. That said, I thought Burrow showed a high level of toughness and fortitude Thursday night. Case in point: five-for-five on fourth down, including a run for one of those conversions. Burrow made several plays after being forced to move in the pocket or being flushed from it entirely, which goes to show that he can mask this team’s deficiencies.

5. Joe Buck is very well deserving of the Pete Rozelle Award, and there may not be a better big-game announcer in modern-day sportscasting than him. I understand a lot of people don’t like him- just go on Twitter when he’s trending as he’s calling a game to see why- but some of the NFL’s biggest moments are back dropped by his calls of those moments. He does a fantastic job on the big stages keeping his calls simple and letting the game unfold in front of him.