Despite a gut-wrenching Week 1 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Cleveland Browns’ defense had a very solid showing in their 2025 season opener.
After the Browns’ defense gave up an opening-drive touchdown to the Bengals, they turned it around with a strong performance for the remainder of the first half. Despite his electric start, Bengals running back Chase Brown disappeared after his rushing touchdown on the opening drive. He finished with only 43 rushing yards on 21 carries, averaging just 2.0 yards per attempt. The Browns’ defense also did its job of eliminating wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase from the offensive game plan. The two receivers combined for only 59 receiving yards on five receptions for the entire game.
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In the second half, the Browns proved their dominance by stopping the Bengals’ offense in its tracks. Cincinnati managed only 7 total yards of offense in the second half—the fewest by a winning team in the last 25 years, per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. With no turnovers in this AFC North matchup, the Browns’ defensive highlights came from star defensive end Myles Garrett in the mid-fourth quarter. When the team needed him most, he collected two sacks and three quarterback hits in just three incredible plays. In the end, their efforts were enough to hold Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to just 113 passing yards across all four quarters.
While head coach Kevin Stefanski and quarterback Joe Flacco set up the team for success on offense, other players will need to improve if they want to secure victories. Expectations for improvement also clearly apply to the special teams unit. On defense, the team will have to keep doing its job in hopes that their efforts eventually translate into a win.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns defense dominates despite no turnovers and Week 1 defeat