Week 2 TNF Recap: The Battle for Ohio

in touchdown. Kareem hunt Ice is the game for the Cleveland Browns, who have a resurgent offensive effort, running the ball at will for over two hundred yards against the Cincinnati Bengals and a thirty five to thirty win at the Dog Pound. The Browns moved to one and one. The Bengals dropped to oh and two, but not without hope because their rookie quarterback once again shows why he feels like the future of Cincinnati football and maybe the NFL.

But we'll get to that. Dan Hans is here with Greg Rosenthal, Chris Wessling, and a very happy, slash relieved Mark Sessler. Um. Mark will start with you. You know you batting down the hatches over at Sessler Manor and took this game in. You have to be feeling really good about the offense after this one. Well, I feel I feel a sense of relief. UM. I think I scared off my children, UM and probably simone during the course of this game. I'd give anything for there to

be a camera likes in that house tonight. I couldn't even imagine what was going on in that place. Greg, you asked, how so I think that my demeanor, UM, watching Browns games in front of other people, which I think you've witnessed to some degree, is probably different than UM, maybe other dads, maybe other people in general. UM. I also went into this game with intense UM trepidation. And I think there's two things happening. And I think two

things did happen in this game. One the sense that UM, the Bengals I kind of felt even watching last week's game, where you know, Joe Burrow was taken all over the place by an incredible pass rush, but still show these amazing traits that there is an evolutionary quarterback UM rising in Cincinnati. So in a way you'd say, oh, I'd hate that, But actually, and West, I loved your tweet during the contest itself that the Browns and Bengals, these two teams from the cradle um of football, from Ohio.

UM have been dead dead in the water and have a combined like fifty something years between either one of them winning a playoff game. I'm really happy, actually to see UH both teams with a functional quarterback. UM. It's been a really long time, and like the better part of me is happy for that. The worst part of me, UM was absolutely freaking out during this game. And and there's just something inside of me that I think everyone's like, oh, good, the Browns won a game, and like, let's pat Mark

on the head and he's a nice time. Like what I really want, UM, I think what any football fan would want, especially if you've watched a team that suffered for so long, is a team that cuts other teams down, that takes the head off other teams, that removes them. And I think the Browns have suffered UM a lack of that killer instinct for so long. And I think that there were moments in this game tonight, for all the good things that I felt those same jitters and

you know, not to get in all that. I think they played a good, clean performance that gives you some hope about what Kevin Stefanski is instilling here. I mean the ground game they've They've obviously got talent with Chubb and Hunt, and it worked tonight. Um, there was a lot of positives. I don't think they're I'm not trying to be overly pessimistic. I just think they're one of

the teams in the a f C. Um. You look at what happened last week, you looked what happened against a lesser Bengals team tonight, They're somewhere in the middle. There's positives, but I would say that the bigger story of the game was the fact that the Bengals, for the first time since maybe Boomers, Siason West, I don't know, have something maybe even more hopeful than Boomers, Sias and and I the part of me that grew up watching

Brown's Bengals thrive as a true rivalry. UM cheers for that versus being a bad sport about that, I'm I'm excited to see it. I'm also a little bit scared that football game delivered. I loved it. That was one of my favorite Thursday night games. And I'm so happy for Browns fans because Baker Mayfield looked broken last week. He he looked broken as a quarterback, like he didn't want any of the fight. He didn't want to stand in the pocket. He was throwing off his back foot,

fading away from pressure. His tendency was to shy away from any kind of pressure whatsoever. He looked like he looked like a draft bust. And a week later he comes out and the body language is so different. Last week fading from pressure. This week he's got his little pigeon toach strut, the cock on the walk, that little knee high kick before the throw when he's feeling good and in the groove. Baker delivered keyhole accuracy tonight, the

ball placement on the receiver's hands every single time. And then on the other side, Joey Burrow, who to me. I don't throw out the comparison lightly, but I like to break down quarterbacks into families like biology. He's in the Joe Montana family of quarterbacks, and the dominant feature of which is light footedness. He's got the light footedness in the pocket, the way he moves as a passer, as a scrambler. The unflappability is another trait in the

Montana school. Joey Burrows got that in spades. You cannot count him out of a game. The Bengals are not blowout artists anymore, the Union, and you're not gonna walk in now, and you're not gonna walk all over them like you have for years, because the quarterback doesn't have that in his d na um. And I just I just liked the way Burrow plays. This is this is a fun match up now. And you know how much bad football these two fra chanzes have played and the

last thirty years. What a fun night. It really did deliver. I thought the Baker play that impressed me the most was I think it was third and eight in the first drive of the second half. It was not a shotgun, it wasn't a play action. Um. He had some pressure in his face, uh, and he he made the right read and he delivered on that third and eight and that those are the sort of places you want to see from him. I thought they did a good job,

you know, scheming him up. I mean, it reminded me a little bit of his rookie year in the sense that he only had to throw twenty three passes. One was, you know, a bad interception. He had guys pretty open. Most were first reads. He made a couple of plays outside the pocket. But I think they're really rebuilding Mayfield from scratch, which um I wouldn't say it's disappointing, but that's just where they're at with with Mayfield in his third season. So I like Mark. I'm not gonna say

that they've solved everything. But sometimes it's not all about Baker. I mean, their offense is good. I thought their offensive line played both well last week. I thought they played well against the Ravens. And uh, they've got two of the best ten backs in the league. It's create the Kareem Hunt lack of I don't know if respects the right word because everything that's happened with him, But I threw out some you know, hot take about they've got

two of the best tendecks. I think people don't realize how amazing Kareem Hunt is as a player. He led the league in rushing as a rookie. I think he's better now. Chubb, to me, is probably the best back in the league, certainly one of the top two or three, and and Hunt is like that is an incredible one to punch. So you have all that support. We know about the receivers, it doesn't have to all be about Baker,

and I don't think tonight really was. I think the only part of the game that I would have enjoyed because it was very enjoyable. I thought it was gonna be talked about it earlier this week that it felt like it was gonna be a fun game, and it really was. The only thing I did want was after the Baker pick and then Cincinnati goes down the field, they score, they maye three, about five minutes to play.

I thought that was a great set up to see what Baker had in him there with a little bit of adversity and like this horror show potential if they somehow blew this game after kind of controlling it the whole way. But we never got to see that. It's not a bad thing for the Browns because what happened next was an absolute uh decimation of the Cincinnati defense.

I'll go through it real quick. Uh. Chubb for four yards, Chubb for twenty six yards, Hunt for thirty three yards, Hunt for eleven yards, hunt for ten yards, hunt for one yard, and the touchdown three game over. Mayfield didn't even have to throw a pass. That's that was where the Cincinnati defense was at that point against the great, great Cleveland rushing attack, So that was very interesting that they were able to close it out that way. Cincinnati

is not there yet. UM. I don't know if it kind of reminds me Wes you mentioned Joe Montana, I'm thinking of another all time great, Peyton Manning that first year with the Colts, where the Colts stunk three thirteen and Manning through I think twenty seven picks, but he also had a bunch of spirited performances in there where there was a lot of reason to hope by the end of the season. But they also weren't not a team that was competing for a playoff spot. It seems

like there's so many missing pieces here. The offensive line got worked for a second straight week, and I don't know what's going on. And I don't want to stick a fork in the guy because he's a borderline Hall of Fame guy before he before he got injured. But A. J. Green looked cooked in this game. I don't know. He just seemed lethargic. He couldn't make a play even in garbage time. He couldn't stack up numbers like any solid

wide receiver would be able to do. He was not the guy that Joey Burrow needs him to be which is that veteran number one guy to help him along with his progress. And then you had you know, where where was the and where was John Ross? Where was he in this game? I don't know what all right, Well, I don't know. They had one play. They had one play over twenty yards, one completion. He that's the only one in two weeks. That's That's the thing is they

have a very condensed rams like offense. Um, I want to just see the Borrow thing play out. I'm enjoying watching him play. I think I've we've now seen these young quarterbacks so much. I'm more hesitant than I ever been to bury guys quickly, but also to like raise them up too much. He's obviously like he passes that baseline of like if he's protected, he's going to deliver. That means you're an NFL starter. Like some guys when

they're protected, they still aren't good quarterbacks. The Bordles is in the different place, like we know Burrow is over that line, and I'm excited to watch the rest. But yeah, there's no explosiveness in this particular Bengals offense right now.

I would say also that I mean, this was a pretty good game by Denzel Ward, who is uh leading a pretty banged up cornerback group in secondary right now, and you know they they're shorthanded, and I feel like I saw Denzel a Ward like on top of a J Green and filling the blank like you know, seven or eight times down the stretch. Um, I I just I come away, and I don't want to reiterate my point, but just that, you know, it's funny because I was watching with Simone West and like she was like, is

Joe Burrow kind of Steve Youngish? And I was like, you know, West compared him to um, to Joe Montana to some degree, and I'm like, he might be somewhere in the middle of these guys. And that is a bit of a freaky thought for the a f C. And I hear you are Greg not to you know, put him in the into Canton, which has a lot of plaques. We've learned um in Canton, but um, you know, well Greg claims there are a lot of plaques there.

But I saw when we saw Roger every player has a plaque or if there's a section of TVD, it's just I mean, look at like I the Browns are Bengals ur trivals, and that's that's fine, But um, the Bengals fan base has been through a a thirty year nightmare and add on another ten years if you want

and like this is exciting. It's exciting for all of football if Burrow works, And it's exciting if you if you're if let's say, if you're in the in any division and other quarterbacks rise up in that division, you want to go out and compete like in your division against the best in the in the a f C or NFC, and like it raises um, like the fire.

I mean, I just I don't remember a game that got me up off the couch where I just felt inside, like if the Browns blow this thing, I'm gonna punch seven holes in my in the house we just rented two months ago. When backdoor borrow of made it thirty five thirty in the final minute, you know, Greg has a lot of plastering to do on his walls this week. If you check out NFL dot com slash game picks, you'll see you know, I I split the difference nicely.

Brown's win, Bengals get it under six. Wes Any other thoughts about this game as you were watching. Yeah, I think it's worth reiterating that both of these defensive stink and that's one of the major reasons why these young quarterbacks looked good. Um. We know, we the four of us know we're pumping up two teams that probably are not playoff bound. Who knows, maybe they are, but they're

probably not. Um, but this night was about hope, and for a for a fan like mark for the Browns, hope means that if you have one game like this. They drafted Baker Mayfield number one for a reason, and we saw part of that tonight. They drafted Miles Garrett number one for a reason. We saw a big play in the fourth quarter out of him. They drafted Denzel Ward number four for a reason. He had a big game, Chub.

They you string enough of these guys together and you get another game next week of hope, and three or four more games after that of hope. With a legitimate talent base, now you can turn a franchise around. I just feel like you can turn a franchise around with enough, with enough weeks like that, and from a fans point of view, that's what it's all about. And now the Bengals have that with Joe Burrow too. You can pull this team out of three decades worth of not winning

a playoff game, of no real hope. If you have the right quarterback, you can do that. Yeah, they're a long way off. You know. It's a shame that that Joey Burrow was rising while a J. Green is falling. Um and Dan you were wearing them out. Kesha was wearing out a j. Green on the couch. They I need to play Audentate Hollywood drafting and fantasy and he's Ricky. Hollywood needs to pick up Drew Sample and that's my fantasy advice. Should should right now the wild of Green

thirteen times y three? He had five or six touchdowns this year already. They really they really should play audent Tate a little more. But to your point on on the defense, is West like you're not like we we haven't mentioned Joe? Uh? What is it? Joe Woods? Right and well coordinator, I don't think it's gotten like a mention on the Around the NFL podcast. Uh. In twenty he's new, Um and the early results are not good. I know they're missing Olivier Vernon and in a few

cornerbacks for sure. In the Woods, it hasn't hasn't like Sessler and Malibu ten years ago. One more my last point, you know, dump the onside kick, and I'm happy it didn't turn into drama because Sessler literally would not have been able to handle it, and I didn't need the Ben was recovering onside kick and then doing this podcast

with you guys because we don't. We might not survive that as a foresome but it really does jump out to me in situations like especially a fun Thursday night game where it's like, Wow, anything could happen tonight, Oh, except for an onside kick that actually swings the game the other way. I want that rule to come into effect if they say for for safety reasons. And I don't remember this, but Gregg told me before we started rolling that concussions were out of this world on onside kicks,

and they said we had to make it a safer play. Okay, I'll take your word for it, and the scientists out there. Uh, then let's do the fourth and fifteen thing, or even better, make it fourth and eighteen. I just feel like that for some reason, those three yards matter, and uh, and make that a play that matters because you guys, and I would say you, I say, the football world insists that I'm making an extra point harder because it wasn't a real play, which I hate that, But now it

is a real play because guys missed them all the time. Well, let's do the same for the onside kick. Well, I would That's my passion speech. I love it. I love the speech, and I just say, let's you know, I'm just so happy to see that Randy Bullock is back in full health. And you know, he went through a lot health wise over the past week, and he seemed to be you know, uh, you know back on the field. His legs are are are vibrous and vibrants. So um.

He reached out to the Kicker Club about readmittance after his three kicks today and uh, you got a hard no and a click on the mark. How would you rank like the the time that you spent this week, um, gnashing your teeth about Austin Cyber coming back to haunt the Browns. How how do you think how well you know how well it was that time spent, Well, it just baked in the d n A. I mean, honestly, I I don't know. That was like that was a

ten minute monologue from Mark. I am. I'm forty six years sold and probably spent at least forty six minutes of every hour over the last three days freaking out about this game. And a lot of it has to do with the fact that I think if this game happened in six you know they lose. You go on with it, You go back to middle school. You you get a seventy one on a math test, and you

move on. But in this world, it's like I've got to go read Twitter and everyone's hot takes on, everyone melting down, Like I needed Twitter middle school, So you know, I need them to be doing some remote learning and they're gonna be doing a little remote learning tonight. Mark, You're in Club Dub tonight, Club Dub for you. So I like it all right? That was like that looks

like Ernest Biner and um Ken it did. And it's been a long time, but um I I will say, Wes, I really I love what you said about the Bengals. I'm not out there trying to kill other old school teams that are part of my childhood. Brown's Bengals rivalry is good for the NFL. Most people under the age of forty have no idea that that was ever a thing.

So let's roll. We'll be back on Sunday, of course, with the flagship program where we recap every game that we previewed on Today's the earlier podcast, today the week two previews. To make sure you check that out wherever you listen to your podcast and while you're while you're there, maybe rate review throw us five stars. That would be nice too, That would be helpful to us. Thank you to everybody. Uh Dan Hanson signing off for Guide Storm,

the Mailman, the old Boston Rickey, Hollywood. He's gonna lose your fantasy matchup because of Old Man ag Sorry until Sunday,