3 Takeaways from Browns' Week 14 Loss vs. Bengals

The Cleveland Browns had defeated the Cincinnati Bengals earlier in the season (at home in Week 8), and they were keeping things close early against their AFC North rival on Sunday afternoon. However, it didn't exactly stay that way.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Browns went on to fall 23-10 to the Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Cincinnati took control of the game with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns, and Cleveland trailed by 10 or more points for the entire second half.

The Browns tried to get back into it when Deshaun Watson threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to David Njoku with 2 minutes and 17 seconds to go in the third quarter, cutting the Bengals' lead to 20-10. But those would be Cleveland's final points of the contest.

Here are three takeaways from the Browns' Week 14 loss.

In Week 13, Watson made his Browns debut, and it was evident that he had some rust to shake off, even though he helped lead them to victory over the Houston Texans. The 27-year-old quarterback took another step forward on Sunday.

Watson completed 26 of his 42 pass attempts, throwing for 276 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His TD pass was his first since Week 17 of the 2020 season. He also ran for 33 yards on six attempts, showcasing the athletic ability that was key to his success early in his career.

"The game is going to continue to speed up for myself, the process, the game plan," Watson said, per Jeff Wallner of the Associated Press. "Each week just needs to get better. Today was another learning lesson. Just need to continue to improve. The progress is always taking one step forward."

Through two weeks, Watson hasn't reached the level of play he showcased over his first four NFL seasons in Houston. Once he gets to that point, it should make Cleveland's offense even better, which is the reason why it traded for him and signed him to a four-year extension.

In the Browns' 32-13 win over the Bengals in Week 8, Nick Chubb helped power Cleveland to victory. The star running back rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns in that game, one of the many impressive performances he's had during a stellar season.

But Chubb wasn't nearly as effective on Sunday. The 26-year-old had only 34 yards on 14 carries and was held out of the end zone for the third time in four weeks. It was also the second time during that stretch in which he averaged 2.4 or fewer yards per carry.

Still, it seems highly likely that Chubb will get going again down the final stretch of the regular season. He's one of the top running backs in the NFL, and he has a proven track record, so he should bounce back from a bit of a down run.

The Browns typically need Chubb to play well in order for their offense to have success. And they should be able to rely on him to do that again moving forward.

Cleveland notched back-to-back victories in Weeks 12 and 13, defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans. It was the Browns' first winning streak of the season, and they improved to 5-7, pushing themselves into the outskirts of the playoff picture.

But with Sunday's loss, Cleveland is now 5-8 and two games back of the Los Angeles Chargers (7-6), who are in the No. 7 spot in the AFC. There are also several other teams in between the Browns and the Chargers in the standings.

It seems unlikely Cleveland will reach the postseason, especially with two of its final four games coming against teams with winning records. But that isn't going to stop the Browns from trying to win as much as possible.

"I don't know what our chances are," Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett said, per Anthony Poisal of the team's official site. "I don't know what the percentage is. I just know that next week, we have to go punch somebody in the mouth, and if our chances are zero, we have to knock out somebody else's chances. I'm not giving up, and this team's not giving up no matter where we stand."

If the Browns win out and finish 9-8, anything could happen. Sure, they need help from other teams losing, but they're still mathematically in the hunt as of now.