The Cincinnati Bengals entered Sunday's game with the chance to go 3-0 in the AFC North and take control of the division. After a disappointing and surprising loss to the New York Jets in Week 8, the Bengals got blown out on their home turf. The Bengals fall to 5-4 on the year after losing to the Browns 41-16 and are now tied for fourth place in the AFC North.
"We didn't deserve to win today," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said following the game. "Cleveland did. They beat us plain and simple."
Doc:Do the Cincinnati Bengals deserve the benefit of the doubt? It's a hard ask.
Here's what we learned from the Bengals' Week 9 loss to Browns:
Bengals pass protection not holding up well enough
One of the biggest story lines headlines into the season surrounded the Bengals ability to protect Joe Burrow. Nine games into the season, the Bengals appear to now have similar protection problems for their franchise quarterback.
The Browns exposed Cincinnati's pass protection woes as they hit Burrow 12 times and sacked him five times. Taylor said two of the sacks were on the running backs and was happy with the way the offense moved the ball down the field in the first half. With the Bengals now on their bye week, Taylor said he'll have a chance to re-visit everything but doesn't plan to make any major changes.
"Two sacks came from the backs not being on top of their protection," Taylor said. "So we'll start with that. That's usually going to be put on the offensive line so it's really disappointing when those set drives back because we're not on top of the details in protection. I have confidence in our offensive line so I'm not going to make any knee-jerk reactions after this game but we'll get a chance to re-visit that during the bye."
If the Bengals want to make a playoff push, they'll need to fix their protection for Burrow.
What happened to the Bengals' defense?
For seven consecutive weeks, the Bengals' defense was the strength of the team. Two weeks in a row, the tables have turned. Cincinnati's defense has given up 34 and 41 points over the last two weeks.
The Bengals knew they needed to tackle well against running back Nick Chubb and the opposite happened. Chubb ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
Prior to the Week 8 and 9 losses, the Bengals' pass rush had been one of the league's best. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's group hasn't been able to impact games in the way we saw early in the year. Cincinnati has recorded just four sacks in two weeks.
As for what's been the biggest difference over the last two weeks on defense, defensive end Sam Hubbard said Cincinnati is not making enough plays and isn't adjusting enough to what opponents' are trying to do to them.
"I know there's opportunities we've had to make plays," Hubbard said. "This is a tough league, people are going to figure you out. We have to adjust."
Too many turnovers for Burrow, offense
Joe Burrow now leads the NFL in interceptions with 11 on the year. Burrow recorded two turnovers against the Browns, one resulting in a pick-six for Cleveland.
"I didn't play very well," Burrow said. "If I play better, we're in that game. I just didn't play well and that's all there is to it."
When asked about the number of Burrow's interceptions, offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said this week he wasn't concerned. Although most of his interceptions have been off tipped balls, at some point if this number continues to increase for Burrow, it will be a concern. Wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins also dropped too many passes from Burrow against the Browns.
"I have to do a better job taking care of the ball," Burrow said.
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