“We Found A Way to Win” Week 1 Bengals vs. Brown

Sunday, September 7, 2025

On a crisp afternoon at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, I

found myself watching that Bengals-Browns opener through the, protective eyes of a dad

and the sharp mind of a coach. 

As a 40-year-old Black man with three young kids, I see beyond

the scoreboard; I see growth, grit, responsibility—and a team that just managed to hold on by a

single point (17–16) despite a day of offensive struggle.

The Numbers Don’t Lie… But the Story Goes Deeper : 

Final Score: Bengals 17, Browns 16. Bengals improve to 1–0, Browns drop to 0–1.

Total Yards: Cleveland crushed Cincinnati, 327 to 141. Time of possession? Browns

held the ball nearly 36 minutes to the Bengals’ 24.

Offensive Woes: The Bengals mustered a paltry 7 total yards in the second half—the

lowest for a winning team in 25 years.

Passing Game: Joe Burrow went 14-of-23 for 113 yards, one TD, no picks—his third

fewest yards output since his breakout.

Key Rushing: Chase Brown punched in a 5-yard TD—and his tally of seven carries for

29 yards on the opening drive marked the Bengals’ first touchdown on Season Opener

possession since 2015.

Big Defensive Performers:

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Bengals – CBs DJ Turner II and S Jordan Battle pulled in huge interceptions.

What the Players and Coaches Said:

Joe Burrow, QB

“We stole one today. We’re going to have to do better.”

That’s just the humble acknowledgement of a tough win. Joe knows the offense didn’t

do enough—and that’s going to catch you later if you’re not careful. “CincyJungleESPN.com”

I liked this quote, especially as a coach, LUCK and the FOOTBALL GODS were

watching over WHO DEY NATION today!!DJ Turner II, CB

“It was great. We did exactly what we wanted to do… All the outside noise we don’t

care about.”

That’s the mindset I try to teach my own kids: focus on your assignment, not the

distractions. 

BengalsESPN.com

Zac Taylor, HC

“The best outcome of this game is 1-0… Forget about the stats. Forget about the

score. Forget how it all played out.”

Purely coach-speak, but nothing wrong with reminding everybody—fans, players,

simplified minds—that sometimes it's just about starting the season right.

Fogles’ Deep Playbook Breakdown

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Defense won this game. When your offense is sputtering, defense must find a way—turnovers, pressure, stopping drives. 

Bengals’ secondary made game-saving

plays (Battle, Turner), Browns’ front got to Burrow, too.

Ball security and capitalizing matter. Browns dominated yardage but never turned it

into enough points. Missed kicks, dropped passes, tipped INTs—those swing things.

Win ugly—but win. I tell my kids: finishing matters more than how pretty it looks. This was not Bengals best, but they finished ahead.

Accountability from top to bottom. Everybody nodded about offensive issues—Burrow, Flacco, Taylor. It shows leadership when guys do more than deflect blame.

Clutch mentality. Cincinnati’s punter pinned Cleveland near goal at crunch time. That kind of situational awareness is what I drill my team to understand—field position, clock,

stakes.

Final Notes, Coach-Dad Wrap

Let me tell you something—when my kids get ready for youth football ball or math, the first

lesson is always: focus on winning the moment. 

That's what the Bengals did here—notsmoothly, not confidently—but they locked up W1. They get another shot next week at home,

with chances to clean things up.

And to that electric mix they’ve got, with guys like Burrow, Chase (struggling Sunday), Turner,

Battle, and Brown—it's a foundation. Just needs sharpening.

So, from one coach and father to another, you take this game, you teach it to your kids: you win

what you can, learn from what you couldn’t, and hold yourself accountable.

Don’t forget to tune up the

performance moving forward. That’s how you build a season. That’s how you build character.

By : Darius Fogle