CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns opened their season with a one-point home loss after miscues proved too costly to overcome a 17-16 margin against their in-state foe, the Cincinnati Bengals.

Cleveland's defense stood tall enough to give the Browns a chance late in the game, which remained tightly contested throughout. Trailing by one point, owing to rookie kicker Andre Szmyt's missed extra point in the third quarter, Cleveland sacked Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in three consecutive plays to get the ball back in plus territory with just under seven minutes to go.

On the ensuing possession, Browns QB Joe Flacco led a 10-play, four-and-a-half-minute drive to set Szmyt up for a go-ahead 36-yard field goal with a little over two minutes left on the game clock. The Syracuse product, named

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