The game started like a tug-of-war between two teams too stubborn to give ground. Joe Burrow found Noah Fant for his first touchdown. Chase Brown punched one in early. Kevin Stefanski’s squad answered with help from Bengals penalties and an eventual Joe Flacco strike. Both defenses traded sacks, both quarterbacks threw picks, and by the late third quarter, Cleveland even held a 16-14 edge.

Then mistakes stacked up. Flacco’s pass got bobbled and intercepted twice, giving Cincinnati momentum. Evan McPherson drilled his kick to tilt the scoreline 17-16. The Browns clawed back downfield in the fourth quarter, close enough to change the ending. All they needed was one steady foot to walk out as winners. Instead, the season opener ended with silence you could feel in your

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