CINCINNATI-- Preliminary ideas, notes and also quotes from the Browns' 23-10 loss to the Bengals. There were offensive indications of life. Considering the Browns are playing for following year and also trying to construct the confidence of their $230 million quarterback, Deshaun Watson, that's a favorable. Considering it's December of the third period with Kevin Stefanski as instructor as well as the core of what the Browns believed was a playoff roster in location, what happened Sunday was inexcusable. The Browns handed the Bengals 2nd and third) opportunities with charges, handed out their very own scoring opportunities by taking Watson out for a fourth-down method play as well as total provided an efficiency that could have been OK in September against a typical challenger but was never going to be good enough versus these Bengals Adedayo Odeleye Jersey, that have actually won five straight. For the 2nd straight year, the Bengals are rolling late in the period. For the second straight December, the Browns are stammering.  When Grant Delpit bit on the run and Joe Burrow tossed a 45-yard flea-flicker touchdown to a wide-open Trent Irwin midway through the third quarter, the game was quite a lot over. The Bengals had actually taken control in the 2nd quarter, as well as they increased 20-3 on the layup for Irwin. The Browns defense appeared as it's normally done against Burrow, and also it maintained the Browns in it for the very first 25 mins in spite of the Browns failing on a fourth-down Jacoby Brissett pass and also managing employees and positioning concerns that belonged to a rough, uneven beginning. Once more, that's September things. Tony Fields roughing the punter misbehaves football in any type of month. There were way too many flags and also stoppages for anyone's taste. However the Browns passed on points early and afterwards handed the Bengals some, and when Ja'Marr Chase and Burrow obtained rolling the Browns couldn't keep up.  Chase just moves to his spots. He's a true No. 1 pass receiver, and also his talents incorporated with his chemistry with Burrow make the Bengals unsafe. But the Bengals lacked their No. 2 and also 3 wide receivers for the majority of the game as well as their beginning limited end missed the game totally. That the Browns never really appeared to shift additional focus in the direction of Chase as well as at some point obtained baited right into the flea-flicker the Bengals wished they would is sort of the tale of the season. The opponent stays a half-step in advance; the Browns are sluggish to change. There had not been bad defense on Chase's touchdown; that was just a phenomenal play by a quarterback who's mastered his infraction with the assistance of his colleagues and also trainers. In more ways than just with Watson, the Browns are still working on the essentials.  At 20-3, it seemed like it was over. Watson discovered some confidence, David Njoku made some plays, as well as Jadeveon Clowney tipping a pass that Deion Jones obstructed provided the Browns life. However the Browns' fourth-quarter possessions ended with an interception, a red-zone failure and also what seemed a miscommunication, and also on a day the Bengals never got fully comfortable they never ever needed to actually sweat down the stretch. Njoku's touchdown came on the 3rd of his three consecutive catches, and also that's a genuine favorable. The Browns offered Njoku big cash due to the fact that they imagine him becoming a significant matchup issue as Watson presents as well as improvisates, and also their very first game with each other produced positive results. Yet the Browns' violation doesn't have its timing or a bread-and-butter red-zone play, which shed them. Donovan Peoples-Jones is having a strong period, however he didn't catch a fourth-down fade that he can have caught. Red-zone performance takes time and also timing, and also the Browns aren't there yet.  It's all concerning Watson and also his ongoing growth. It really is. It's a roller coaster-- as it's been considering that March-- and also the situation is far from ideal, however the Browns currently can simply attempt to play looter following week versus the Ravens and also simply play to build their infraction for following year. On Sunday's very first drive, Watson made 2 throws that were better than any he made in his launching. As the video game took place, he made a handful of other excellent throws. He produced some time and area with his feet. The Browns went with what appeared to be created quarterback runs in some areas. Watson made a freakish toss early in the 4th while getting dragged down, yet on the following play, he was late with his read as well as threw a negative interception to a place he recognized he shouldn't have been trying to toss. The Browns had multiple fourth-quarter chances to rally and also failed to rating. Watson was much better, as well as in the grand scheme that matters. He wasn't sufficient, yet he wasn't entirely lost and also out of types. Development. GO DEEPERLloyd: Deshaun Watson is all the unrestrained, unorganized Browns have entrusted to see "Like us as a group, Deshaun had some actually great minutes, " Stefanski claimed. "I know there are some plays he desires back, but he had some good moments." Watson regreted the Browns "not ending up drives, not capitalizing" yet stated he was "most certainly" more comfortable with all elements of the video game than he remained in his unstable launching 7 days earlier. "Every week I need to obtain a little better, " Watson said. "Maintain working." Advertisement The Bengals have an excellent defense, as well as they did well very early Sunday by mainly going down seven or eight players in evident pass situations and also forcing Watson to trust his reads. We saw the Browns mix in some run-pass choice plays and allow Watson use his feet initially, particularly in the first half. Eventually, we can think the various activities we saw as well as play-fakes will lead to the Browns remaining to open up the playbook and attempting to capture defenses keying on Nick Chubb or a certain pass play. Today, though, all that things isn't causing much. Rival defenses do not need to be afraid Demetric Felton on a jet sweep, and also they're prepared to take their possibilities when they force Watson to surpass his very first or second read. The Browns still play some good defenses and the Ravens appear to have an elite defense, so even more growth chances wait for. Overall, do we see development from the Browns? Insufficient. The playoffs aren't occurring, however there's still a whole lot that can be reviewed in the last 4 games.  There's simply no validating Stefanski's choice to generate Brissett for fourth-and-short and have Brissett throw deep. Brissett as the marked quarterback sneaker is great, and also it offers the opponent another thing for which it must prepare. Yet in 2 tries currently Brissett hasn't actually run a sneak, so all the Browns did was pass on points and take the round out of the hands of the quarterback to whom they have actually provided the kingdom. It just doesn't build up.  "Seemed like goals would be at a premium in this video game, " Stefanski stated. "Just didn't obtain it done. When you're playing a high-powered crime and also playing an excellent team, simply seemed like we needed to rack up a bunch of factors." The Browns battled to obtain their run game going. That's a concern for them in any type of scenario, and it was specifically problematic in this one with Watson still attempting to gain convenience and also self-confidence. Bengals defensive tackle D.J. Viewers was a big part of the home team's effort to swarm Chubb and Kareem Hunt, and also Search obtained stopped in big areas in both the very first as well as second quarters. The Browns just competed 71 backyards, their second-lowest overall of the period. The Bengals competed 136. The Browns were simply 4-of-15 in trying to transform 3rd downs and ended up with 98 charge yards. We recognize the Browns' formula for winning, as well as outside the Jones interception, there weren't numerous components of that formula on screen Sunday. The Browns require to be successful with the run to open up various other components of the violation.  9 fines for 98 lawns are just excessive. Certainly, Fields' roughing phone call as well as Denzel Ward's pass interference stand apart, however a Ronnie Harrison protective holding telephone call doesn't depend on the last tally. The Bengals had been flagged for offending holding on third-and-10, and without the defensive holding, they would certainly have been punting. Rather, the charges counter, as well as on the next play Burrow transformed a first down with a 34-yard pass to Trenton Irwin. 3 plays later on, Burrow's dart to Chase made it 13-3. The Browns really obtained to midfield in the last seconds of the initial half however lacked time; they would certainly utilized two timeouts previously due to the fact that of issues with obtaining the right gamers on the area.  Visitor was around the field in the initial three quarters. Run stuffers issue, which's been enhanced to the Browns in multiple ways this season.  This certainly had not been one for the scrapbook-- or for Stefanski's individual highlight reel. The Bengals prolonged drives. The Bengals counter-punched. The Browns had a lot of flags and way too many near-misses. Yet Watson's possibility to generally spend the whole second fifty percent concentrating on tossing the ball as well as needing to go deeper in the playbook should serve the Browns well. That's no alleviation currently for an additional season that's ending in a month, yet it can-- as well as need to-- matter moving forward. And also leaving Cincinnati, it's regarding the future. The Browns have actually had success versus the Bengals, but the Browns are an action at the very least) behind the Bengals. Et cetera of the period has to do with attempting to comprise some ground, then all included taking stock of points as well as choosing what it's going to consider the Browns to shut the evident space.  Leading picture: Katie Stratman/ United States Today). CJ Okoye Jersey