Browns Trail Bengals 16-6 At Halftime; Three Takeaways From The First Half

The Cleveland Browns trail the Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 16-6 at the end of the first half of play from Paul Brown Stadium. The Browns have had a good amount of struggle offensively and even had one of the wackier injuries put a wrinkle in their daily operations.

Let’s take a look at the three takeaways from the first half of play.

1. Dalton Slices And Dices Through Cleveland- Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has had a ton of success against Cleveland this season and it continued in the first half today. Dalton finished the first two quarters with 98 passing yards and a touchdown through 7-of-13 passing. Though he hasn’t thrown for a lot of yardage, the former TCU signal-caller has not needed to exploit the Browns’ secondary with a deep ball yet. As long as he finds success with the crossing routes and intermediate throws, Dalton will continue to go to the well.
2. Kizer Exits Midway Through The Half- Browns’ quarterback DeShone Kizer has already spent a lot of time off the field for Cleveland this year, whether it be due to losing his starting job or injury. Today, the rookie leader exited the game due to concussion protocol. Kizer leaving the game completely stalled out the offense for the Browns, as Cody Kessler cannot find any consistency or rhythm with the rest of the guys. After throwing 9-of-14 for 140 passing yards, Kizer is continually showing signs of why he should be the future investment of the Browns quarterback situation.
3. Coleman, Crowell Lead Charge- Corey Coleman has had a nice return to the field the last couple of weeks and continued to ball out today. The Baylor product had two receptions for 52 receiving yards and has been the only target that Kizer can go to beyond fifteen yards. Crowell rushed nine times for 42 rushing yards, proving what he can do when Cleveland commits to the run. Hopefully the Browns stick to the plan and “Feed The Crow”.