The Cleveland Browns saw their two-game winning streak snapped at the hands of division rivals Cincinnati Bengals, 23-10, on the road in Week 14 of the 2022 NFL season. The Browns were led by Deshaun Watson for only the second time this season and lost to Joe Burrow for the first time. The Browns are now 5-8, which puts them in third place in the AFC North. Here we'll discuss the four Browns most to blame for their disappointing Week 14 loss vs. the Bengals.

The Browns absorbed their eighth loss of the season in what really looked like a sloppy game. Cleveland usually plays sharper against their in-state rivals, but in this game, the Bengals finally solved the Browns' puzzle. Keep in mind as well that the Browns show themselves in the foot after incurring no less than nine penalties. Those totaled 98 lost yards on the day, giving the Bengals too many extra possessions.

The Browns have now fallen to 2-2 in the AFC North and will need a miracle to pull off an appearance in the playoffs. With just four games remaining, Cleveland can only hope to finish with nine wins and hope for the best. Needless to say, their fates are no longer fully in their hands.

For now, let us look at the four Browns most to blame for their Week 14 loss vs. the Bengals.

4. Browns Offensive Line

The Browns' offensive line as a whole delivered an uncharacteristically poor performance. QB Deshaun Watson didn't help himself on the dropback at times, but he was heavily pressured by the Bengals. Watson was sacked twice, and he was scrambling to escape the pocket on multiple occasions.

Penalties were a problem for the o-line. Both tackles and Joel Bitionio were flagged, as was center Hjalte Froholdt, who's playing out of position at center. Clearly, this just hasn't forked for the Browns.

3. Browns Defense

The Browns fell behind for the first time in the game during the second quarter due to a sequence of four penalties on a single drive. The first penalty was a defensive holding call on CB MJ Emerson that gave the Bengals a first down. The second was a “roughing the kicker” call on LB Tony Fields when the Bengals were punting. DE Isaiah Thomas took an illegal use of hands penalty two plays later, giving the Bengals another first down. CB Denzel Ward was then flagged for defensive pass interference on the next play, giving the Bengals another 33 yards.

Four plays later, the Bengals scored a touchdown. These four penalties accounted for 58 of the 98 yards the Browns lost from nine total penalties. The penalty yardage was the most the Browns have had in a game this season, and 83 of those yards came in the first half. In all, it was just a woeful performance from the defense.

2. QB Deshaun Watson

Deshaun Watson completed 26-of-42 passing attempts for 276 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He also produced numerous passes that looked identical to the ones he was able to accomplish before his 700-day break between NFL starts. Watson also rushed six times for 33 yards. His footwork and throwing mechanics were noticeably better than last week, when numerous of his throws were off-target, preventing the offense from reaching a rhythm. His performance here is a positive step in the right direction for the team.

To illustrate, in the third quarter, Watson found his first passing touchdown with the Browns with a 13-yard connection to David Njoku. The latter's grab was the third of three straight completions from Watson and finished probably the game's best-looking offensive play. On fourth down, Watson hit Njoku for a 6-yard completion to keep the drive alive, then found him again for 14 yards to set up the touchdown.

That said, the Browns will still need Watson to continue improving in order to consistently compete with teams like the Bengals.

Take note that on the next offense series after Njoku's TD, Watson threw his first interception with the Browns. He was looking deep for Donovan Peoples-Jones but didn't count on Bengals S Jessie Bates III. Bates was roaming in the deep part of the field and raced over in time to break up the pass.

1. RB Nick Chubb

Running the ball was a no-go for the Browns on Sunday. Much of that was down to Cincy's DJ Reader, who was a one-man wrecking crew against this offensive line. Star RB Nick Chubb finished with only 34 yards on 14 carries because there was just nowhere to run the football.

Chubb and Kareem Hunt also combined for five catches for 26 yards. Watson frequently uses his check down, so they were an option in this game. Perhaps he needs to do more of that to vary their offense.

Recall that in Week 8, Chubb ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns in the Browns' previous win over the Bengals. However, in this matchup, Chubb was severely limited, averaging only 2.4 yards per carry. This lack of production from the running game will not be sufficient for the Browns as they try to integrate a new quarterback into the team in the final quarter of the season. This is especially considering that the quarterback had not played in an NFL game for over a year and a half prior to last week.