There’s something weird about the Battle of Ohio. It defies logic. You look at the rosters, you look at the records, and you think you know what’s going to happen. And then, almost every time the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns meet, things get… messy.
If you’re searching for “Bengals vs Cleveland Browns match player stats,” you probably already know the trend. For the last few years, Cleveland has been a house of horrors for Joe Burrow. It doesn’t matter if the Bengals are Super Bowl favorites and the Browns are starting a backup quarterback; this rivalry has its own gravitational pull.
The stats from their recent matchups—specifically looking at the 2023 season opener and the season finale—tell a story of dominance, confusion, and defensive masterclasses. Let’s stop looking at just the final score and actually dig into the numbers that defined these games.
Joe Burrow vs. The Kryptonite Defense
We have to start with the elephant in the room. Or rather, the tiger in the mud. Joe Burrow is an elite quarterback. But when he plays Cleveland, his stats often look like a rookie’s.
In the 2023 season opener, Burrow’s stat line was shocking. He went 14 of 31 for 82 yards.
Read that again. Eighty-two yards. Total.
He averaged 2.6 yards per attempt. You could fall forward and get more yards than that. Now, to be fair, the weather was nasty that day—rainy, slick, gross. But the “Bengals vs Cleveland Browns match player stats” show a deeper issue. The Browns’ defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, seems to have the cheat codes for Burrow’s protection schemes.
Burrow was sacked only twice in that game, but the pressure rate was suffocating. He never looked comfortable. He was rushing throws, missing check-downs, and generally looking out of sync. It’s a recurring theme. If you look at his career numbers against Cleveland compared to the rest of the NFL, it’s like looking at two different players.
The Myles Garrett Factor: Stats That Don’t Show Up
Here is where the box score lies to you.
If you just look at the sack totals for Myles Garrett in these matchups, you might see “1 sack” or “1.5 sacks” and think, Okay, they handled him.
Wrong.
Garrett’s impact is in the “hidden” stats. It’s in the double-team rate. In their recent matchups, the Bengals have frequently committed two blockers to Garrett. What does that do? It leaves guys like Za’Darius Smith or Ogbo Okoronkwo with one-on-one matchups.
In the Browns’ dominant wins, the pressure stats are spread out across the whole line. The Bengals’ offensive line—which has been a talking point for years—collapses not because one guy beats them, but because the attention Garrett demands breaks the whole structure. For a great visual of how pass rush win rates work, ESPN’s Next Gen Stats often highlights just how much gravity a player like Garrett has.
The Running Game: Chubb, Mixon, and the Grind
When these two teams play, it usually turns into a street fight. And in street fights, you need a running game.
Nick Chubb (before his tragic injury in 2023) was the engine of this rivalry. In past games, his stats were automatic: 100+ yards, 5+ yards per carry. He controlled the clock. When he went down, the Browns had to pivot to Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt.
Surprisingly, the stats held up. In the 2023 opener, the Browns rushed for 206 yards as a team. That is a demoralizing number. When you give up 200 yards on the ground, your defense is on the field all day. They get tired. They stop rushing the passer effectively. It’s a domino effect.
On the other side, Joe Mixon (now with Houston, but relevant for these past stats) often found tough sledding. In that same opener, Mixon had 56 yards on 13 carries. Decent, but not game-changing. The Browns’ interior defense simply doesn’t allow the Bengals to be a balanced team. They force Cincinnati to be one-dimensional, and then they unleash the pass rush.
Amari Cooper vs. Ja’Marr Chase: The Quiet Assassin
Everyone talks about Ja’Marr Chase. Rightfully so—he’s a superstar. But in the “Bengals vs Cleveland Browns match player stats,” Amari Cooper often steals the show quietly.
Chase was held to 39 yards in that opener. The Browns’ secondary, led by Denzel Ward (when healthy) and Martin Emerson Jr., played physical, press coverage. They disrupted the timing. Chase was visibly frustrated.
Meanwhile, Amari Cooper just goes to work. He’s the best route runner nobody talks enough about. His stats in these games aren’t always explosive 150-yard days, but they are clutch. 3rd and 7? Cooper gets 8 yards. He keeps the chains moving.
But we have to mention the Week 18 game from the 2023 season. The Bengals won 31-14, but keep in mind, the Browns rested almost all their starters because they had locked up a playoff spot. Jake Browning (playing for an injured Burrow) lit it up, and Mixon had a huge day. It padded the stats, but it didn’t really count in the “true” rivalry sense since Cleveland was playing their “B” team.
Turnovers: The Ultimate Stat
If you want to know who won the Battle of Ohio, don’t look at yards. Look at the turnover differential.
In the Browns’ blowout win (24-3), the Bengals were clean on turnovers… technically. They didn’t throw picks. But they went 0-for-2 on fourth down and punted 10 times.
Ten punts! That’s basically a turnover every time you give the ball back without points.
In previous years, turnovers have killed the Bengals against Cleveland. Tipped balls at the line of scrimmage are common because the Browns’ defensive ends are so long and athletic.
For a deeper look at how turnover margin correlates to winning percentage, Pro Football Reference has decades of data that proves if you lose the ball, you lose the game, especially in the AFC North.
What Does This Mean for the Future?
So, why do we care about these past stats? Because they set the table for what’s coming.
The Bengals have made changes. They brought in new tackles to try and stop Myles Garrett. They changed offensive coordinators. But the core issue remains: The Browns’ roster is built physically to beat the Bengals. They are constructed to rush the passer and run the ball—the two things that give Cincinnati the most trouble.
Next time you watch this matchup, ignore the flashy graphics about passing yards. Watch the rushing totals. Watch the third-down conversion rates. If the Browns are running for 150+ yards, the stats say the Bengals are in for a long, miserable afternoon.
The rivalry is changing—Deshaun Watson is back, Burrow is healing up—but the DNA of the game remains the same. It’s a fistfight in a phone booth, and usually, the stats favor the guy who punches harder.
FAQs
Q: What is Joe Burrow’s record against the Cleveland Browns?
A: Historically, Burrow has struggled against Cleveland. As of the end of the 2023 season, he is just 1-5 against the Browns in his career. It is the one team he hasn’t been able to figure out consistently.
Q: Who had the most rushing yards in the last big matchup?
A: In the Week 18 game of the 2023 season (Bengals win), Joe Mixon ran for 111 yards. However, in the Week 1 game where both teams were full strength, Nick Chubb ran for 106 yards.
Q: Why does Myles Garrett play so well against the Bengals?
A: It’s a mix of scheme and matchup. The Bengals have historically had weaker offensive tackles, and Garrett’s athleticism allows him to exploit that. Plus, the Browns’ crowd noise at home helps him get a jump off the line.
Q: Did Ja’Marr Chase score in the 2023 games against Cleveland?
A: No. In the season opener, he was held scoreless with minimal yards. He sat out the Week 18 game due to the team’s standing/injuries, so he had a very quiet year against the Browns.
