OHIO — The Browns and Bengals had very different results Sunday, but both received strong individual performances that showed up in Pro Football Focus’ weekly grades.
Cleveland survived Carolina 21-18 for its second straight victory, while Cincinnati suffered its first loss of the season, falling 30-27 at Pittsburgh. As always, PFF grades provide another look at individual performances beyond the traditional box score, with role, opponent, and snap count providing important context.
Cleveland Browns
Denzel Boston earned Cleveland’s highest offensive grade at 73.8 after playing 62 snaps. The rookie receiver caught two passes for 41 yards, continuing to establish himself as a major part of the Browns’ offense even on an afternoon when the passing game struggled.
Harold Fannin Jr. followed at 69.2 after catching seven passes for 51 yards and both of Cleveland’s touchdowns. Fannin played 60 snaps and posted a 69.9 receiving grade, while also contributing as a blocker.
Raheim Sanders finished third at 68.3 despite playing only 30 snaps. Sanders touched the ball just five times but produced 51 yards from scrimmage, including a 17-yard run and four catches for 34 yards.
Left tackle Spencer Fano ranked fourth at 66.9, with his 77.2 run-blocking grade easily his strongest mark. Quinshon Judkins completed the offensive top five at 61.6 after rushing 18 times for 70 yards.
Defensively, linebacker Quincy Williams led Cleveland with a 77.5 grade over 74 snaps. His 82.5 pressure grade was the best individual category mark among the Browns’ defensive top five, while he also earned a 78.4 against the run.
Derek Barnett followed at 75.6, with safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren close behind at 75.0. McNeil-Warren earned an 81.4 tackling grade in 20 snaps.
Mason Graham, who has emerged as one of Cleveland’s early-season standouts, finished fourth at 73.4 after his two-sack performance against Carolina. Jared Verse rounded out the defensive top five at 72.3.
Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati’s highest grades came almost entirely from the offense, which makes sense after Joe Burrow and the passing game finally looked much more like themselves against Pittsburgh, while the defense looked a lot like last year.
Tee Higgins led the Bengals with an 89.3 overall grade after catching six passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. Ja’Marr Chase followed closely at 87.6 after producing nine catches for 98 yards and a score.
Burrow ranked third at 85.6. He completed 28 of 37 passes for 282 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions, posting an 84.2 passing grade. After two uneven offensive performances to open the season, Cincinnati finally received the kind of quarterback play it expects from Burrow.
The offensive line also placed two players in the top five. Right guard Dalton Risner earned an 82.7 overall grade, including an 81.0 run-blocking mark and 78.0 in pass protection. Left guard Dylan Fairchild finished fifth at 74.9.
The defensive grades told a much different story.
Linebacker Oren Burks led Cincinnati at 74.6, but no other Bengals defender reached 65. Boye Mafe followed at 63.2, while Barrett Carter earned a 62.3.
Kris Jenkins and Myles Murphy tied for fourth at 60.0, leaving Cincinnati without the kind of defensive performance that helped carry the team through the first two weeks.
That contrast probably tells the story of Sunday better than anything else. Cincinnati finally received high-level performances from Burrow, Higgins, and Chase, but the defense and special teams could not make them stand up.
Cleveland, meanwhile, did not receive any elite offensive grades but found enough from Boston, Fannin, and Sanders while its defense again carried much of the load.
Different performances. Different results.
