The Cincinnati Bengals (6-11) allowed just 111 passing yards on Sunday, but they still lost 20-18 to the Cleveland Browns (5-12) at home to end their 2025 campaign. The game had no playoff implications, but it encapsulated their painful season.

Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow did his job, as he completed 29-of-39 passes for 236 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Cincinnati also rushing for 142 yards on 25 carries.

However, the Browns returned Burrow's lone pick for a 97-yard touchdown in the first quarter and returned a Noah Fant fumble for a 47-yard score in the second. They only needed two field goals in the second half to finish the win from there.

On top of that, star pass-rusher Myles Garrett recorded his record-breaking 23rd sack of the season after winning his matchup on the edge and touching Burrow as the signal-caller went down with just over five minutes left in the game. 

Burrow opened up postgame about how this season changed his perspective on football, via ESPN's Ben Baby.

"I work really hard at this, so it's certainly a hard pill to swallow when I'm getting injured the way that I am and we're losing the way that we are," the 29-year-old admitted. "I haven't gotten that joy out of this that I used to."

"The joy that I got was winning. We certainly haven't had the success that we expect," he continued. "I'm not just gonna sit around and mope and be miserable. [I get] to be around loved ones and all that, so I think it's just growth and maturity."

Cincinnati finished the season ranked 30th with 28.9 points allowed per game, but this was the fourth straight game where the team allowed fewer points than that average. Plus, the defense allowed just six points on Sunday.

The Bengals allowed 118 rushing yarfs on 24 carries, but no player on the Browns rushed for more than 32 yards individually. Additionally, wide receiver Cedric Tillman led Cleveland with just 23 receiving yards. 

Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders completed just 11-of-22 passes and had his fourth straight game with less than 200 passing yards. Still, this defensive performance was encouraging for a Cincinnati unit that struggled most of the season and was one of the main reasons why the team missed the playoffs for the third straight season.

Going forward, the Bengals must play competent defense throughout the entire season and keep Burrow healthy, as this was his third injury-shortened campaign since getting drafted in 2020.