CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo didn’t need much time or verbiage to describe the team’s recent history in Cleveland.
“It’s terrible,” Anarumo said in reference to Cincinnati’s 0-5 road record against the Browns since he and Zac Taylor arrived in 2019.
Anarumo stood in front of his players Wednesday and made sure all of them knew the history.
“I made everybody aware of it this morning in our defensive meeting room that we have yet to get on the bus happy,” he said. “They are aware of what that building presents, what that team presents to us and the challenges. We have to step it up and do better.”
The last time the Bengals won in Cleveland was 2017, and the current six-game skid is the team’s longest active road losing streak against any team.
No one on the current roster has ever won in Cleveland as a member of the Bengals.
“It is a crazy feat that we've never won up there,” Wilson said. “They've had our number for a while, and we've got to find a way to just get a win.”
Veteran defensive players such as Wilson, Sam Hubbard, Germaine Pratt, Vonn Bell and Mike Hilton need Anarumo’s refresher.
“That’s why I said, ‘Hey, the veterans in the room, I think you know what it has been up there. But I am addressing the guys that are new to the team and the rookies that, hey, this has not been a successful place for us,” Anarumo said. “Just make sure you understand records, all that stuff, none of it means anything. We need to go up there and take care of business.”
The Bengals were 1-11 when they lost 27-19 at Cleveland in 2019.
They were 0-1 in 2020 when Joe Burrow made his first career road start and lost 35-30 despite throwing for 316 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
In 2021, Cincinnati was 10-6 heading into the season finale at Cleveland rested all of its starters in a 21-16 loss.
In 2022, the Bengals were 4-3 when they went to Cleveland for a Monday night game on Halloween and lost 32-13.
And last year in the season opener, they got waxed 24-3 after Ja'Marr Chase called the Browns the Elves.
Prior to the arrival of Taylor and Anarumo, the Bengals were 6-8 late in 2018 when they went to Cleveland and fell 26-18.
In addition to losing games, the Bengals have lost two players to season-ending injuries in Cleveland. Tight end C.J. Uzomah went down with an Achilles in 2020, and cornerback Chidobe Awuzie suffered an ACL tear in 2022.
Asked if it sticks in his crawl that he has never won in Cleveland in three career starts, Burrow said “Of course.”
“We haven't had success against this divisional opponent, so that's always frustrating and something we're always striving for,” Burrow added. “So we need to go get this one.”
Unlike Anarumo, Taylor didn’t remind the offense about the team’s lack of success in Cleveland.
“They know,” he said.
Taylor was equally as brief on the topic last year heading into the season opener.
For all the success the Bengals have had under his guidance, not much has come against AFC North Division opponents.
He is 4-6 against the Steelers, 3-7 against the Browns and 3-8 against the Ravens.
In addition to the six losses in Cleveland, the Bengals have dropped six in a row against AFC North opponents in games that matter (excluding last year’s season finale against the Browns backups).
In the previous nine seasons, the Bengals have had one winning record in division games – that was in 2021 when they went 4-2.
In 2022, they were 3-3.
Burrow was asked what he learned about winning in the AFC North during those two seasons.
"It takes consistency,” he said. “When you're at the halfway point, pretty much everybody is around .500. This division – and championships – aren't won in September, October; they're won in December and January.
“So you've got find your footing and see how the landscape is playing out early,” he continued. “You have to hit your stride at a certain point and rattle off some wins. We're hoping that's us right now."
They better hope it is.
There may be no coming back from falling to 2-5 overall and 0-2 in the division.
And even if there is, the albatross of losing seven in a row in Cleveland will hang around their necks for at least another 11 months.
