Cleveland Browns vs Cincinnati Bengals, December 11, 2016

Robert Griffin III had a long, cold afternoon for the Browns.

(John Kuntz / cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Talking to myself after the Cleveland Browns 23-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium:

Question: OK, Nostradamus, didn't you pick the Browns to win this game?

Answer: Who is Nostradamus?

Q: Don't avoid the question.

A: Yes, I picked them to win. I picked them to win because I'm sick of writing about a team that loses every week. I picked them to win because this team does play hard, and seems to have a good group of young men in terms of their wanting to do the right things.

Q: So you really didn't think they'd win?

A: I still believe they'll win a game this season. And I thought they had a chance Sunday.

Q: Well, you thought wrong.

A: I'm not going to beat up the Browns. They came into the game with an 0-12 record, and they started a quarterback who hadn't been on the field for three months. The game opened with snow flying, the wind chill at 16. It was the absolute worst conditions for Robert Griffin III to make his first start since the opener.

Q: Are you going to make excuses for him?

A: No. I'm not a big fan of the Griffin experiment with the Browns. But he didn't start a single regular season game for Washington in 2015. He then broke a bone in his shoulder in the 29-10 opening loss to Philadelphia.

Q: Don't those sound like excuses?

A: Under the best of circumstances, Griffin was probably going to have a hard time. The Browns are missing two guards (John Greco and Joel Bitonio) who started the opener when Griffin was last under center. The weather made it difficult to throw.

Q: I repeat, don't those sound like excuses?

A: Eight minutes into the game, the Bengals had a 13-0 lead as the defense looked very distracted. It was 20-0 at the half. The defense pulled itself together in the final two quarters, but the verdict was very close to being final after the first two quarters.

Q: Are you going somewhere with this? What are you trying to say about Griffin?

A: Griffin was 12-of-28 passing for 108 yards. Too often, he seemed to fixate on one receiver. If he didn't throw it to that man, he scrambled around for a long time. You often hear it said the game "was too fast" for a young player. At times, Griffin looked like a guy on a runaway training, hanging to the caboose with one hand.

Q: What does that mean?

A: On a lot of plays, he wasn't sure what he should do. And part of that was due to his lack of playing time. Hue Jackson said Griffin "showed poise ... he held his own out there." The coach talked about how it's impossible to simulate game conditions in practice, especially this late in the season. But I do think Griffin at times really struggled with the quickness of the game.

Q: Would you start him next week at Buffalo?

A: Why not? If he can stay healthy for the final three games, play him. In fact, if he can make it through all four games healthy -- that's progress for Griffin. Jackson admitted as much when he said Griffin "protected himself." He added, "(When Griffin) did get hit, would he get up? He did. That's important."

Q: Isn't that a low standard?

A: The theme of the season is to find out about some key players. Griffin obviously is one of those. I have major doubts about his durability. Someone once told me, "Part of ability in football is durability ... you have to stay on the field."

Q: How was the offensive line?

A: They run blocked well, the Browns rushing for 169 yards. Jonathan Cooper made a few good blocks on long runs by Isaiah Crowell (113 yards, 10 carries). It was Cooper's first start for the Browns. He replaced the injured Greco at right guard. Griffin was sacked three times. He was knocked down on four other plays. But it was not an unrelenting beating that we've seen some Browns quarterbacks endure this year.

Q: OK, Mr. Sunshine, what else?

A: Emmanuel Ogbah had 1.5 sacks. The second-round draft pick is making an impact since the Browns are playing him strictly at defensive end, instead of also having him at linebacker. Jamie Collins was all over the field with 15 tackles. That showed me a lot, his hustle on a frozen field for a team that's winless -- especially after being traded from New England at midseason.

Q: Are you really going to write about this as if it were an exhibition game?

A: In some ways, it is ... because it's about evaluating players. But it's a better test than those preseason games because the opponents are playing to win. The Browns are facing real game plans. It's a very unforgiving atmosphere and a good testing ground.

Q: You expect the fans to pay attention to this?

A: Most of the fans understandably dressed as empty orange chairs at FirstEnergy Stadium. In other words, lots of empty seats. It was a miserable day to watch a game -- especially the worst team in the NFL. I'm not going to fault them for staying home. It's a hard year for anyone who loves the Browns.