Getting struck in the face is an unpleasant thing. Sure, how hard your hit doesn’t matter as much as how many hits it takes to stop you, but that initial strike can be damn painful, and it can determine how the rest of the fight goes.
The Bengals got socked by the Browns in the opening minutes of their latest matchup. More importantly, they allowed it to determine how the rest of the game (when it mattered) went.
Even if it’s been evident by less than a full season, the discrepancies between the Bengals and Browns should be pretty obvious by now, as the team that hasn’t had stability at quarterback or head coach at the very least has one and another that works well with him.