CLEVELAND — It was like Christmas morning. Or, as Browns linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. called it this week, "the first day of school."

Turns out, it wasn't just how the day started for the Browns as they opened the season against the Cincinnati Bengals. It ended in much the same way as they rolled over the two-time AFC North champions 24-3 to win their second consecutive season opener.

The Browns turned the 100th Battle of Ohio into a rain-soaked party, extending their win streak in season openers to two in a row. They also continued to dominate the Bengals, especially quarterback Joe Burrow, over the last three-plus seasons.

Browns extend winning ways in opener, over Bengals QB Joe Burrow

The win improved the Browns to 3-21-1 in season opener, including their second in a row after last year's win at the Carolina Panthers. The won for the first time since 2004 in a home season opener, improving them to 2-15-1 in those games.

They have also now won six out of the last seven against the Bengals, including five out of six when Burrow has started.

Burrow finished the game 14-of-31 passing for 82 yards and a 52.2 passer rating. He was sacked twice and eventually was pulled with 5:15 remaining.

More: Watch Bengals vs. Browns live with Fubo (free trial)

Here's how the game played out.

Deshaun Watson to Harrison Bryant to bury Bengals in 21-point deficit

Myles Garrett's big sack didn't go unrewarded. Three plays later, Deshaun Watson hit Harrison Bryant for a 3-yard touchdown to open up a three-score lead.

Watson then added the 2-point conversion to make it 24-3 Browns with 9:11 remaining.

Myles Garrett haunts Joe Burrow yet again

Myles Garrett hadn't had a sack with just over 11 minutes left in the game. He made sure to change that quickly,

Garrett sacked Burrow on a fourth-and-6 play from the Bengals 31 with 10:27 remaining. It was his eighth career sack of Burrow and his 12th career sack of a Cincinnati quarterback.

Dustin Hopkins makes it 3-for-3 in Cleveland Browns debut

Dustin Hopkins made fast friends with his new fanbase with 11:29 remaining in the fourth quarter. The veteran kicker made his third field goal of the game, a 43-yard field goal to extend the Browns lead to 16-3 over the Bengals.

Hopkins made his first three field goals with the Browns.

Grant Delpit heads to locker room to start 4th quarter

Browns safety Grant Delpit spent a couple of minutes on the ground after the final play of the third quarter. However, he jogged off the field and headed to the bench initially.

Delpit, though, eventually went to the locker room with the trainers. There's no official word on his status.

End 3rd quarter: Cleveland Browns 13, Cincinnati Bengals 3

The Browns took a 13-3 lead over the Bengals into the final 15 minutes of regulation. The Bengals were facing a fourth down coming out of the break.

The Browns held a 281-143 edge in total yards through three.

Nick Chubb goes to work to set up Dustin Hopkins field goal

The Browns went to Nick Chubb after Evan McPherson's missed field goal. Starting from their own 41, they needed five plays to get to the Cincinnati 21.

Chubb carried the ball five times for 38 yards on the drive, giving him 91 yards on 16 carries at that point. Deshaun Watson added a 13-yard run as well.

When the drive bogged down, Dustin Hopkins came on to make a 34-yard field goal. The kick, his second of the game, made it 13-3 Browns with 2:21 remaining in the third.

Grant Delpit pass break-up leads to missed Bengals field goal

Dax Hill's interception of Deshaun Watson ultimately did no damage. The Bengals' Evan McPherson missed a 51-yard field goal wide right to preserve a 10-3 Browns lead with 6:53 left in the third quarter.

The big play in the possession was a third-and-5 pass breakup by Browns safety Grant Delpit, who knocked the ball away from Tee Higgins on a deep go route to force the field goal try.

Deshaun Watson pass ends up in Bengals' Dax Hill's hands

The first big mistake by Deshaun Watson came to end what appeared to be a promising Browns possession on their second drive of the half. Watson wanted to throw deep to Marquise Goodwin, but he was covered.

So instead, Watson rolled left and threw it, only Cincinnati defensive lineman Zach Carter got a finger on the pass. That allowed it to flutter to Bengals safety Dax Hill for the interception, which he returned 20 yards to midfield.

Pass interference flag helps Bengals extend field goal drive

Evan McPherson's 42-yard field goal with 11:44 left in the third quarter allowed the Bengals to get on the board. The kick cut the Browns lead to 10-3.

The field goal was possible thanks to an obvious pass interference flag on Browns cornerback Denzel Ward on a third-and-6 pass from midfield. Ward clearly grabs the jersey of Ja'Marr Chase as he runs by him trying to make the play, drawing the flag.

The Browns defense, though, didn't let it be more than three points. Both Za'Darius Smith and Myles Garrett hit Burrow as he delivered throws, then the Bengals quarterback hit a short 8-yard pass to Irv Smith on third down to lead to the field goal.

Halftime: Cleveland Browns 10, Cincinnati Bengals 0

The Browns hold a 10-0 halftime lead over the Bengals, and they have a 200-97 advantage in total yards, a 122-63 rushing edge and a 78-34 passing advantage.

Deshaun Watson was 10-of-20 passing for 85 yards passing with a 61.5 passer rating. He did have 32 yards and a touchdown on four carries.

Joe Burrow was 6-of-14 passing for 36 yards and a 50.3 passer rating for Cincinnati.

Deshaun Watson gets nose bloodied, gives Browns 10-0 lead

A play after Elijah Moore's electric 19-yard run to open the Browns' final first-half possession, Deshaun Watson was sandwiched between Cincinnati's D.J. Reader and Sam Hubbard as he threw an incomplete from the Bengals 48. Watson was slow to get up, and TV shots showed him with a possible bloody nose.

That only seemed to make Watson mad. He was 3-for-4 for 29 yards passing after the hit.

Not only that, but Watson capped the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run to give the Browns a 10-0 lead with 17 seconds remaining in the half. He bounced to the outside to his left and got to the end zone before he could be taken down.

Nick Chubb remains option No. 1 for Browns as Deshaun Watson looks for rhythm

Deshaun Watson talked during a preseason game in Philadelphia about how the Browns offense was now running through him. In the first half of the first game that mattered, it looked like option No. 1 was still No. 24, Nick Chubb.

Chubb had 10 carries for 57 yards over the Browns' first six possessions. He also had four catches on four targets for 21 yards.

That production helped offset a first half in which Watson was 7-of-14 passing for 56 yards. The quarterback did have 19 yards on three rushing attempts.

Joe Mixon kick-starts Bengals drive, but it bogs down in Browns territory

The Bengals' fifth possession was the best one to that point, moving from their own 21 to the Browns 38. Two Joe Mixon runs netting 34 yards was the secret to the start.

It didn't get Cincinnati any points, though. A deep shot on third down by Burrow to Tee Higgins was tightly defended by cornerback Denzel Ward and fell incomplete, leading to a Cincinnati punt.

Right tackle Jack Conklin carted off with knee injury

Browns right tackle Jack Conklin was carted off the field after his left leg crumpled underneath him on the Browns' second-and-11 incompletion on their first full second-quarter possession. Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson crashed into Conklin's leg on the play.

Conklin is a year removed from a season-ending patellar tendon injury in November 2021. Rookie Dawand Jones replaced Conklin at right tackle.

The Browns went three-and-out on the possession.

Cincinnati Bengals, Joe Burrow struggle with Browns pressure early

The Browns only had one sack over the Bengals first four offensive possessions. However, they consistently made Joe Burrow uncomfortable in the pocket, throwing off the timing.

Burrow was 4-of-10 passing for 25 yards over those four possessions.

Dustin Hopkins kicks Cleveland Browns into the lead

The Browns' kicking woes may not be solved, but they at least were fixed enough to give them a 3-0 lead two plays into the second quarter. Dustin Hopkins' first career field goal both for the Browns and in Cleveland Browns Stadium was a 42-yarder to the west end of the stadium.

The kick gave the Browns a 3-0 lead with 14:15 remaining in the second quarter. It capped a seven-play, 33-yard drive.

End 1st quarter: Browns and Bengals scoreless

The Browns and Bengals ended the first quarter in a 0-0 tie. The Bengals had two three-and-outs, while the Browns had two drives into Cincinnati territory.

Amari Cooper injured on first catch of the season

Amari Cooper made a 20-yard catch at the Bengals 24. However, his legs came out from underneath him as he was trying to turn and pick up yards after the catch.

Cooper sustained an injury on the slip, and spent a couple of minutes being looked at by trainers near the Browns huddle. He did walk off on his own.

Cooper would return on the next Browns possession.

Nick Chubb take over on second Browns possession, but Jerome Ford fumbles

Nick Chubb showed why he's still the Browns' most consistent offensive weapon when he helped them move from their own 41 to the Bengals 21 on their second possession. He had 23 yards on three rushes, including a 17-yarder.

Chubb also had a nice 10-yard gain on the second play of the drive on a screen pass. It was an early sign of getting the back involved on a rainy day,

Jerome Ford, though, came in on second-and-5 from the Cincinnati 21 and gave it all away. The second-year pro coughed up the ball after a 6-yard run when he was hit by linebacker Logan Wilson, with cornerback Chidobe Awuzie recovering.

Cleveland Browns starting offense around QB Deshaun Watson

The Browns started their first offensive possession at their own 14 with 12:05 left in the first quarter. Deshaun Watson managed to scramble for a 12-yard gain to get a first down, but the Bengals picked up a pair of sacks to force them to punt from their own 28 after six plays.

They went with this starting lineup:

• QB: Deshaun Watson

• RB: Nick Chubb

• WR: Amari Cooper

• WR: Elijah Moore (Motioned into a tailback spot prior to first snap)

• WR: Donovan People-Jones

• TE: David Njoku

• LT: Jedrick Wills Jr.

• LG: Joel Bitonio

• C: Ethan Pocic

• RG: Wyatt Teller

• RT: Jack Conklin

Cleveland Browns open the season on defense

The Browns won the toss and deferred to the second half. They managed to get pressure on Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on the first play of their six-play opening drive, which Ogbo Okoronkwo ended with a sack of Burrow on third-and-5 from the Cleveland 47.

They started on defense with the following lineup:

• LDE: Za'Darius Smith

• LDT: Dalvin Tomlinson

• RDT: Jordan Elliott

• RDE: Myles Garrett

• LB: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah

• LB: Anthony Walker Jr.

• NB: Martin Emerson Jr.

• SS: Grant Delpit

• CB: Denzel Ward

• CB: Greg Newsome II

• FS: Rodney McLeod

Safety Juan Thornhill will not play against Bengals due to calf injury

Juan Thornhill tried to give it a go. The Browns safety, who missed practice on Thursday and Friday due to a right calf injury, spent a significant time about three hours prior to kickoff going through a intense workout trying to get the clearance to play.

It wasn't enough. Thornhill, who was listed as questionable, is inactive for Sunday's game.

Thornhill had general manager Andrew Berry, head coach Kevin Stefanski, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and safeties coach Ephraim Banda observing at least parts of his pregame workout. He signed a three-year $21 million contract in March after four years with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Rodney McLeod will now start at free safety for the Browns. Grant Delpit remains in the starting lineup at strong safety.

Siaki Ika, Isaiah McGuire among Browns inactive players against Bengals

The rest of the Browns inactive list includes four rookies: cornerback Kahlef Hailassie, center Luke Wypler, defensive end Isaiah McGuire and defensive tackle Siaki Ika.

The Bengals inactives include defensive end Joseph Ossai, who had been ruled out Friday with an ankle injury. Also inactive for Cincinnati: halfback Chase Brown, cornerback DJ Ivey, center Trey Hill and offensive tackle Jackson Carman.

How to watch, stream and listen to the Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns

• TV channel: CBS WOIO-TV (Channel 19).

• Stream: Paramount+, Fubo (free trial).

• Announcers: Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Charles Davis (analyst) and Evan Washburn (sideline reporter).

How to listen to the Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals on the radio

The Cleveland Browns Radio Network will carry the game, with Jim Donovan (play-by-play), Nathan Zegura (analyst) and Je'Rod Cherry (sideline reporter) on the call. Among the affiliates in the Akron-Canton area are WAKR-AM 1590, WONE-FM 97.5, WHBC-AM 1480, WQKT-FM 104.5, WKRK-FM 92.3, WKNR-AM 850 and WNCX-FM 98.5.

Browns-Bengals odds, money line, over/under

Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8 p.m. ET, Saturday.

• Moneyline (ML): Browns +110 (bet $100 to win $110) | Bengals -130 (bet $130 to win $100)

• Against the spread: Browns +2 (-110) | Bengals-2 (-110)

• Over/Under (O/U): 47.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals injury report

• Browns: Juan Thornhill (calf), questionable

• Bengals: Joseph Ossai (ankle), out

Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals in the 2022 season

The Cleveland Browns went 7-10 during the 2022 season, including 3-3 in the AFC North. The finished in fourth place in the division.

The Cincinnati Bengals went 12-4 in the 2022 regular season, including 3-3 in the AFC North. The Bengals won the division championship for the second consecutive season. In the playoffs, Cincinnati defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Wild Card round and the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional round before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.

The teams swept their two meetings last season. The Browns won 32-13 in Week 8 in Cleveland, while the Bengals won 23-10 in Week 14 in Cincinnati.

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns vs Bengals game live score, updates in NFL Week 1