The most positive Week 1 development to come from the Cincinnati Bengals' 17-16 win in Cleveland was indubitably the defense's collective effort to stymie the Browns. And much of that effort stemmed from a most audacious roll of the dice in the offseason.
Although the Bengals defied their frugal reputation by paying big money to many key pieces on offense, headlined by the dynamic receiver duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, they took far different approaches with a couple other key contributors. That added up to a risk-heavy defensive unit that could've easily gotten exposed during a road season opener.