CLEVELAND – This wasn’t the start new coach Pat Shurmur envisioned for his Browns in the season opener. He was hearing boos from the home crowd by the end of the first quarter.

His young team committed seven penalties in the first quarter, got a single first down and trailed the Cincinnati Bengals 10-0 after 15 minutes today at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Quarterback Colt McCoy rolled out on the first play of the new season and had his pass to tight end Benjamin Watson batted back in his face by defensive end Robert Geathers. McCoy instinctively caught it for a 5-yard loss.

The Browns punted two plays later, and Richmond McGee shanked it off the side of his foot for 20 yards. It was McGee’s first kick in a regular-season NFL game.

The Bengals capitalized with a 10-play, 35-yard drive that ended with a 24-yard Mike Nugent field goal. Cincinnati used a lot of handoffs to running back Cedric Benson to take some pressure off rookie quarterback Andy Dalton. Cincinnati picked on rookie defensive end Jabaal Sheard and linebacker Chris Gocong, who didn’t play all preseason with a neck stinger.

The Browns helped with a holding penalty on cornerback Sheldon Brown and a neutral zone infraction on Sheard. But cornerback Joe Haden forced a field goal with consecutive breakups in the end zone.

Cleveland’s second possession wasn’t any better. More penalties contributed to a third-and-24, following a third-and-16 on the opening “drive.” Taking the cake was an unsportsmanlike penalty on the Browns bench for knocking down an official.

The Bengals started on Cleveland’s 41-yard line again, and this time scored a touchdown on a 2-yard Dalton pass to tight end Jermaine Gresham.