W2L4: How The Bengals Finally Solve The Browns In Cleveland And Return With A Win

Bengals (2-4) at Browns (1-5) Sunday, Oct. 20 at Huntington Bank Field (Natural Grass), 1 p.m. ET, TV: Ch. 12 CBS WKRC-TV (Cincinnati) Spero Dedes (PBP), Adam Archuleta (Analyst), Aditi Kinkhabwala (sideline). Radio: Dan Hoard, Dave Lapham. WEBN-FM (102.7 FM), 700-WLW, ESPN1530.

CINCINNATI — For the Bengals, the time has come to finally put the excuses aside and find a way to win a game in Cleveland.

There was a time during the late 2000s and through the 2010s where it seemed the Bengals owned the Browns wherever they played. They had an 11-game lead in the series after sweeping the Browns in 2017.

Since then, the Browns have won nine of 12 and all six played on the shores of Lake Erie. Cincinnati won 31-7 on Oct. 1, 2017 and were 12-7 in the 19 games played between the two in the new Browns stadium, now known as Huntington Bank Field. The Browns now own a 13-12 advantage.

Most of the turnaround is due to one play that the Bengals simply seem to have no answer for – Myles Garrett. He – of course – is the reigning NFL defensive player of the year and has 12 sacks and 25 quarterback hits in his 10 games against Cincinnati, eight of which the Browns have won.

The Bengals will be looking for consecutive wins for the first time in 2024 when they take the field Sunday.

Cincinnati improved to 2-4 on the season with a victory over the N.Y. Giants on Sunday Night Football in Week 6. The Bengals’ defense enjoyed their best performance to this point, as they held New York to seven points and just 190 net passing yards to lead the way in a 17-7 result.

“I thought they did a great job getting pressure on the quarterback,” head coach Zac Taylor said. “I’m really proud of the way the defense played. The players, the coaches — the way that they fought all week. To put on a performance like this was special.”

Unlike last year, when Ja’Marr Chase call the Browns the “Elves” because of their logo at midfield, the star wide receiver is not doing any trash talking or any pregame chatter that could be misconstrued as disrespectful. It’s nothing but praise from Chase regarding the Browns defense.

The defense received contributions from all three levels, beginning with a now-healthy defensive tackle foursome of B.J. Hill, Sheldon Rankins, Kris Jenkins Jr. and McKinnley Jackson. Hill, playing against his former Giants team, tallied a season-high seven tackles and knocked down two passes at the line of scrimmage.

Hill also contributed to the game’s first turnover, when late in the opening quarter he affected a throw by Giants QB Daniel Jones that popped into the air and was intercepted by LB Germaine Pratt at the Bengals’ three-yard line.

Cincinnati was able to create consistent pressure on Jones, as the defensive unit was credited with six QB hits and DE Trey Hendrickson notched two sacks. On the back end, CBs Mike Hilton and DJ Turner II each broke up Giants pass attempts on fourth down in the second half to give the ball back to the offense.

“It was great to see our defense step up,” QB Joe Burrow said. “That was exciting to see. We got healthier up front. You could see that really affected the pass rush and they were getting a lot of pressure. I think our defensive backs were sticky in coverage all day. Mike Hilton made some big plays, big tackles blitzing and in coverage, so that was great to get him back.”

While the Bengals’ offense stalled at times throughout the game, it managed to capitalize in key moments. On the game’s opening drive, Burrow darted out of the pocket on a third-and-18 and raced 47 yards to the end zone to give Cincinnati an early lead. The play marked the longest TD run by a quarterback in Bengals history and was Burrow’s first rushing score of the season.

When New York tied the game with a TD in the third quarter, Burrow answered on the very next play from scrimmage by finding WR Ja’Marr Chase downfield for a 33-yard gain. That longest pass play of the night set up K Evan McPherson’s go-ahead FG that made it 10-7. Then, while facing a third-and-12 late in the fourth, Burrow again escaped pressure and hit WR Andrei Iosivas for a crucial conversion, which led to HB Chase Brown’s 30-yard game-sealing TD.

“Our offense was a little sloppy at times tonight, but in the fourth quarter when we needed it, everyone stepped up,” Taylor said. “Everyone did their job. Everybody finished. I thought special teams put us in some really good positions with some of those punts. Defensively, obviously getting the ball back, and then offense finishing with the touchdown. No better way to do it. We’ll start building on that and hopefully we can string some wins together.”

Cincinnati prepares for a Browns team that is coming off a 20-16 loss at Philadelphia in Week 6. Sunday marks the 102nd all-time installment of the “Battle of Ohio,” a rivalry which dates back to 1970.

The Bengals are also very healthy, as they had perfect attendance all three days of practice this week and everyone should be available on Sunday.

Here’s what to look for:

• When the Bengals have the ball:

All eyes, including Joe Burrow’s, will be on Myles Garrett. The Bengals need to track him wherever he travels on Cleveland’s defensive front. Adding to the intrigue and challenge is Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who knows how to move other parts of the Browns talented defensive front around so as to keep the Bengals from double-teaming Garrett. Can the Bengals finally run the ball with authority against the Browns? That really is the key to keeping Garrett and the Browns honest with their pressure. If they find a way to allow Burrow to get rid of the ball, they should be able to take advantage of Chase Brown’s quickness and Zack Moss’ physicality. The Bengals need to be patient in the this game with their passing game and Burrow needs to get the ball out on time. The Bengals installed more “12” formations this season with one back and two tight ends with games like Cleveland in mind, and Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Erick All Jr. and Drew Sample could play big roles in this game.

• When the Browns have the ball:

This is the return of Nick Chubb after last season’s ACL tear. Chubb has been a Bengals killer over his six seasons in the NFL. In 10 games, Chubb has averaged 5.16 yards per carry and has found the end zone seven times. Cleveland has one of the worst offenses in the league, averaging 240.2 yards (32nd) and 15.8 points (29th) per game. The Browns offensive line is a mess and Chubb’s presence won’t automatically solve that. The key here is to put the game in the hands of quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is having a horrific season (5 TDs, 3 INTs) and just lost one of his main targets as receiver Amari Cooper was traded this week to Buffalo. Jerry Jeudy figures to get a majority of the targets in the pass game.

• Bottom Line:

No reason the Bengals should show up unprepared for this one. They’ve been reminded all week that they haven’t won in Cleveland since Joe Burrow was still at Ohio State (2017). The Browns are a train wreck and have already begun their rebuild pre-trade deadline. Their quarterback is a mess. They still have a very formidable defense but the Bengals should be better suited this season to attack with a run game and quick passing game. Bengals get on top early and should be able to stay there.

Bengals 26, Browns 14