Browns at Bengals is the 2nd matchup of the year.

The Browns won the First one, 35-30, it wasn't quite that close as the Bengals scored late to bring it that close and would have needed an onside recovery,
(iirc, really I forget except it was a bigger lead until the bengals scored a meaningless late td.)

Honestly I don't feel good about this one unless the Running Game for the Browns figures out a way to show up and be dominant.

The Bengals helped us right the ship the last time we got hammered into the ground.

Let's hope they get us back on course again.

Browns are way banged up.
Browns can't stop the pass.

Browns have no Runningbacks except Johnson and Hilliard.

Team that best uses it's tight ends usually wins the AFC North division.

Winning road games in the NFL is harder than it seems.

The Bengals were playing Baltimore better defensivly than the Browns did for the first half of their devastating loss to Balt.

This game may hinge on what team is more likely to turn the ball over.

Every game may be approached as a trap game if the secondary stinks it up, we don't pressure more, and the offensive side cripples us. We gave up way too much unchallenged last time. And we are bringing less to the table for this one. The silliness is starting to try for a toehold.

Strap on the pads for real and get bone serious. We need to own more of this game.

After the last 2 games, the offensive line will feel like they're going up against a high school team. Bengals season is slipping away and players are starting to get grumpy.

We should be able to pound them. Equation hasn't changed from the last time we saw them.

Hey Throw. I have started the match-up thread for quite some time. Any chance you let me have it back starting next week?

No idea if we’ll win or not as Cincy is showing signs of life but I feel confident saying that if we don’t it’ll pretty much tank all any remaining high expectations everyone’s been nursing before last week. There’s four outcomes and four reactions imo:

We Win by a lot: some start to believe again that maybe just maybe the Balt & Pitt games were the aberrations and maybe we still can win 11 games this season, lol.
We Win by a little: debate of our worthiness in the lower echelons of “decent” becomes spirited
We Lose a little: debate of our worthiness in the upper echelons mediocrity becomes rancorous
We Lose a lot: we’re toast.

We always seem to split with Cincy. If betting I’d go with a slim loss. We’re a flawed team with lots of critical injuries and less than 3 months of gel time together. I think there’s still a very solid possibility of 4-4 at the bye and that’s still much better than the 2-6 I predicted. If we get healthy after the bye, look out, upper mediocrity here we come!

I think we are what we are. We are a talented team with some gaping holes. We can beat up on teams that aren't as talented or that don't match up with us well, but we will have major problems with teams that can take away our strength.

Cinci isn't going anywhere or doing anything this year. The only thing they're focused on is getting Burrow through the year with as many limbs attached as he came in with this season.

I don’t really have a good feeling about this one.

I’m worried that Hunt is Hurt and Baker is just shellshocked. If we lose this game, I think it starts that same ol’ Browns death spiral we are used to seeing with the result being 6-10 or 7-9.

If we lose this one, I really only see us beating the Jags, Giants and Jets. We might even lose to the Giants or Jags.

If we win this game, I think we end up in the 9-7 to 11-5 range.

I predict we will lose and split with them yet again. I think the steelers game shook everyones confidence and it will effect thier play. However i will say this, if we dont have any major injuries i see us going into las Vegas next week and winning, getting our confidence back headed into the bye.

Wouldn't that be a test of KS? Can he keep a drubbing from dis-railing what had been a good run?

Living in Cinci, I get to hear a little more of this team's storylines. Everything we're dealing with right now, they're dealing with x2. They're calling for Taylor to give up playcalling for a couple weeks now. The vets on the Dline (Dunlap, Atkins) have seen their snapcounts go down, and there was some grumblings about that. The hits have already started to catch up to Burrow, and now Mixon is dinged. Their Oline is what it is, and that's not going to change until the offseason. AJ Green has already been linked to trade scenarios.

So if anyone is going to carry negative energy into this game, it's them.

Yes, i would agree with that, but i still think we lose. Honestly I wish the bengals would have beaten the colts this past Sunday. They havent won a game going on 3 weeks and honestly would rather have them facing the browns a little "happier" if you will. As i said though if we dont have any major injuries I see us going into las vegas and upsetting the raiders in thier own stadium next week.

It's a small world! I'm in the Cincy area too and I can confirm the same. Most of my friends around here are Bengals fans and they are none too happy with Taylor right now. Very upset at the plays being called with the kind of OL that they have. Feel like they are turning Burrow into the next Andrew Luck.

a good family friend is a HUGE Bengals fan ... has gone to every game since the 70s. He basically HATES their coaching staff and thinks their OL and playcalling is an abomination.

I haven’t watched much of them to know. I assumed they’d be happy because Burrow looks legit.

If you're in Mason, you're not far from me at all. I live in Liberty Twp, right on the border with Fairfield.


I know we have injuries, but I still don't see why this game would be any closer than the last one.

Yeah, crazy! You are very close since I'm right on the border with West Chester.

To D4L (which has oddly enough become quite the hashtag on Twitter): a lot of the consensus I have developed from watching their games with Bengals fans is that the playcalling is never suited to the offensive strengths. Everyone I know down here was in agreement that their offensive playcalls against the Ravens were akin to how Freddie ran the offense last year. Poorly suited to the strengths of the offense. Lots of long-developing pass plays where they abandoned the run when they were only down 7-10 points. That's not a formula for success when you have a terrible OL.

Burrow definitely looks legit, but good lord they're going to get him killed.

Sure just be early enough. I'll try and use different title words if I start a topic.

Walk Around the lawn.

Good. Pittsburgh bullied us.

Burrow is getting thrashed regularly. I hope we dish up some pain and a skull pounding for them. I live in Bengals territory, and I agree it is bad. You don't hear much from them, you don't see much of their colors or gear, and Kroger's looks like a Bengali sportswear warehouse! No buyers.

Awake the ELF! Time to get to work.

It's not that I disagree with the message... but we are really banged up. It's a lot harder to get tough before you've gotten healthy.

This is a big concern for me too. We need a bye week.

Not having our team at full strength was a big part of our awful performance in Pittsburgh (not saying we’d beat them, but we were depleted)

We have some injuries, but there are a lot of teams who have way, way more injuries. I think we have been pretty fortunate on the injury front in comparison to what is going on w/the rest of the league.

No doubt that every team has injuries. If someone would ask me “who are the Browns 3 best players?” ... I’d say “Chubb, Teller, and Garrett” ... two of those 3 were out against the best defense in the NFL. (And of course Landry and Baker are pretty banged up, too).

We can get by with beating average teams with our roster, even if it’s depleted a bit ... but probably not the better teams

Also true. I hope I'm not sounding like I would trade our injury situation for... say... San Fran or Iggles.

The Landry injury is VERY worrisome. Broken ribs on a receiver that does a lot of his work in the middle of the field is NOT good at all. Plus, we know Landry's style of play.

I hate the thought, but I'm looking at the games after our bye and wondering if we could hold some players back for longer in the hopes of getting them more ready to play the likes of Tenn and our division.

Browns are not that great on the road, and have a real chance to lose this game.

Holding in my hand Beckhams paper, with all of last years results in it. The Browns had a 4-1 stretch last year too, and followed it up with 3 losses to end the season.

Browns 10-12 overall since 2019 started and Beckhams first game on the Browns.

3-8 on the Road since the start of last year, including a loss to the Bengals to finish last season 23-33.

The number of times the Browns have given up 26+ points in the last year and 6 games is alarming.

You think Beckham is a top 3 best player on the Browns?
I do.

Beckham, vs his replacement,
Hodge, or Higgins, or Peoples Jones,

up against

Teller vs his replacement What's his name who is good enough to be a starter, Hubbard?

I’d argue that, given our style and approach, Teller is more valuable to our team than OBJ right now.

Obviously OBJ’s an Uber-talent ... but we could always go 12/13 personnel and rely on Jarvis and Higgins. I’d prefer that over having Hubbard instead of Teller.

I would like to see more of Higgins this game.

I’m a way bigger fan of white over orange than white over brown

I am not a big fan of the brown pants in any combination.

Stick with the white or orange.

Interesting.

The Board should just have only one expert. All others need to be educated before you can start a topic.

I agree. I like the brown jersey/orange pants combo the best. Don’t like anything it’s brown pants

Wow. Someone in the comments said that Mixon called him a coward for doing that. Sounds like real problems in Cincitucky.

Recovery game.

Mixon is out. That hurts the Bengals a bunch.

Myles has a huge game.

This is one of the few times that I can remember that I have made a game prediction like this.

IMO the Browns win big. Lots going on with the Bengals. None of it good. I like Burrow but he is limited in what he can do with this team.

I do not think the Bengals will have much success on defense against the Browns.

I am expecting a blowout.

Sure would like to be right.

Dunlap and Atkins have been frustrated because they are limited in their snaps as the Bengals are trying to get younger guys reps.

Dunlap is trying to get moved off the team.

Though I doubt they would outright cut him, as despite his age...I believe he still has trade value...He has been an unsung hero on the Dline for a long time...I would gladly pick him up, as I think he's better than anyone at DE besides Myles. Guy has wrecked a lot of plays against us. Heck randomly looked him up, and according to PFF he was rated a top 10 DE last year. I always recall him using that big frame and long arms to rag doll our OTs and swat our passes at the LOS lol

Love this combo! I know people love the classic white on white, but they just don't do it for me in an early game. In a late snowy/muddy game they look great all smeared up, but when clean early on just meh.

You Can't Win!
The Browns are overrated and unmotivated, and can't win a road game!

Browns were 4-1 again LAST YEAR, if you start counting at the Buffalo game; and they finished 6-10!
so, 2-9 the rest of the year. WITH BECKHAM AND LANDRY AND CHUBB AND BAKER?, or am I wrong?

10-12 since the opener in 2019, the Browns record.
2-6 last year on the road including loss at Cincinnati, a Win at Baltimore and a win at the wonderful Jets.

Really not being "up" for the game,
Top 2 runningbacks out and still playing through injury.

Best thing is I think, if the Browns got Hilliard and Johnson for 200 yards on the ground,
Unless I'm wrong and Hunt is healthy.

If the Browns only win 1 more game ALL YEAR!
Beat Cincinnati! In their House.

Overlooking this game? Not cool.

Serious question and not meant to be mean at all.........but Throw, what drugs are you on when you post?

Throw, I think your keyboard is possessed. It should seek help Monday.

Seeing this post, if you were on our roster, I think that I would start you. LoLetc.

Go, Browns!

How could the Browns be 4-1 last year, when the stat from a couple weeks ago was that they have not had a winning record since 2014?

I think he meant to say the browns won 4 out of 5 starting at the Bills game. lol

The Bengals are a bad team. Browns should beat them. We will see what kind of a coach Stefanski really is.

Joe Mixon, who is Cincy's leading rusher, is out. They should have trouble running the ball. Cincy is ranked 27th against the run so we should be able to run on them. Will come down to TOs and penalties.

Browns win a close one.

j/c

I understand that a team that is overcoming a losing tradition and under an entire new coaching staff will hit bumps in the road. I understand that some of the best teams will be hard to beat in the beginning. But man, the two teams we played that were good, Baltimore and Pittsburgh didn't just beat us, they stomped us.

What I will not do is accept lame excuses if we lose to the putrid Bengals. This isn't close. They suck.

After the total humiliation the Browns suffered last week, there are only two ways this can go. It will either fire them up and inspire them to play motivated football or it will leave them defeated and broken.

There will be no excuse if what we see today is the second option described.

I know its still early in the year, but I feel this is a must win for us (so I def. agree with your above post Pit)...We lose, I have a feeling it could bring on a downward spiral...We must win today, and I would feel a lot better going forward if Baker has a big mistake free game.

Bad Baker we lose Meh Baker we win close meh good baker we win by 10 to 14