After weeks of opponents seeking revenge on the Cincinnati Bengals (and not getting it), the roles reverse for the Week 14 matchup with the Cleveland Browns.
The Bengals would love to get over the proverbial hump that, even amid a Super Bowl run, they just haven’t climbed. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is 1-6 against the Browns and Joe Burrow is 0-4.
That includes a Week 8, 32-13 whipping at the hands of the Browns in which Nick Chubb ran for 101 yards and two scores (4.4 average) and Myles Garrett nearly singlehandedly ruined the Burrow-led offense.
On paper, the Browns could actually be better this time out too with the return of Deshaun Watson. Though it’s worth noting that in his first game back from suspension last week, he went just 12-of-22 with 131 yards and an interception.
Still, much has changed since Week 8 for the Bengals, too. They haven’t lost since that game, winning four in a row (and six of seven overall). They’re on fire since the 0-2 start, in part because of changes to the offense, to the point that Burrow has played at an MVP level even without Ja’Marr Chase.
Chase is back after missing the Week 8 game and so is running back Joe Mixon, who re-joins the platoon as the leader after Samaje Perine was much better than expected in the starting role.
Most of the game will still come down to whether the line can slow down Garrett, though. Jonah Williams had a brutal outing against him with and without help in Week 8. If that’s the case again, it will mark a dramatic regression compared to what the rebuilt unit has shown over the last month.
This uncertainty explains why the lines from oddsmakers have hovered so close for most of the week. The Bengals should win, especially after the coaching staff has shown the ability to re-write the offense to great success. But the apparent mental roadblock Taylor and Co. experience against the Browns is perplexing, to say the least.
If the defense can keep contain on Watson on the ground, he looks rusty enough to make a few critical mistakes. This takes a lot of faith in the coaching staff not overthinking the Browns and the line holding up just long enough to quiet Garrett.
But this feels like a get-right game for the Bengals against a rival, especially with the way Burrow looks right now.
Prediction: Bengals 27, Browns 24
