The Cincinnati Bengals hope the second time is the charm and Joe Burrow hopes the fifth time is the charm when the Cleveland Browns visit Paycor stadium on Sunday.
Cincinnati has been dominated by the Browns during the early stages of the Zac Taylor era and Burrow himself has yet to beat the in-state rival as a starter.
The Bengals do have the feel of a team that will guarantee this time is different, though. They’re on a roll right now as likely playoff contenders while Burrow is a possible MVP contender.
But as of late, it feels like nothing is a guarantee against the Browns, so here are a few key things to watch during Sunday’s bout.
Jonah Williams
Williams got exposed against Myles Garrett (1.5 sacks and a ton of pressures) the last time these two teams met. He struggled with help, without it and in general. He’s part of a line that has played much, much better as of late, but he’ll need to hold up on the majority of the snaps for the offense to keep humming the way it has.
Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine
How do the Bengals use these two? Last time we saw Mixon as a starter he drummed up a franchise-record five total touchdowns in a win. But while he was out, Perine looked every bit an effective three-down starter in the offense. Coaches say Mixon will still be the starter, but will he be effective? And do recent developments mean it will look more like a committee than usual?
Ja'Marr Chase
Chase finally returned last week and nearly had 100 yards. He missed the last game against the Browns, which featured no Bengals target recording even 50 yards receiving. Can he be the schematic game-changer and game-breaker with the ball in his hands who makes the difference?
Deshaun Watson and Nick Chubb
The Bengals coughed up 101 yards and two touchdowns (4.4 average) to Chubb in the first meeting. DJ Reader is back and the run defense is better now, but we’re about to find out by how much.
Watson is back after his suspension and last week looked rusty, going 12-of-22 for 131 yards and an interception against the 1-10-1 Texans. If the Bengals are catching him in this rusty state still, it could create game-changing plays.
Zac Taylor
Taylor was on fire last week against the Chiefs (along with his offensive staff). He was scheming guys open beautifully and generally getting the best of Andy Reid again.
But he constantly struggles against the Browns.
Whether it’s the mistake of overthinking or something else, Taylor needs to be on his A game Sunday. He’s done a lot of good this season — like changing up the schematics of the running game completely. But he once again flopped against the Browns, bringing his record to 1-6 in the rivalry. A loss to a bad Browns team now could do long-term harm, so it’s high time to get over the proverbial hump.
Referees
Just a small side note, but the Bengals get Jerome Boger and his crew for this game. That was the crew on the playoff game with the controversial whistle last year and the Jets game this year, which had a few critical controversies of its own. They don’t see Boger often, so it’s something to keep in mind.
