Cincinnati Bengals look ahead: Week 2 – Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns (0-1) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)
FirstEnergy Stadium
Thursday, 9/17/2020
8:20 P.M. EST
CBS
Line: CLE -6.0

Thursday nights battle of the two number one overall picks in the draft will be one that provides some intrigue. Baker Mayfield versus Joe Burrow is a game that can go either way. The Bengals are coming off a heartbreaking 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Burrow’s first NFL game. On the flip side, the Cleveland Browns were pummeled by the Baltimore Ravens, 38-6 to start off their season. How will both teams rebound in this early primetime matchup. Let’s take a look at the breakdown between these two teams heading into this matchup.

Offense

The offense showed positivity on the last drive seeing Joe Burrow lead the team down the field, putting them in position for no worse than a game-tying kick. The composure Burrow showed on that final drive somewhat made up for a few of the rookie mistakes that he made earlier in the game. However, a bigger chance for redemption is here for Burrow and the rest of the offense. This game is setting up to be a good old fashioned AFC North battle. Against the Chargers, the Bengals right side of the offensive line played incredibly bad, mainly Bobby Hart. Hart was a human turnstile, causing Burrow to run for his life on a lot of plays and throwing the timing of the plays completely off. With this game being an AFC North game, it is going to be a very physical matchup. This game will be won in the trenches and the play of both offensive lines will be crucial.

Both Mayfield and Burrow did not have stellar games in the first week so both will be looking to step up and lead their team to victory. This game will come down to whichever team blocks the best. That may sound simple but both teams have great running backs and the running game will determine the winner of this game. Joe Mixon, Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb are the three backs that will be featured in the game. Mixon rushed for 69 yards on 19 carries but had a crucial fumble that gave the Chargers a relatively easy three points. For the Browns, Hunt and Chubb combined for 132 yards on 23 carries. The offensive talent is there for the Browns but they can never seem to get it rolling consistently. The matchup at QB seems even at this point but the Bengals get the edge in wide receivers while the Browns take the running backs. Offensive line play wins this game.

Advantage: Push

Defense

Defensively, the Cincinnati Bengals dumped a lot of money in improving their brutal defense from last year. It has indeed paid off thus far as the defensive performance put in against the Chargers was solid. The Bengals gave up 16 points while giving up four plays of over 20 yards. Three of those plays were through the air. On the flip side, the Browns gave up 38 points to the Baltimore Ravens. While the Chargers offense is definitely not the Ravens offense, the Bengals defense did a solid job of not getting gashed for big plays in that game. In this game, the key is stopping the run for the Bengals. Without Gino Atkins and Mike Daniels, the Bengals defensive front four is hurting a little. Having D.J. Reader will allow the Bengals line to clog up the running lanes, making it hard for the Browns running backs to get to the second level. If Reader and company can make it difficult for Hunt and Chubb to get going, Sam Hubbard and Carlos Dunlap can pin their ears back and attack Mayfield, forcing him into making some difficult decisions.

For the Browns, Myles Garrett and company have to be licking heir chops to face Bobby Hart. Joey Bosa made Hart look like a statue and Garrett has the ability to do the same. The Browns front seven will look to apply that pressure on the rookie Burrow, forcing him into running for his life and causing him to make mistakes under pressure. The Browns defense isn’t as good as the Bengals and that could come to fruition if the Browns can’t get to Burrow. If the Browns can slow down Mixon, look for the Garrett and company to have a huge game putting Burrow on the turf. With two defenses that are pretty good, the turnover battle will be crucial. Mayfield has thrown five interceptions in his last two games against the Bengals, while he tore up the Bengals in his first season. If the Bengals can force Baker to be the quarterback from last year, look for a victory from the Bengals.

Advantage: Push/Bengals???

Special Teams

Not much to say here even though Kevin Huber is still one of the best punters in the league. Huber has the incredible ability to flip field position and does that on a regular basis. When it comes to kicking, it is a complete crapshoot. Randy Bullock came up lame in his 31-yard game-tying attempt last week, pushing it wide so who knows how it could play out. The Bengals claimed Austen Seibert off waivers from the Browns this week but are looking to stick with Bullock for Thursday nights game. Cody Parkey is the kicker for Cleveland who ended up causing the Browns to give Seibert the boot. The advantage goes to the Bengals because of Huber.

Advantage: Bengals

Coaching

This matchup is between two coaches who are inexperienced in the head coaching role. First year head coach Kevin Stefanski leads the Cleveland Browns against second year head coach Zac Taylor of the Bengals. Both Stefanski and Taylor are in their 30’s, with years of experience but little as the head guy. There is no clear advantage from the coaching staff.

Advantage: Push

While we are only two games into the season, this is a huge game for both teams. A loss will put the losing team at 0-2 while a win will make you 1-1 on the season. That doesn’t sound like much but in this division, there is little room for error. Both teams have had a game at home and on the road so going 0-2 makes it a little worse for the losing team. Look for both teams to come out with a sense of urgency, looking to come away with the win. After a big drive at the end of the game, Joe Burrow comes into his first road game with a bit of confidence and a victory on the road in Cleveland will help the legend of Burrow grow even more. This will be an interesting game to watch and one that could be pretty fun to see but look for the Browns to come away with the narrow victory.

Prediction: Browns 24-20

Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for Impact Sports Cincinnati and can be followed on Twitter Follow @iamchrisasbrock and Follow @ISCincy