Red-hot Browns visit Bengals on Thursday
By Zach Cohen
CLEVELAND BROWNS (5-3) at CINCINNATI BENGALS (5-2-1)
Kickoff: Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET
Line: Cincinnati -6, Total: 45
The Browns look to win their fifth game in six weeks when they visit the rival Bengals on Thursday night.
Cleveland has been one of the hottest teams in football, winning four of its past five games SU (2-2-1 ATS). Last week, the club prevailed 22-17 in Tampa Bay but failed to cover the 7-point spread. Cincinnati, meanwhile, has been playing very well in recent weeks also, beating the Jaguars 33-23 at home, and pushed as 10-point favorites, last week for its second victory in a row SU. The Browns have won-and-covered in two of the past three games against the Bengals, but were just 4-14 SU in the previous 18 meetings between these in-state rivals. Last season, both clubs won-and-covered against one another when playing at home, making Cincinnati 9-1 SU over the past 10 games where it has hosted this clash of AFC North foes. However, the Bengals are just 2-11 ATS at home versus excellent passing teams (7.5+ YPA) under head coach Marvin Lewis. The Browns, meanwhile, are 0-6 ATS in the past three years after having won three of their previous four games. Both clubs could be missing key offensive players, as TE Jordan Cameron (concussion) is doubtful and WR Andrew Hawkins (knee) is listed as questionable for Cleveland, while RB Giovani Bernard (hip) is doubtful to play for the Bengals while OT Andre Smith (ankle) is listed as questionable. Cincinnati could also be missing CBs Leon Hall (head) and Darqueze Dennard (hamstring), who are both questionable to suit up on Thursday.
The Browns have been playing some great football as of late, and it starts on the defensive end. Cleveland is allowing just 16.0 PPG over the past four weeks, while forcing nine turnovers during this span. QB Brian Hoyer (2,014 pass yards, 10 TD, 4 INT) has bounced back since that awful game in Jacksonville three weeks ago. He threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Tampa Bay, but he also tossed two picks. He’ll need to protect the ball against a ball-hawking Cincinnati secondary with 10 interceptions this season (T-4th in NFL). One player who has really stepped up as a playmaker for Hoyer is WR Travis Gabriel (21 rec, 404 yards, 1 TD). Gabriel caught five passes for 87 yards and a touchdown against the Buccaneers last week that followed up a game in which he had 60 receiving yards on just two catches against the Raiders. The Browns’ running game, however, has been a serious issue for the team, as they have failed to reach 70 rushing yards in three straight games. RBs Ben Tate (308 rush yards, 3 TD) and Terrance West (302 rush yards, 2 TD) combined for only 51 yards on 25 carries versus Tampa Bay. Hoyer is not a good enough quarterback to win games solely with his arm, so this team will need to run the ball better going forward.
The Bengals looked awful in a 27-0 loss in Indianapolis on Oct. 19, but have responded with two solid victories in a row. With top RB Giovani Bernard (446 rush yards, 5 TD) missing last week’s win over the Jaguars, RB Jeremy Hill (349 rush yards, 5 TD) rushed for 154 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Hill will likely get another huge workload with Bernard doubtful to return from his hip injury on a short week, and gets to face a Browns defense that ranks 30th in the NFL in rushing defense (140 YPG). Should the ground game somehow falter, QB Andy Dalton (1,874 pass yards, 8 TD, 6 INT) will need to be on top of his game against the Browns. He was 19-of-31 with 233 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions against the Jaguars. He is turning the ball over far too often (5 INT in past 4 games) and will need to limit his mistakes against this Cleveland defense. In this division matchup over his career, Dalton is 4-2 SU with 225 passing YPG (7.0 YPA), 11 TD and 7 INT, but six of those picks have come in the past three meetings. It does help Dalton to have top WR A.J. Green (20 rec, 358 yards, 3 TD) back from his toe injury, but Green was held to a mere 58 yards on nine catches in two meetings with Cleveland last year. Cincinnati will need Green to have a big game against a good secondary, but if the Browns lock down on him, No. 2 WR Mohamed Sanu (39 rec, 628 yards, 4 TD) is in the midst of a breakout third season. The Bengals defense continues to struggle, allowing 139.6 rushing yards per game (31st in NFL) and 255.3 passing yards per game (22nd in NFL). They’ll need to correct their issues before this big division matchup.
