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3rd Quarter Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, the Bengals look much better today on their home field. After three quarters their offense has really been able to impose its will, dominating the Browns 31-0. The Bengals' offense has been firing on all cylinders thus far, outscoring their total from last Sunday with time still left to play.
If the Bengals keep playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 9-8 in no time. On the other hand, the Browns will have to make due with an 11-6 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Preview
The Browns are 8-2 against the Bengals since December of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Sunday. The Cleveland Browns will head out on the road to face off against the Cincinnati Bengals at 1:00 p.m. ET at Paycor Stadium. The Browns will be strutting in after a win while the Bengals will be stumbling in from a defeat.
Cleveland came tearing into Thursday's matchup with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7 points) and they left with even more momentum. They strolled past the Jets with points to spare, taking the game 37-20.
The Browns relied on the efforts of Jerome Ford, who gained 121 total yards and two touchdowns, and Joe Flacco, who threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 10.7 yards per attempt. Flacco's posted a season-high passer rating of 121.2. Ronnie Hickman made the highlight reel by snagging an interception in the second quarter, and taking it all the way to the house.
The Browns have used their receiving core heavily this season, as 52.7% of their passes have been to wide receivers this season. The team tried something a little different on Thursday though, as only 36% of the QB's passes went to receivers. Given they posted a stellar 7.4 yards per play, don't be surprised to see the Browns do the same thing in the future.
Meanwhile, while it was Cincinnati who put the first points on the board on Sunday, it was Kansas City who put up more. The Bengals took a 25-17 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Chiefs. Cincinnati has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
The Bengals' loss came about despite a quality game from Jake Browning, who rushed for 32 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 197 yards and a touchdown.
The Bengals were plagued by a slow offense and finished the game with only 3.7 yards per play. They were destroyed by their opponents in that department as the Chiefs advanced seven yards per play.
Cleveland has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 11-5 record this season. As for Cincinnati, their loss dropped their record down to 8-8.
The Browns are hoping to beat the odds on Sunday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. For those looking to play the spread, keep the Browns in mind: they have a solid 10-5-1 record against the spread this season.
