Alright, just close your eyes and bite down on this leather belt. We have to talk about the Cleveland Browns (0-10) again. This week they travel to Paul Brown Stadium to take on their most hated rival, the Cincinnati Bengals (4-6).
Some of you cursed in the Ohio coverage area will have to watch this one on your local CBS station at 1 p.m. EST. Or, you know, just switch over the figure skating or something.
The Game: Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals (-8)
O/U: 38.0
The History
The Bengals and Browns have played 88 times since 1970 with Cincinnati holding a 49-39 edge in the all time series.
Cleveland hasn’t beaten Cincinnati since November 6, 2014. The Browns won 24-3 with Brian Hoyer at quarterback.
CLEVELAND BROWNS (0-10)
The Browns limp into Week 12 coming off a demoralizing 19-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer didn’t get benched this time, but he did toss two interceptions and was sacked five times. He finished 16 of 32 for 179 yards and did throw a touchdown.
Once again, Kizer got absolutely no help from the running game. He actually led the team with five carries for 22 yards. Isaiah Crowell carried the ball 11 times for a paltry 18 yards. It’s a good thing Cleveland has so many picks in the first three rounds of next April’s draft because they have a shit ton of work to do. Right after they fire everybody.
Corey Coleman was finally healthy and caught six passes for 80 yards. Duke Johnson Jr. had four catches out of the backfield for 56 yards and a score.
On defense, the Browns sacked Blake Bortles twice and got eight stops in the backfield.
On the injury report, wideout Sammie Coates is out with a knee injury. Defensive back Derron Smith is doubtful with a knee of his own. Everyone else not on IR should play, for whatever that’s worth.
CINCINNATI BENGALS (4-6)
If the Bengals ever get too down on themselves all they have to do is point an eye northward at Cleveland and feel better. It’s been a bad year for Cincinnati, but they’ve at least won some games and could, if everything falls into place, finish close to .500.
Cincy will be missing just two players officially from this week’s roster. Linebacker Vincent Rey and safety Shawn Williams are both out with hamstrings. Cornerback Darqueze Dennard has a knee issue, but practiced Friday. He’s questionable.
The Bengals show up to this game coming off a 20-17 road victory over the Denver Broncos. The win snapped a two game losing streak and was a solid outing for Andy Dalton. He finished the day 15 of 25 for 154 yards and three touchdowns with no picks. Dalton benefited from a couple of short fields after turnovers from his defense and some nice plays from A.J. Green and Tyler Kroft and Alex Erickson.
The defense did a good job of getting after Brock Osweiler. They sacked him twice and got six stops in the backfield.
The Joe Mixon emergence I expected to happen when I stashed him on the bench with my fantasy team has yet to come about. Last Sunday he had 20 carries for 49 yards. When the Bengals bring in a new coaching regime, they really need to find a way to get him more involved in the passing game to loosen up the other team’s linebackers. Mixon is a multi-talented guy and is being wasted by offensive calls that don’t utilize all his skills.
The Pick
Cleveland will occasionally make a game competitive. In fact, they’ve been going with a week on/week off strategy. It’s not worked yet, but if they keep that streak going, this one will be closer than it looks on paper. That doesn’t mean the Browns won’t lose, but that it’ll hurt more in the fourth quarter. As ridiculous as it may sound, Cincinnati isn’t out of the playoff hunt just yet. Time to keep hope alive. Bengals 27, Browns 20
This week
Straight up: 1-2
Against the spread: 1-2
Last week
Straight up: 5-8
Against the spread: 4-9
Season
Straight up: 92-67
Against the spread: 79-79
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