Still Here...

The Bengals are currently two games behind the last seeded Los Angeles Chargers in the current AFC playoff picture. They need to win games, and some other teams like the Colts and Dolphins need to lose in order for Cincinnati to make it to the playoffs. They were just able to take down a weaker Titans team but will need to continue that winning behavior this week against a much worse Browns team. I think the formula is straightforward for the Bengals this week. They need to continue their defensive success from last week, as they finished with 4 INTs, 2 fumble recoveries, and a TD. Their defense isn’t great, as it’s 29th in the league, but if you can dominate against bad teams, so be it. Jameis Winston has 13 TDs, but also 12 INTs this year, which is 4thworst in the league. The Bengals are going to look for Winston to turn the ball over, as he usually does at least once a game, and if they can do that on defense, they will win this game. And that’s before you get to the amazing production from Joe Burrow this year, or their ensemble of receivers and skill players.

The Browns are going to look to win this game on defense as well, because if they let Joe Burrow and this offense get into a rhythm, it’s going to be a very deep hole to climb out of. They are the 23rd best offense in the league as of this week, so they’re going to need to have more of an impact on that side of the ball if they want any chance of winning this game. It’s not that the Browns don’t have talent on their roster, because they do, there just a clear problem with consistency and execution. Their injuries don’t help, but they weren’t exactly solid before losing their starting QB Deshaun Watson, who honestly did them a favor by getting injured because he is absolutely terrible. Outside of that, they have not been able to win games with him in the game, and with Winston in, outside of a few wins, they always seem to lose close games due to a costly Jameis Winston turnover. It’s a weird place to be, I’m sure it’s beyond confusing for the team. Like many teams out of playoff contention, I give the same advice to this Browns team; play hard, fast, and put something positive on tape. No one is irreplaceable.