The Cincinnati Bengals run defense is pretty poor, but their passing offense is a completely different story. The Bengals currently have the fourth best team against the air attack. Unfortunately for them, though, this game will likely be won on the ground. It’s sad for Cincy because the Browns have a dual threat QB, while their own run game has been nothing short of abysmal through three weeks.
The Bengals have the 21st worst run game in the NFL and are still testing the waters with their committee of Joe Mixon, Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard. Following last week’s tilt in Green Bay, though, it looks like their new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor has his stuff figured out and Mixon should take most of the early down work with Gio coming in on thirds.
If they can establish a run game – for the first time this season – the Bengals could be a tough team come Sunday. They still have the power through the air with Andy Dalton and a pretty quality receiver corp led by AJ Green to rely on if need be. The ground game should be able to also come alive Sunday and take full advantage of another likely vacancy on the d-line provided by the injured Myles Garrett as well.
Cleveland can defeat Cincinnati in a points battle. Behind DeShone Kizer, Cleveland is definitely a better team than they were one year ago, however, let’s keep in mind that they have lost more than a few parts over the past six months and are struggling a bit on the offensive side of the ball. Shutting down the likes of Corey Coleman and Rishard Higgins shouldn’t be the toughest task for the Bengals, but they’ll have to be careful because Duke Johnson Jr has shown flashes of brilliance as of late.
Last week he caught seven of eight targets and had a pair of carries to top 100 total yards and finished the day with a touchdown. In fact, with only six carries on the year, he’s averaging 14.7 yards per. He’s making himself a dual threat and could play a huge factor in this game if he finds some room out there.
DeShone Kizer’s legs and Duke Johnson’s screen and third down ability will be the difference in this game. Expect Isaiah Crowell to be a beast in the trenches, but when it comes to big gains against the Bengals 25th worst run defense, watch for the Browns to try and take control of the game early and often.
