The Cincinnati Bengals must be kicking themselves after losing to the New York Jets in Week 8, which cost them a chance to gain a solo lead of the top spot in the AFC North. But they can still recover from that setback, as they prepare to take on the Cleveland Browns at home. The Browns are also fresh off a loss with plenty of questions to answer. Check out our preview of this game below.
The Browns are slid back down to .500 after taking a 15-10 loss at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8. It was another disappointing outing for the Browns, particularly their offense that just couldn’t seem to get it together on a consistent basis. Baker Mayfield went 20/31 for 225 yards without a touchdown or an interception. Running back Nick Chubb returned but only mustered 61 rushing yards on 16 carries. Odell Beckham only had a catch for six yards. That used to be unimaginable, but that’s where OBJ is at now with Cleveland. All that being said, the Browns are always a threat because of their talent. Cincinnati had just been victimized by a New York Jets team led by a quarterback people still struggle to put a face on. Plus, the Bengals’ offensive line still is having trouble with pass protection, so Myles Garrett and the Browns’ lethal pass rush to get going again.
The Browns are 4-1 against the spread in their last five road games.
The Bengals got stunned in Week 8 in a 34-31 loss to the New York Jets on the road. Giving up over 30 points was surprising enough, let alone losing to Robert Saleh’s team, but that’s just the dose of reality Cincy got last Sunday. But like the Browns, Cincy’s offense is stacked enough to make a grand return to the win column in Week 9. The Bengals still scored 34 points on the road over the weekend, which they entered with an average of 27.0 points per game — seventh-best in the NFL heading into that Jets contest. Joe Burrow passed for three touchdowns and an interception against New York and finished with 259 passing yards on 21/34 completions. Although it got embarrassed by the Jets, the Bengals’ defense can make life hard for Cleveland, as it’s 10th in the NFL as of Week 8 in terms of total defense.
The Bengals are 6-4 against the spread in their last 10 home games.
