Browns vs Bengals NFL Handicapping
The Cincinnati Bengals host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday in a showdown between NFC North foes. The Browns had appeared to give up on the season but remain right in the thick of things, while the Bengals were the favorite to run away with the division prior to the year but have stumbled and need a win to maintain their spot atop the standings.
Cleveland Browns (4-5) at Cincinnati Bengals (6-4)
Date: Sunday, November 17, 2013
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Venue: Paul Brown Stadium
City: Cincinnati, Ohio
O/U Odds: 42
Spread: Cincinnati -5.5
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Cincinnati’s injury-plagued defense held up well in the second half of the team’s game with Baltimore on Sunday, keeping the Ravens off the board in the second half and allowing the team to erase a 17-point halftime deficit, only to fall in overtime, 20-17.
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Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton did a lot of the heavy lifting in that one, completing 24 of 51 passes for 274 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions, adding six carries for 22 yards. Wide Receiver A.J. Green was his favorite target, hauling in eight balls for 151 yards and a score, including a 51-yard Hail Mary at the end of regulation.
The team couldn’t do much from there, including a bad fourth down attempt in Baltimore territory in overtime that eventually led to the game-winning field goal for the Ravens.
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The Cincinnati coaching staff had to be happy with the performance they got out of their banged up defense in that one. The unit limited the Ravens to just 85 rushing yards on 30 carries, good for an average of just 2.8 yards per tote. Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco couldn’t get much done through the air either, throwing for just 140 yards.
All told, the Bengal defense limited Baltimore to just 189 yards of offense, sacked Flacco five times, and forced him to turn the ball over three times. All that while enduring 134 yards of penalties, something they’ll surely look to correct against Cleveland.
Cleveland’s last game came before their Week 10 bye. The team got past that same Baltimore team, 24-18. The ground game remained something out of the Browns’ reach in that one. Running back Willis McGahee turned 21 carries into just 31 yards.
The team’s passing game was a bright spot, with quarterback Jason Campbell completing 23 of 35 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, but he left that game with an injury and his status for the Cincinnati game is up in the air. Brandon Weeden would start in his place if Campbell can’t go.
The Cleveland defense got back to playing like they did earlier in the year, limiting Baltimore to 278 yards of offense, forcing two turnovers and sacking Joe Flacco five times.
Cleveland’s patchwork roster has done a very impressive job of keeping the team in games, but Cincinnati surely knows that this is a game they must win with their bye on deck. These teams have played some surprisingly close games in the past, but Cincinnati won’t let Cleveland catch them off guard in this one.
The play: Cincinnati -5.5
