Joe Burrow is 0-4 against the Browns and 20-13-1 against the rest of the NFL.
How can the Browns defeat Joe Burrow a fifth time in a row?
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
CINCINNATI, OH
Four downs on Browns (5-7) v. Cincinnati Bengals (8-4)
First down: Elementary, my dear Watson.
Deshaun Watson could afford to be rusty in recognition and rhythm and awful with throws in his first game in Houston because his former team “stink, stank, stunk” and his teammates on defense and special teams scored three touchdowns. Getting a win there was dependent on the Texans losing the game as much as the Browns winning it. That formula won’t be good enough against the AFC North first-place and defending AFC champion Bengals. Actually, the part about the defense and special teams contributing must continue. But everyone knows that Watson has to be a lot better for the Browns to run their winning streak to six games against the Bengals and five against quarterback Joe Burrow. While the Browns need the win to keep alive slim “run the table” and playoff hopes, the Bengals can’t afford to lose because of earlier losses against the Steelers, Ravens and Browns. Watson said he was glad to get his first game out of the way because the emotions of returning to play his former team affected his play. Well, the environment in Paycor Stadium may be more hostile because of the stakes of the game and the Browns’ recent domination of the Bengals. So, how much closer to his Pro Bowl form of 2020 can Watson get in his second appearance after a 707-day layoff? “I don’t know when it is going to come back,” he said. “I don’t know if it was going to be last week or this week. My job is to just keep getting better, and when it clicks, it click, and everyone will feel that.
Second down: Making up Myles of time.
The schedule is nicely set for Myles Garrett to make a run at the defensive player of the year award that has eluded him for five seasons. He needs big days in big games and the back-to-back high-profile contests against division rivals Cincinnati and Baltimore come at the right time for him. Garrett is tied for fifth in the NFL with 10 sacks. More importantly, he is facing a Bengals team he has dominated his whole career. Garrett has nine sacks in eight games against the Bengals. More recently, in the four games against Burrow, Garrett has six sacks, four additional quarterback hits, two forced fumbles and a tipped pass that was intercepted. Burrow this week cited Garrett as the biggest difference in the Browns’ defense compared to others that he has been able to solve. “He’s trying to butter me up, trying to make me blush,” Garrett joked. “It means a lot. It’s a great compliment from a great player. The same can be said about himself and his team. One he came along and once Ja’Marr [Chase] came along, that team has gone in a completely different direction. They’re much better for it. That’s what it comes down to at the end of the day – your star player vs. ours and who can take each other during the game.” If the Browns beat the Bengals, Garrett will have another chance to heighten his DPOY resume six days later against the Ravens.
Third down: Running it back, Part 1
Nick Chubb has been a central figure offensively in the Browns’ skein over Burrow. In three games against Burrow, Chubb has 101, 137 and 134 yards and six touchdowns. In his career against the Bengals, Chubb has 763 yards in eight games and a 5.3 average. He has long runs of 21, 22, 27, 35, 43, 57 and 70 yards against different versions of the Bengals’ defense. “It is a new game. It is a new week,” Chubb said this week. “We can’t go over what we did in the past. We have to look at it as today and right now. All that has happened in the past, it doesn’t really do anything for us now.”
Fourth down: Running it back, Part 2
In the history of the Browns-Bengals series, the team whose offensive line paved the better running day generally has come out on top. In his four games against the Browns, Burrow has been limited by a one-dimensional offensive that was unable – or unwilling – to run the football. The Browns hounded Burrow for 10 sacks and five turnovers in the last two meetings. But the Bengals’ current four-game winning streak has coincided with a resurgence in their run game. They’ve averaged 4.5 yards a rush in those games – compared to 3.5 prior – and have scored seven touchdowns on the ground. With Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine now both available, Bengals coach Zac Taylor seems much more comfortable in aiding Burrow with a quality run game. “Just based on our run defense this year, we go into every game thinking we are going to get run [on],” said defensive coordinator Joe Woods. Woods’ task got more difficult this week after losing middle linebacker Sione Takitaki to a season-ending ACL injury. He’s the third MIKE linebacker to be lost, following Anthony Walker and Jacob Phillips. “We have Deebo [Deion Jones] so he will play more of a role. Jordan Kunaszyk will play more of a role. Everybody is going to have to step up try to fulfill that role,” Woods said.
The pick: Bengals 26, Browns 16.
My record: 5-7.
