Joe Burrow's best season has been ruined by defensive and special teams breakdowns that have the Bengals on the brink of playoff elimination. (Cincinnati Enquirer)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is an analyst the Cleveland Browns for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Browns v. Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday, 1 p.m., in Paycor Stadium; Cincinnati, OH
Record: 6-8.
Last game: Defeated Tennessee Titans, 37-27, December 15, in Nashville, TN.
Coach: Zac Taylor, 48-54-1, sixth year.
Series record: Bengals lead, 54-48.
Last meeting: Bengals won, 21-14, October 20, in Cleveland.
League rankings: Offense is 10th overall (30th rushing, first passing), defense is 29th overall (29th rushing, 20th passing) and turnover differential is plus-2.
Things to watch
1. The Bengals’ slim playoff hopes (2% chance) come down to this: They have to win their last three games (v. Cleveland, Denver, Pittsburgh) and essentially hope that Denver and the Chargers lose all three, and Indianapolis and Miami lose one of their last three.
2. Joe Burrow leads all NFL quarterbacks in an unofficial category -- frustration. He is first in pass attempts (527), completions (361), yards (3,977) and touchdowns (36) and is third in passer rating (107.1). Yet his team is the only one with a losing record among the season’s top seven QBs.
3. The Bengals’ three-receiver, one-tight end base formation leads the NFL in passing. Receivers Ja’Marr Chase (102 receptions, 1,413 yards, 15 TD), Tee Higgins and Andrei Iosivas, and tight end Mike Gesicki are as good a foursome of targets as any in the league. The revelation of the offense, however, has been running back Chase Brown (832 yards rushing, 318 receiving), who has developed into a three-down back after free agent pickup Zack Moss was lost early in the season to an injury.
4. Devin Cochran became the third player to start at left tackle last week because LT2 Cody Ford missed with an illness. Ford is expected back this week. LT1 Orlando Brown is still out with a leg injury. A new twist to the Bengals’ perennial offensive line woes has been atypical breakdowns in the interior positions. The lone bright spot has been rookie right tackle Amarius Mims, whose inexperience at Georgia was red-flagged by some teams but will surpass his career snaps in college with a regular workload on Sunday.
5. Sixth-year defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has come under fire for a defensive unit saddled by terrible tackling, coverage breakdowns, and yielding a next-to-last 27.6 points per game. In short, the defense is the reason the Bengals’ playoff hopes are on life support. Among the reasons: No pass rush other than NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson (12.5), the loss to season-ending injuries to starting cornerbacks Dax Hill and D.J. Turner, lackluster play in their defensive interior, and failure to upgrade the safety positions for the second year in a row.
Did you know … ?
1. Former Browns’ draft pick Cade York is filling in for regular kicker Evan McPherson. In two games for the Bengals, York is 3 for 3 on field goals and 7 of 8 on PATs. McPherson is still out with a groin injury. Before the injury, McPherson was having his worst year, making only 72.7% of his field goals (16 of 22) compared to 83.9% in his previous three seasons.
2. The Bengals have lost games by the scores of 38-33 (to Washington), 41-38 (Baltimore), 35-34 (Baltimore), 34-27 (Chargers) and 44-38 (Pittsburgh).
3. Sam Hubbard, the defensive end complement to Hendrickson, is out for the year after suffering a PCL injury while catching a touchdown pass out of the backfield against Tennessee. It was the first receiving touchdown by a defensive player in Bengals history.
4. Receiver Tee Higgins, who is playing under the franchise tag of $21 million, recently changed agents in his attempt to get a multi-year contract from the Bengals. Higgins signed with the same agent who represents Ja’Marr Chase, who is in line to shatter the average salary record for receivers held by Justin Jefferson ($35 million).
Small world: Team president Mike Brown is the son of Paul Brown, the Browns’ first head coach … Linebacker Joe Bachie is a native of Brook Park … Defensive quality control coach Louie Cioffi coaches with the Browns in 2013 and 2016 … Assistant special teams coach Ben Jacobs played linebacker for the Browns in 2011 … Kicker Cade York was a fourth-round pick of the Browns in 2022. He was released in and was re-signed in 2024 and traded to Washington.