Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson has personal motivation to go out with a bang in his final game against the Browns. He's tied with T.J. Watt for the NFL sack lead with 17.
Browns scouting report: Cincinnati Bengals
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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: 8-8.
Last game: Lost to Kansas City Chiefs, 25-17, December 31, in Kansas City.
Coach: Zac Taylor, 36-44-1, fifth year.
Series record: Bengals lead, 52-48.
Last meeting: Browns won, 24-3, September 24, in Cleveland.
League rankings: Offense is 22nd overall (32nd rushing, 11th passing), defense is 29th overall (26th rushing, 31st passing) and turnover differential is plus-9.
Things to watch
1. The Bengals went as far as they could without franchise quarterback Joe Burrow, who missed 34 days of training camp with a calf strain and then had season-ending surgery on his right wrist on November 27. They were eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday. Their goals now are to finish at 9-8 and avoid their first 0-6 division record since 2002. They were 0-5 heading into their final game in 2019 and beat the Browns, 33-23, to avoid a whitewash in division games.
2. Browning fell to Earth with two straight losses after commanding three straight wins to give the Bengals hope. He showed poise and a good command of the offense. But part of the problem was Taylor’s insistence on throwing the ball. In Browning’s six starts, he averaged 38 pass dropbacks (passes + sacks). Over the course of the season, the Bengals’ 353 rushing attempts rank 30th in the league and are 75 fewer than the league average.
3. Taylor said this week, “Our No. 1 objective is to win the game by any means necessary.” Their top two receivers, however, have played with injuries and might be scratched on Sunday. Ja’Marr Chase (shoulder) and Tee Higgins (hamstring) will see limited practice time, if at all. It would be just like Chase to play, however, to get the needed four receptions for 100 on the season. Their replacements would be Trent Irwin (23 catches, 282 yards, 1 TD) and rookie Andrei Iosivas (10, 80, 2). Also, defensive end Sam Hubbard has said he’ll need surgery after the season for an undisclosed reason, but insists he wants to play.
4. With Burrow missing six games, the Bengals needed their defense to step up – and it didn’t. A nearly complete rebuilt secondary – two first-year starting safeties and a rookie starting cornerback – proved the team’s weakness. The Bengals lead the league in allowing “explosive” pass plays of 20+ yards. Also, the loss of blue-chip run-stopper D.J. Reader (quad) in Game 14 was a crusher.
Did you know … ?
1. Aside from the Burrow injury, the Bengals will long lament two losses that point to the importance of division games. They lost to Baltimore, 27-24, in Game 2 when Tyler Boyd dropped a perfect pass in the end zone in the final minute, and to Pittsburgh, 16-10, in Browning’s first start in Game 11 when their defense allowed two long field goal drives led by since-deposed QB Kenny Pickett.
2. Browning’s done well enough in his six starts (69.9 percent completions, 9 TD v. 6 INT, 96.5 passer rating) to merit interest from QB-starved teams. But he’ll be an exclusive rights free agent and unable to test the market. The Bengals can keep him with a minimum contract.
3. The Bengals’ special teams remain a top-10 unit under special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons.
4. Defensive end Trey Hendrickson and Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt are tied for the NFL sack lead with 17. A Bengals player has not led the NFL in sacks since Coy Bacon in 1976 with 22. (The league didn’t recognize the sack as an official statistic until 1978. Researchers have gone back before that season to tabulate unofficial sacks.)
Small world: Offensive coordinator Brian Callahan is the son of Browns line coach Bill Callahan … defensive quality control coach Lou Cioffi was Browns defensive backs coach in 2013 and 2016 … running back Demetric Felton (practice squad) was the Browns’ sixth-round draft pick in 2021 … Mike Brown, Bengals president and owner, is the son of Browns founding coach Paul Brown. He assumed control of the Bengals upon Paul Brown’s passing in 1991.
