Browns vs. Bengals – Week 4
The Browns reach the quarter mark of the season today at home against the Bengals. The team is looking for its first win of the season and only its second win at home against Cincinnati since 2004.
The Opposition
Cincinnati record: 2-1
Offensive rank: 15th overall/15th passing/18th rushing
Defensive rank: 9th overall/11th passing/13th rushing
All-time record: Browns trail 35-38-0, but lead the series at home with a 21-15 mark
Last meeting in Cleveland: Browns lost, 23-20 in overtime
The line: Browns (+3)
What to Watch For
Cue the broken record: for the Browns to have a chance to win they have to stop with the silly penalties – Ben Watson/Alex Mack personal fouls; Matt Roth’s ridiculous off sides – and stop making that one mistake – Jake Delhomme’s interception at the end of the first half vs. Tampa, Seneca Wallace’s TAINT vs. KC, Wallace’s pitch to no where against Baltimore – that has hurt them through the first three weeks of the season.
The Bengals rank in the middle of the league on offense and defense, but the one area that Browns should be able to exploit is the Bengals run defense. While they rank 13th overall against the rush, they are giving up 4.5 yards per rush, which puts them 23rd in the league.
If the Browns could run the ball last week against Baltimore, they should be able to run on the Bengals. If they can get a lead in the second half again this week, they should be able to control the game with their running attack, which may be even more important today as it is expected to be cold and rainy.
The Browns need to find a way to get pressure on a recently ineffective Carson Palmer. It’s reasonable to expect the secondary – especially Eric Wright – to play better after last week’s debacle in Baltimore. With a week to work on things the secondary should bounce back; if not it could be another long day against Chad Ochocinco (11 career TDs against the Browns) and Terell Owens.
As for who the Browns should/will start at quarterback, unless Jake Delhomme’s ankle is 100 percent, they should sit him out another week. I rather he be fully healthy for the final 12 games than put him back on the field early and have him miss more time – especially since he hasn’t practiced much or at all over the past few weeks.
The Best Browns vs. Cincinnati Game I’ve Ever Seen
The 1988 game, which the Browns won 23-16, to move within one game of the Bengals. Mainly because at one point the crowd was so loud that Cincinnati quarterback was crying to the refs that he couldn’t snap the ball. The Browns also blocked a punt for a touchdown (when was the last time they did that?) and the defense came up big on the goal line multiple times.
Here’s The Plain Dealer’s game story; you can see Tony Grossi’s love affair with the Bengals goes back pretty far. Here’s video of the punt block; this clip of Clarence Weathers highlights what the current crop of Browns receivers lacks: the ability to separate from the defender; and here’s another TD drive just for fun.
The Prediction
The Browns have been hanging tough through the first three weeks of the season but have done just enough to lose. They’ve showed progress – or at least consistency over the first three weeks – while the Bengals have not.
This is the week the work finally pays off and the Browns pick up their first victory of the season.
Red Right 88 