NFL
By Jalen Willingham
The Cincinnati Bengals will face their division rival Cleveland Browns to conclude to 2023 regular season. The battle of Ohio was last in week one to open the season. A lot has happened since. The Bengals are 0-5 in the AFC North and have been eliminated from playoff contention. Cleveland is locked in as the fifth seed in the AFC and will be resting a lot of their starters. The Browns still have the ability to earn their first 12-win season since 1986.
When: Sunday, January 7, 2024, at 1:00 pm ET
Where: Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio
Network: CBS
Offense
Wide receiver Tee Higgins is out. We may have already witnessed his last game in Cincinnati with his contract situation in the air. This may also be Tyler Boyds last game. If so, I wish things ended differently. Ja’Marr Chase will be playing though it’s uncertain how much he plays. Chase could become the third receiver in franchise history to have 100 catches in a season if he gets four receptions.
The Bengals do need to let both rookies Andrei Iosivas and Charlie Jones get more snaps on offense. Cincinnati needs to know what they can really bring to the table before going into the offseason. We need to see more of Chase Brown at running back as well. Backup quarterback Jake Browning can also end the year with a bang. He could finish his stint with a winning record after week 18.
As for the Browns defense, Myles Garrett, Juan Thornhill, Greg Newsome, Mike Ford II and Anthony Walker will all miss the game. Martin Emerson will have a shot at leading the league with the lowest rating allowed.
Defense
The Browns will have Jeff Driskel in at quarterback. The former Bengal will be the fifth quarterback to start for the Browns this season. Cleveland has put up 30+ points in three of their last four games. Fortunately for the Bengals, Joe Flacco and Amari Cooper will both be resting for the playoffs.
With all the players being rested, the Bengals need to be ready to stop the run. I doubt that Cleveland will put the ball in Driskels hands to make a ton of plays downfield. Defensive end Trey Hendrickson does still have a shot at getting the sack title. He’ll need at least two sacks now thanks to T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers. This may also be the last game as a Bengals for Chidobe Awuzie. I want to see as much of rookie Myles Murphy as possible on defense.
Prediction
Bengals win 20-14
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