NFL
By: Jalen Willingham
The Cincinnati Bengals will face the Cleveland Browns once again for the battle of Ohio in week 14 of the 2022 NFL Season.
When: Sunday, December 11
Network: CBS
Offense
The Bengals offense was all-around fun to watch versus the Chiefs. They moved the ball and scored when they needed to for the most part.
The rise in Semaje Perines production has no doubt been the most surprising thing to see from the Cincinnati offense this season. He’s been so good that there has been discussion on if he should be the starting running back going forwards as well. While it will still be Mixon, both of them need to get touches going forward and especially on Sunday versus the Browns. Cincinnati needs to establish a good running game to beat Cleveland.
The biggest question for me is what Bengals team we are going to see. While they are 8-4, Cincinnati has not beaten the Browns since 2019. They just seem to always fall apart when the Browns come to town. The key matchup on the offense will be left tackle Jonah Williams versus defensive end Myles Garrett. In the first matchup earlier in the year, Garrett had his number to no one’s surprise. Williams has been playing much better recently. He’s given up just three pressures over the last three games while also ranking 12th in pass block grades of all offensive tackles. Limiting Myles Garrett is a must along with keeping turnovers to a minimum. I’m certain that Burrow and the receivers will show up and have a great game this time around. It would help if they jumped out to a nice lead quickly before giving the Browns offense more time to gel with Deshaun Watson. Don’t abandon the run game after only a few early stops and I think the Bengals offense will be in a great position to win.
Defense
You simply could not have asked for a better performance against Patrick Mahomes from the Bengals defense. They limited Mahomes and Kelce in the passing game while also forcing a big turnover that shifted the game in their favor. When it mattered the most, they even got to quarterback for a sack. I think they’ll get at least a sack or two again versus Cleveland as well.
On Sunday, they will face Deshaun Watson. To be frank, I do not want to see Deshaun Watson succeed. While he is still trying to knock the rust off, Cincinnati’s top priority should still be stopping the run. The Browns are averaging 156 rushing yards a game which is fourth in the league. Nick Chubb also has just under 1200 rushing yards on the season. The Bengals need to step up their run defense just like how they did when they played Derrick Henry two weeks ago. Nose tackle D.J. Reader along with linebackers Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson will all be pivotal here.
In the first matchup, the loss of cornerback Chidobe Awuzie was instantly felt with receiver Amari Cooper instantly popping off for 131 yards and a touchdown. Even though he’s dealing with a hip injury, Donovan Peoples-Jones is also another target that Watson may try to lean on to get going. The two receivers could both have over 1000 yards by the end of the season. Both Cam Taylor-Britt and Eli Apple have both been playing much better in the last month. It feels odd to not worry about Apple right now but I don’t. Cincinnati needs to try to confuse Watson in coverage as much as possible. This is something that defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has been very good at doing this year. I don’t see the game turning into a blowout like it did in the first meeting. If the Browns are to win this game, it has to be Watson winning it for them.
Prediction
Bengals win 27-20
