Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Complete Week 10 Preview for Cincinnati
The Battle of Ohio is rarely this important for the Cincinnati Bengals. They play host to the Cleveland Browns on the Week 10 edition of Thursday Night Football in a critical AFC North showdown.
Cincinnati enters riding a two-game winning streak but is as hobbled as ever thanks to a number of injuries on both sides of the football. The Bengals have persevered to this point, though, as they sit in first place in the AFC North and control their own fate.
Cleveland enters riding the same streak, though, and is in serious contention in the division at 5-3. The Browns play smart, classic AFC North football that entails stingy defense and a brutal rushing attack that leaves most teams limping by the final quarter.
In other words, it is a typical in-state clash between the bitter rivals, but with a heightened sense of importance now that both teams are a serious threat to make the postseason.
Add a national audience to the mix, and this one should prove a meeting between old foes to remember.
Within, let's take a look at all of the critical details surrounding Thursday's encounter.
Week 9 Recap
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It was scary at times, but the Cincinnati Bengals came away with a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars last week despite repeatedly flirting with allowing the one-win team to get back in the game.
Without Giovani Bernard in the lineup, the Bengals got a major effort from rookie back Jeremy Hill, who turned 24 carries into 154 yards and a pair of scores. Andy Dalton was erratic even with A.J. Green back in the lineup, tossing a pair of touchdowns and interceptions.
Of most concern, though, was the defensive side of the football.
The secondary broke down multiple times, which allowed rookie quarterback Blake Bortles to throw for 247 yards and a pair of scores. Sans leader Vontaze Burfict, the defense also allowed the Jaguars to gain 132 yards and a score on the ground on a 5.3 per-carry average.
Going into Thursday against a better opponent, improvement is needed on the defensive side of things to pull out a win.
This means better discipline in coverage and better gap control against the run. Burfict will be out of the lineup once again, and the Browns have three backs who can post massive numbers if they go unchecked.
Week 9 was a win as expected, but Cleveland is certainly very aware of how the lowly Jaguars hurt the Bengals.
News and Notes
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Thursday Night Prep
There is a stigma around the Cincinnati Bengals in that Marvin Lewis' team simply does not show up when it comes to prime-time affairs.
This was only further reinforced back in Week 5 when the Bengals were nationally victimized, 43-17, on Sunday Night Football in Foxborough against the New England Patriots.
This trend may only be further reinforced with the team hobbled and asked to make a quick turnaround to play on Thursday.
To combat this, Lewis is mostly focused on recovery this week, as captured by ESPN.com's Coley Harvey: "That's the key element is we've got to get guys feeling right as quick as possible. We've got to get the blood flowing back through the body. Blood flow helps eliminate soreness, so that's the key. And we have to continue to press ahead and grind mentally on this game."
That said, Lewis admits that his staff has been prepping for the divisional showdown for quite a while.
"The assistant coaches got on [planning] the latter part of last week, and the coordinators went to the Browns immediately after the game [Sunday]," Lewis said, per Harvey. "That's kind of how you have to do this. Hell, it's a toll on the players. It's worse on the coaches."
Not only is Thursday a big game, but it also comes on prime time. With a bit of an inside look as to how Lewis and his staff are handling the situation, the end result will speak volumes as to why the team struggles in this area.
Devon Still's Motivation
On the field, Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still continues to make a bigger impact as his role increases.
Off the field, fans are well aware of the plight Still's daughter faces. Leah, who is battling stage 4 pediatric cancer, will be in attendance Thursday now that she is well enough to travel.
"It's going to be added motivation just knowing that my daughter is watching me," Still said, per Harvey. "I want her to be able to hear how the crowd cheers loud whenever I make a tackle, so I'm going to go out there and do whatever I can do to put a smile on her face."
It marks the first time Leah will see her father play at Paul Brown Stadium since he was drafted in 2012.
Expect a motivated Still and plenty of noteworthy coverage from the broadcast Thursday night. Some things are bigger than football, and this certainly qualifies as the Bengals head into Thursday's game.
Greg Little Gets Personal
Greg Little has made a big impact in a short amount of time for the Bengals this season, having stepped up with A.J. Green out due to injury and making a number of key grabs.
For Little, Thursday's game is personal after the Browns cut him earlier this year.
"They said that I wasn't good enough to play on their team," Little said, per ESPN.com's Pat McManamon, "and that's about all else that I need."
Little had other unsavory comments for the organization, but the point stands—he is yet another element that should have this Bengals team fired up an additional notch for a rivalry showdown.
Perhaps Little will see enough playing time to take out his frustrations between the lines, too.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| Giovani Bernard | RB | Out |
| Vontaze Burfict | LB | Out |
| Jermaine Gresham | TE | Questionable |
| Rey Maualuga | LB | Questionable |
| Leon Hall | CB | Questionable |
Thursday will be the Jeremy Hill show once again for the Cincinnati Bengals, but the main concerns continue to reside on the defensive side of things.
As soon to be explained, the potential absence of Leon Hall as he works his way through concussion protocol may prove to be a huge element of Thursday's outcome.
*All injury reports are from ESPN.com. This slide will be updated when the official report is released.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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Bengals Linebackers vs. Browns Running Backs
The Cincinnati Bengals enter Thursday ranked as the No. 31 overall defense against the run for good reason, as pretty much anybody and everyone has found success against the unit.
Much of this has to do with a string of injuries to linebacker Vontaze Burfict, who will be absent from Thursday's contest against the Cleveland Browns.
Bad news—the Browns are one of the best rushing teams the Bengals will encounter all season.
In fact, the Browns have three backs who regularly do serious damage. Ben Tate has 308 yards and three scores this year. Terrance West has caught fire as of late and has 302 yards and a pair of scores. Isaiah Crowell has been reliable, too, as noted by his 256 yards and four scores.
What has not been reliable for the Bengals is linebacker play without Burfict, and keep in mind that Rey Maualuga will likely miss Thursday's game, too. Vincent Rey, Nico Johnson and a host of others have struggled mightily with missed tackles all season, something that will lose the game for the Bengals outright.
On a short turnaround, a hodgepodge of names better be ready for a relentless rushing attack that remains fresh for all four quarters. If not, this one could be another Bengals collapse.
Adam Jones, Bengals Corners vs. Andrew Hawkins
As noted, Leon Hall's status is very much up in the air for Thursday.
More bad news—former Bengals wideout Andrew Hawkins is a serious threat now that he resides in an offense that uses him regularly.
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis certainly understands the challenge Hawkins presents, as captured by Kevin Jones of ClevelandBrowns.com:
"Bengals coach Marvin Lewis on WR Andrew Hawkins: "He’s doing the dirty work for them...He’s doing all the things we know @Hawk can do.”
— Kevin Jones (@Mr_KevinJones) November 4, 2014"
Hawkins is the Browns' leading receiver with 39 grabs for 504 yards and a score. If Hall is out, this places more stress than usual on Adam Jones and Terence Newman to stand strong in coverage. It also means more of former first-round draft picks Dre Kirkpatrick and Darqueze Dennard on the field in base defense, whereas normally, the two would mostly be confined to special teams duty.
The injury to Hall is far-reaching. Keep in mind it also means the staff will be seriously reluctant to use the explosive Jones on kick and punt returns, possibly meaning a loss in terms of the field-position battle.
Most of all, though, keep an eye on Hawkins. If rookie Allen Hurns torched the secondary for two scores a week ago, imagine what the former Bengals receiver can do if the Cincinnati defense does not stand tall.
X-Factor of the Week: Mohamed Sanu
Far and away the Bengals' half-season MVP this year, Mohamed Sanu needs to pull another epic performance out of his hat for his team to pull away from the Browns Thursday night.
A.J. Green is back in the lineup and scored a touchdown last week, but recall that it was Sanu who still led the team in receiving with four grabs for 95 yards and a score.
Green is set to be blanketed by top corner Joe Haden all night Thursday, meaning it is Sanu who will need to free himself for the chains to keep moving.
In theory, this should not be a major problem—last week against Tampa Bay, Haden followed Vincent Jackson around, which allowed rookie Mike Evans to record seven catches for 124 yards and two touchdowns.
One of Cleveland's major weaknesses are the corners not named Haden. Sanu will need to fully capitalize on this issue if the Bengals are to control the clock at home and grab a critical win.
Prediction
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The Cincinnati Bengals have a very clear mission Thursday night in front of a national audience against a divisional foe.
Joe Danneman of Fox19.com records it best, as explained by A.J. Green:
"A.J. Green on Thursday's primetime game: "I hope we come out there and show the nation that this team is for real." @FOX19
— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) November 3, 2014"
Little is going to come easy against the Browns, especially with a number of injuries set to once again hold back the Bengals defense. This will make each and every offensive possession more important than usual, meaning silly mistakes from Andy Dalton will cost his team the game.
That said, the Bengals are the better team on paper, and a short week tends to favor the veteran of the two coaching staffs. Cleveland's defense is miserable against the run, and the Bengals have a number of weapons that can break the will of the Browns defense through the air.
It will not be pretty, but few of Cincinnati's wins have been this season. Expect the Bengals to steal one at home through a gritty, run-based approach.
Prediction: Bengals 24, Browns 20
Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
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