Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns: Thursday Night Football Preview and Predictions
Written by AJ Olona and Shawn Stewart
Thursday, Sept. 17 at 8:20 p.m. ET
NFL Network
SPREAD: Browns, -6
Bengals rookie QB Joe Burrow (9) prepares for his NFL debut (Photo: Bobby Ellis/Getty Images)
Sometimes as fans we can question the match ups the NFL picks for the week, and that is exactly what we are doing, questioning this matchup. Is anyone going to watch this game? The Battle of Ohio kicks off Week 2 in the NFL. Former number one overall pick Joe Burrow vs. former number one overall pick Baker Mayfield. The Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns will feature two of the last three Heisman Trophy winners when they meet to kick off Week 2 of the NFL season on Thursday Night Football!
College success doesn't always translate into NFL superstardom. Both quarterbacks might admit they have a long way to go; especially after both of them had less than stellar Week 1 performances. The good news for both of these quarterbacks is that one of them will come out victorious. Can Mayfield spoil the rookie's 2nd career start, or will Joe Burrow steal his first win in the NFL ? Try not to expect an offense explosion from either team on Thursday Night, since both teams could still be trying to establish themselves.
When the 2020 pre-season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it affected a lot of players, but it moreso affected rookies like Joe Burrow, giving them less time to acclimate themselves to the NFL. A lot of players looked sloppy in their first action of the season. The first half of the 2020 season is very much so going to be like the first few preseason games. Teams are still trying to work out kinks and find out who they are going to be. Thursday Night could be another sloppy game for both teams.
Here are some questions we will be considering going into this game:
1) Can the Cleveland offense score on this banged up Bengals defense? The Browns scored a total of 6 points against the Ravens defense. Now the Bengals defense is nowhere nearly as talented as the Ravens, but they do have some young pieces on the defensive side and overall are a very talented team. The Browns need to run the ball to be successful!
Browns QB Baker Mayfield (6) throws against the Ravens in Week 1 (Photo: The Athletic)
2) Can the Bengals open up the offense for Burrow? Joe Burrow will undoubtably still has some growing pains throughout the year while trying to adjust to the NFL’s fast pace and play calling, but if the Bengals expect to have any chance in this game, they need to take some chances downfield on the Browns secondary.
3) Could this game come down to the kickers? It was a rough Week 1 for place kickers all across the NFL, but the Bengals are hoping Randy Bullock's leg has healed and that he can play in this game. Bullock has been a decent kicker his 4 years in the league, and the Bengals will need him on Thursday! He cannot blow another game for Joe Burrow.
Much of the headlines coming out of Week 1 in Cleveland were the rumors that they are now looking to move on from star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Odell Beckham, by his standards, did not live up to expectations in his first year in Cleveland. There were high hopes for OBJ, and the Browns as a whole, for the 2020 season but after opening up the season flat against the Baltimore Ravens, the team is reportedly ready to reset and blow things up yet again. Odell had only three catches in Week 1 for only 22 yards and failed to find the end zone. While its easy to look at those numbers and criticize the star wide receiver, you must also look at the team as a whole. After showing elite accuracy at Oklahoma and during his rookie year in the NFL, Baker Mayfield has fallen off a cliff the last two seasons, in terms of accurate throws. The third year quarterback is struggling heavily and really needs to put things together quick in order to turn things around.
Browns reviewer Odell Beckham Jr. (13) disappointed in Week 1’s loss to the Ravens (Photo: Getty Images)
Both the Browns and Bengals are heading into the short week slightly banged up. For the Browns, it looks like the will be without starting tackle Jack Conklin as he has yet to practice at all this week. On the other end of the line, first round pick Jedrick Wills was also limited throughout practice this week after leaving Week 1’s contest early with a bruised shin. Linebackers Mack Wilson and Jacob Phillips both have yet to practice this week and look like they will miss Thursdays game as well. On the back end of that defense, things don’t get much better. Carrying over from last year, the Browns secondary will not be 100%. Greedy Williams and Kevin Johnson remain sidelined leaving the Browns with only 4 healthy players at the position.
For the Bengals, they are also dealing with some injuries in the trenches. Guard Xavier Su'a-Filo has already been ruled out of the game. Also ruled out is star defensive tackle Geno Atkins, who is dealing with a shoulder injury. The Bengals other starting defensive tackle, Mike Daniels, is also ruled out for the game with a groin injury.
Hopefully, the talented Browns offense finally finds some rhythm, but either way this game will be closer than people may think!
SHAWN’S PREDICTION: Browns 20-17
AJ’S PREDICTION: Bengals 27-20
DAGEN’S PREDICTION: Browns 17-7
JAKE’S PREDICTION: Browns 17-14
CADE’S PREDICTION: Bengals 42-7
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