The Cleveland Browns stand in the way of the Cincinnati Bengals picking up a second win on the season.
Zac Taylor’s Bengals would like to make it two in a row coming off last week’s win, regardless of what it might do to draft positioning. Those Browns would like to get back on track as well coming out of a loss to Pittsburgh that dashed a three-game winning streak.
These are the top storylines to know for Sunday’s Battle of Ohio.
Resurgences: Two big details spurred the Bengals to win No. 1 on the season last week: Andy Dalton and the pass rush. Dalton’s return to the starting lineup after getting benched for three games wasn’t amazing by any means, but some of the throws he made swung the contest. If he can build on that in the cold on the road, he gives the team a good chance to win. As for the pass rush, Carl Lawson and Carlos Dunlap came alive, the latter putting up three sacks in the process. If they can do something similar Sunday, it could make life decidedly easier on a struggling offense. But doing so won’t be easy, as rotational piece Sam Hubbard won’t be able to go due to a knee injury.
Baker Mayfield (and his injury): Mayfield terrorized the Bengals over two games last year, throwing seven touchdowns. But this year he has just 15 touchdowns and 14 picks while hardly completing 60 percent of his passes. One could argue much of this is also on head coach Freddie Kitchens. Regardless, Mayfield also injured his hand last week after hitting it on a helmet. Here’s Kitchens on the topic recently, per Cleveland.com’s Scott Patsko: “Yeah, everything was good, just like everybody today.” Seems simple enough, but a throwing-hand injury is a tricky one, which would seem to be especially the case in a cold December game. He’s also dealing with an apparent rib issue. Mayfield has game-controlling abilities unlike almost anyone set to take the field Sunday, so how he looks early could decide the game outright.
Redemption vs. Domination: Ideally, the Bengals would like to win this one for a bevy of reasons. But it sure doesn’t hurt to mention a shot at redemption for last year’s gaffe. Meaning, the first series sweep since 2002. The Bengals might lead the all-time series 50-41, but the Browns took both last year as both teams headed in very different directions. That narrative has changed a bit this year thanks to Cleveland’s dramatic regression, yet the idea for the Bengals remains the same — secure a win and take back control of this in-state rivalry, denying the Browns a sense of dominance carrying over from last year’s sweep.
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