The Week 2 Thursday night game gives us the first Battle of Ohio and a matchup of two 0-1 teams. Cincinnati will be traveling up to Cleveland after losing to the Los Angeles Chargers, 16-13, due to a heartbreaking missed field goal.
The Browns looked much worse than expected as the Baltimore Ravens beat the breaks off of them to a tune of 38-6. It is a new, short week. Here’s what we can expect to see.
When the Browns have the ball:
We are all aware of how awkward the Browns offense looked last week, but that was against arguably the best team in the NFL. The Bengals are much worse and it is very clear that the pieces Cleveland does have are perfect for Kevin Stefanski’s offensive style. The dynamic duo of Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb played fairly well last week and honestly, they should have gotten more touches. It should be fair to expect the Browns run game to be the main focus this week as the Cincinnati defensive line is banged up on the interior and it is a short week.
[lawrence-related id=52398]
The Cincinnati defense looked better than expected last week with Sam Hubbard having a good day off the edge, Germaine Pratt being productive at linebacker and the new-look defensive backfield coming together. Even so, the strength of this Cincinnati defense is the interior of the defensive line and that will take a hit this week.
The Bengals spent a ton of cash to lure free-agent defensive tackle, D.J. Reader and although he is slated to start this week, we saw him carted off the field in the third quarter of last week’s game. Their other interior star, Geno Atkins, is listed as officially out. The man behind Atkins, Mike Daniels is also out with injury.
With those two studs out, the other interior starter is a big drop off in Christian Covington. Sam Hubbard and Carlos Dunlap are still great options off the edge, but what was once viewed as this team’s strength is now a potential major weakness. The injuries to the Cincinnati defensive line align perfectly to the Browns’ strengths with their strong line and explosive running back tandem.
When the Bengals have the ball:
New rookie quarterback, Joe Burrow had an okay showing last weekend in orchestrating enough drives to keep his team in the game, but he also looked like a rookie quarterback. He also made decisions that remind you that he went from one of the most talented college football teams of all-time to one of the worst NFL teams (see awkward shovel pass). Burrow is going to be good, but to expect him to raise his level of play in just four days is insane, especially considering the heartbreaking fashion in which they lost.
We know how talented the Bengals receivers are, but Cleveland fans know the real danger is a talented tight end. C.J. Uzomah doesn’t strike fear into my heart the way Mark Andrews did. A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd and John Ross all provide something unique to make this a solid group, but I expect the Browns pass rush to be furious this week. That will help the defensive backs out in a big way.
Myles Garrett was one of the most noticeable disappointments from Week 1, but he will be going from facing Orlando Brown at tackle to Bobby Hart; this should make for a Defensive Player of the Week performance. Jonah Williams was impressive at left tackle for the Bengals last week, but I expect Olivier Vernon to be lined up across from him.
NFL Week 2: Browns key matchups and paths to victory over the Bengals
The real offensive threat for Cincinnati is their run game with Joe Mixon and even Giovani Bernard. Mixon did not have the best Week 1, but all Browns fans should recognize how good he can be with no offensive line let alone the new and improved 2020 version. It is fair to expect Mixon to be the focal point on a short week to keep things simple on the young quarterback in his first prime-time away game and again it can’t be stated enough: on a short week.
Fantasy Outlook:
Who are the best available fantasy option based on DraftKings prices:
QB: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati- $5,900: The rookie quarterback only managed 17 fantasy points last week, but it is not unreasonable to expect a 25 point Thursday nigh performance. Burrow is going to struggle, but what makes him the more valuable fantasy option is the damage he can do with his legs as evidenced by his 45 rushing yards and one touchdown showing last week. The Browns are going to be coming hard at the youngster and this should cause him to exit the pocket even more frequently and the Browns should beat the breaks off this team resulting in possible garbage points for Burrow.
RB: Nick Chubb, Cleveland- $6,200: I am going back to the well on Chubb even after his five-point fantasy performance last week. As we discussed above and in The Browns Wire Podcast, the Browns fell behind fast and early and this took Chubb out of the game script. That should not happen this week as Chubb should be the entire game script as Cleveland should be in a position to control the game and clock. Chubb can hit that 25 point threshold against the Bengals.
WR: A.J. Green, Cincinnati- $6,100: Just like what we discussed with Burrow, Green has potential due to the potential garbage time touches and he could score 20 points based on that. The other thing to look out for is if Green faces Terrance Mitchell rather than Denzel Ward. The less-talented Mitchell could result in an uptick in targets for Green.
TE: Austin Hooper, Cleveland- $4,800: David Njoku led all Cleveland tight ends in targets last week, but with him on IR and hopefully a game-plan more focused on the high priced free agent’s usage, we can expect a 15 point performance for Hooper. It is of importance to note that Cincinnati starting safety, Shawn Williams is ruled out again and Hunter Henry was able to record five receptions for 73 yards last week against the Bengals with Williams being out.
Defense: Cleveland- $2,800: The Browns got destroyed last week and the defense scored zero points, but they did manage to get two sacks and a turnover. It is a fair expectation to expect both of those numbers to double and the Cleveland defense possibly hitting that 10-point mark against a rookie quarterback on a short week.
Odds Preview & Predictions: Bengals +6 Browns, Total-43
My favorite bet of the week is the Browns laying the points against a rookie quarterback on again to reiterate a short week. Joe Burrow got his first taste of NFL action last week and did not play great. Now he has four days to shake off a pretty upsetting last-second loss and play on primetime in an away game.
The Browns got destroyed last week, there is no denying it. But the defense wasn’t as pathetic as everyone thinks considering the Ravens are possibly the best offense in the NFL. Myles Garrett had a rough outing against a possible Pro Bowler and gets to rebound against a fringe starter in Bobby Hart. On the offensive side, we discussed the Browns abandoning the run game, but that shouldn’t happen this week as Nick Chubb should exploit that injured Cincinnati defensive line.
As far as the total goes, I am strongly considering the under here as the weather reports predict wind that could surpass 10 miles per hour. I expect the Browns to roll the Bengals and be in a position to maintain time of possession.
Predictions: Cleveland -6 & Under 43
All odds are provided by BetMGM
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.
Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence
on news coverage.