With a Thursday Night Football matchup against the Cleveland Browns just hours away, veteran wide receiver A.J. Green is the Cincinnati Bengals’ must-start player. The Bengals are looking for their first win after a hard-fought 16-13 season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Joe Burrow played well in his debut, logging a 23-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter, while finishing 23 of 36 for 193 yards with one interception and no touchdown passes. A stronger performance from the rookie passer should make Green the biggest benefactor.
Green returned from a lost 2019 season and had a solid debut against a strong Chargers secondary, reeling in five catches for 51 yards. The most inspiring stat was his team-leading nine targets and a touchdown reception called back by penalty. It’s obvious that Burrow and Green have strong initial chemistry and they’ll match up against a banged-up Browns secondary that suffered injuries on Sunday and could be susceptible to the big play on a short week of preparation.
The Browns have already ruled out cornerbacks Kevin Williams and Greedy Williams.
Green was targeted twice in the end zone last week and the matchup is supremely favorable for Green, as the Browns allowed four end-zone targets in Week 1.
Add in the fact the Browns allowed the second-most plays of 15 yards or more to the wide receiver position last week, and the Bengals star is a must-play on the outside.