Preview and pick for the Battle of Ohio

The latest meeting of the Battle of Ohio, as the rivalry between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals is called, will take place on Sunday as the teams meet for the 95th time.

Cincinnati has won 51 of the previous meetings, while Cleveland has won 43, with no ties. Paul Brown founded both teams, although after Cleveland fired Brown, he started the Bengals in the American Football League. Each year since 1970, the Browns and Bengals have met twice, except in the interim between the movement of the original Browns to Baltimore (where they became the Ravens) and the establishment of a new Browns franchise. Both teams have exciting young quarterbacks, in Baker Mayfield for the Browns and Joe Burrow for the Bengals, and the teams provided a 35-30 barnburner in Week 2, with the Browns prevailing at home.

How will things turn out this time? Don’t miss our preview.

NFL: Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday, October 25)

When: Sunday, October 25, 2020, 1:00 pm ET
Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati
TV: CBS
Radio: WKNR 850 AM Cleveland / WLW 700 AM Cincinnati
JAZZ Sports Odds: Cleveland -3.5 / O/U 50.5

Why the Browns Will Win

Cleveland started the season by taking a beating in Baltimore before winning four in a row. However, things regressed this past week as the team took another rout in Pittsburgh. On the season, Baker Mayfield has thrown for 1,095 yards with 10 scores and six interceptions. However, a Cleveland offensive line that was one of the team’s strengths in the early going could not get any traction against Pittsburgh, as the running game was shut down and Mayfield found himself running for his life for much of the game.

Kareem Hunt leads the Browns with 387 rushing yards and three scores, but the team is awaiting the return of Nick Chubb from a knee injury. On defense, the Browns have started to take on water, allowing 31.2 points per game, as their safeties have not been able to cover receivers or move up to help the running game much. The bright spot on defense has been Myles Garrett, who has seven sacks.

Why the Bengals Will Win

Cincinnati has started 1-4-1 thanks in large part to a defense that gives up 26.2 points per game, making it hard for rookie quarterback Joe Burrow to lead his team to enough points for a win. He has thrown for 1,617 yards in six games, with a 6:4 TD to INT ratio. Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins have combined for three receiving touchdowns, and A.J. Green leads the team with 22 catches. Joe Mixon has run for 428 yards and three scores this season, and the team runs for over 101 yards per game.

The Bengals were up 21-0 on the Indianapolis Colts before falling apart and letting the Colts come all the way back for a win. The defense clearly has issues, but the fact that they could hang 21 on a tough Indianapolis defense shows that they have promise.

The Final Word

I see the Browns pushing to a late win, but I don’t see them winning by more than a field goal. So as long as the line stays at Cleveland -3 ½, I’m going to pick the Bengals to cover. If the line gets under three points, though, I’d think hard about picking the Browns.