The Bengals renew "The Battle of Ohio" on Sunday when they take on the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+. Here is what to watch for:
PRO BOWL PASS RUSHERS
Sunday's game features two of the top edge rushers in football in Trey Hendrickson and Myles Garrett, who both are producing at an elite level in their eighth pro season.
Hendrickson is coming off a two-sack performance in Week 6 against the Giants, which put his season total at five (tied for seventh in NFL). His 26 total pressures rank fifth among all edge rushers, according to Pro Football Focus. He has faced the Browns five times as a member of the Bengals, collecting three sacks in those contests.
Sunday also marks Hendrickson's 100th career regular-season game.
Garrett, the reigning AP Defensive Player of the Year, has four sacks and eight quarterback hits through six games this season. His 91.1 overall PFF grade ranks fifth among all edge rushers, and he also has two forced fumbles.
Since the start of the 2020 season, only Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt has more sacks than Garrett (62.5) and Hendrickson (58).
BIG-GAME GERMAINE
Germaine Pratt continues to display his unique ability to create game-altering turnovers. He is coming off his first interception of the season last week at New York, when he brought in a Daniel Jones pass that was tipped by former college teammate B.J. Hill at the Bengals' three-yard line.
Pratt is the lone player in the NFL this season with an interception and two fumble recoveries. He also is one of just five players to force two fumbles and record a pick. Since the start of the 2021 season, only Pratt and Tampa Bay All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. have forced five fumbles, recovered five fumbles and had five interceptions.
JA'MARR ON THE CHASE
Since the start of Week 3, Ja’Marr Chase has the NFL's most receiving yards (468), receiving touchdowns (five) and yards per reception (19.5). He has a league-leading six catches of 30+ yards, with the most recent being a 33-yarder last week against the Giants that helped set up Cincinnati's go-ahead field goal in the third quarter.
Chase also surpassed 300 career catches during the Giants game, in what was his 51st regular-season appearance. He became the eighth-fastest player in NFL history to reach that milestone, and the fastest Bengal ever, surpassing A.J. Green (55 games).
See the top photos from the Bengals practice on October 17, 2024.
WR Ja'Marr Chase makes a one-handed catch during practice at Kettering Health Practice Fields, Thursday, October 17, 2024.
QB Joe Burrow throws a pass during practice at Kettering Health Practice Fields, Thursday, October 17, 2024.
CB Cam Taylor-Britt during practice at Kettering Health Practice Fields, Thursday, October 17, 2024.
RB Chase Brown takes a handoff during practice at Kettering Health Practice Fields, Thursday, October 17, 2024.
CB Josh Newton breaks up a pass during practice at Kettering Health Practice Fields, Thursday, October 17, 2024.
DE Sam Hubbard goes through drills during practice at Kettering Health Practice Fields, Thursday, October 17, 2024.
S Daijahn Anthony during practice at Kettering Health Practice Fields, Thursday, October 17, 2024.
WR Ja'Marr Chase goes through drills during practice at Kettering Health Practice Fields, Thursday, October 17, 2024.
QB Joe Burrow looks to throw during practice at Kettering Health Practice Fields, Thursday, October 17, 2024.
CB DJ Turner II during practice at Kettering Health Practice Fields, Thursday, October 17, 2024.
WR Ja'Marr Chase during practice at Kettering Health Practice Fields, Thursday, October 17, 2024.
CB Josh Newton celebrates a play during practice at Kettering Health Practice Fields, Thursday, October 17, 2024.
TE Erick All Jr. runs a route during practice at Kettering Health Practice Fields, Thursday, October 17, 2024.
DE Joseph Ossai and DE Cedric Johnson go through drills during practice at Kettering Health Practice Fields, Thursday, October 17, 2024.
TE Mike Gesicki makes a catch during practice at Kettering Health Practice Fields, Thursday, October 17, 2024.
CHASE BROWN'S BREAKOUT TOUR CONTINUES
Second-year running back Chase Brown made his first career start last week at New York and now leads the Bengals with 283 rushing yards. Of his 51 carries this season, 10 have gone for 10+ yards — an eye-popping 19.6 percent. His 5.5 yards per carry rank sixth in the NFL among all players with at least 40 attempts.
Brown has found the end zone four times in the past three games. He followed up his first two career rushing touchdowns in Week 4 at Carolina with a receiving touchdown on a Burrow pass in the fourth quarter against Baltimore. He then sealed the win over the Giants with a 30-yard burst coming out of the two-minute warning.
"THE BATTLE OF OHIO" NUGGETS
Cincinnati has played more games against Cleveland (101) than any other opponent except Pittsburgh (109). The Bengals hold the upper hand versus the Browns in the all-time series, leading 53-48, but Cleveland enters Sunday having won six of the past eight meetings.
The two highest-scoring games in Bengals history have been against the Browns. On Nov. 28, 2004, Cincinnati beat Cleveland 58-48 at Paul Brown Stadium. The 106 combined points also made it the second-highest scoring affair in NFL history, trailing only a 113-point total in Washington's 72-41 win over the Giants in 1966. Then on Sept. 16, 2007, the Bengals and Browns combined for 96 points in a 51-45 Cleveland home win.
In the most recent meeting, a 31-14 Bengals win in last season's Week 18 finale, Cincinnati put together a 14-play drive that started at its own one-yard line and ended with a Jake Browning-to-Andrei Iosivas touchdown pass. It marked the Bengals' first 99-yard TD drive since 1994.
The White Bengal Game
Don't Miss the rare White Bengal, Oct. 27, against the Philadelphia Eagles
Check out the Bengals 2024 Schedule.
