After picking up a primetime victory over the New York Giants in Week 6, the Bengals travel to Cleveland for an AFC North matchup with the Browns. Cleveland is coming off a 20-16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last week.
Browns Offense
The Browns offense has scored nine touchdowns over the first six games, tied with the Chargers for the third-fewest in the NFL. They are also the only team in the NFL to not eclipse 20 points in a game this season.
The Browns will likely get a boost this week, though, as star running back Nick Chubb is expected to make his season debut. Chubb has been sidelined since Week 2 of 2023 with a knee injury, but the four-time pro bowler accumulated over 1,500 yards rushing the last time he was healthy for a full season in 2022. For his career, Chubb averages 5.3 yards per carry and has scored 52 touchdowns in 77 games played.
The return of Chubb should help the Browns rushing attack get back on track. Cleveland has just two rushing touchdowns this season, tied for the fewest in the NFL, and 583 total rushing yards. The Browns also lost current starting back Jerome Ford against the Eagles, who is being considered week-to-week with a hamstring injury. As Chubb gets back into game shape, backup running backs D'Onta Foreman and Pierre Strong Jr. will likely supplement. Per PFF, the Browns offensive line has a 52.8 run-block grade, the third lowest in the NFL.
The Cleveland offensive line also comes into the week with a 48.9 pass-block grade, also the third lowest in the league. Quarterback Deshaun Watson has been sacked a league-leading 31 times. A dual-threat, Watson has 148 yards rushing this season. His 61.2 PFF passing grade ranks 25th among quarterbacks with at least 25 dropbacks this season.
Cleveland likes to use the run game to set up the pass. Per PFF, the Browns have run 67 play-action plays, the second most in the league. On such dropbacks, Watson has a 7.3% big-time throw percentage, the fourth-best in the league. PFF defines a big-time throw as "a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window."
A three-time pro bowler with the Houston Texans, Watson completed 69.6% of his passes against the Eagles last week, his second-highest completion percentage so far this year. He also started to push the ball downfield a bit more, averaging 7.3 yards per attempt, his most by over a full yard. After throwing two interceptions in their opening season loss to the Cowboys, Watson only has one interception in the last five games. As a team, Cleveland has only six giveaways this year, but they've also punted on 51% of their possessions, the highest rate in the NFL, per ESPN.
Browns Defense
The Cleveland defense continues to be the team's calling card. It boasts the fourth-highest run defense grade in the NFL (77.2) and the fifth-highest pass rush grade (76.3), per PFF. Edge rusher Myles Garrett enters Week 7 with the second-highest PFF pass-rush grade (93.2), trailing only the Lions' Aidan Hutchinson who suffered a season-ending injury on Sunday. Garrett has four sacks through the team's first six games, but he has 26 total pressures, per PFF, a top-10 figure. Garrett has also forced two fumbles, the third-most in the NFL. As a unit, Cleveland has forced four fumbles so far, the fourth-most in the league.
Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah ranks within the top 20 in the NFL with 47 total tackles, and his 83.3 PFF defense grade ranks seventh among all linebackers. The Notre Dame product also has the third-best run defense grade among all linebackers with a 90.3 figure.
The Browns have faced 80 third-down attempts by opposing offense, allowing a 35% conversion rate on such plays. The team allows just under 200 passing yards per game and just a 58.6% completion percentage, the second-lowest percentage in the league behind the Texans.
In the game's third phase, Cleveland's 90.8 PFF special teams grade trails only the Patriots for the league lead, and they scored a touchdown off a blocked field goal last week against the Eagles. They average 52.4 yards per punt, the third-highest average in the NFL, and punter Corey Bojorquez currently holds the longest punt of the 2024 campaign, booming an 84-yarder in Week 4.
The White Bengal Game
Don't Miss the rare White Bengal, Oct. 27, against the Philadelphia Eagles
Check out the Bengals 2024 Schedule.
