Marquee Matchup Brings Added Fire to Rivalry Between Browns and Bengals
In this story:
The Cincinnati Bengals boast one of the league's most prolific passing attacks between quarterback Joe Burrow and a triumvirate of receivers including Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, but on November 7th of the 2021 season, they were soundly beaten by the Cleveland Browns secondary in a game the Browns dominated 41-16. Despite having played each other twice since then, this will be the first time the two sides will be able to clash at full strength.
In the second matchup last year which took place on the final week of the regular season, the Bengals had already secured their playoff spot and opted to rest the majority of their starters. The Browns won what amounted to be a glorified exhibition between the two sides. The Bengals went on to play in the Super Bowl while the Browns went shopping for a quarterback.
Earlier this season, the Browns hosted the Bengals on Halloween on Monday Night Football, but Chase missed the game with a hip injury. That game likely still only add fuels to the fire as the Browns defense once again had a strong performance, keeping the Bengals receivers in check enroute to a 32-13 victory.
In last year's matchup, the tone of the game was set when Burrow tried to throw an out route to Chase near the goal line that was undercut by Denzel Ward, who returned it all the way for a touchdown. The Bengals would attempt to recover, but the Browns secondary didn't back down, getting hands on 12 of Burrow's 40 attempted passes.
Chase was targeted 13 times, catching six for 49 yards, but one of those receptions ended in a lost fumble. Tee Higgins had more success, catching six of his eight targets for 78 yards. Tyler Boyd caught one pass for 11 yards.
John Johnson III had an interception and Troy Hill had two sacks from his slot position. Then rookie Greg Newsome had three of the Browns 10 pass deflections in the game.
The performance was hailed as one of the best performances by a secondary for the entire 2021 season. Under Joe Woods, the team's defensive coordinator, it might have been the most impressive defensive performance of his tenure. The Browns had a historic performance, completely dominating the Chicago Bears offense that same year, but the degree of difficulty in what they accomplished against the Bengals made it the more notable achievement
The two teams left that game with a 5-4 record. The Browns would flounder, finishing the season 8-9. For the Bengals, the defeat amounted to little more than a speedbump as they finished the regular season winning five of their last seven and were only narrowly defeated by the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl.
The Browns drafted Martin Emerson in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft and then felt confident enough to trade Troy Hill to Rams in exchange for a 2023 fifth round pick. A move that looks prescient in hindsight and that pick looks pretty good as the Rams have won just three game so far this season. Emerson was drafted, in part, because of receiving threats like Tee Higgins. The Browns simply didn't have a good matchup to deal with players with his combination of size and strength.
In the Halloween matchup, both Chase and Ward missed the game due to injury.
Tee Higgins led the Bengals in receiving yards with 49. He and Boyd caught just three passes each. Tight end Hayden Hurst whose status in doubt for the game Sunday had four receptions for 42 yards. Running backs caught most of Burrow's passes. 11 in all led by Joe Mixon with seven for 32 yards.
The Browns operated almost exclusively out of a two-high look, keeping plays in front of them and rallying to the football. They played fast, showed confidence and it had arguably their best game of tackling on the season.
Once again, the Browns defense set the tone of the game by creating a turnover on the first Bengals possession of the game. This time, a Burrow pass was tipped up at the line of scrimmage by Myles Garrett and A.J. Green was able to secure it for the interception. The Bengals would were held scoreless in the first three quarters, finally able to put up 13 points in the final frame with the game no longer in doubt.
The Bengals responded by winning four in a row and are coming off an impressive victory against the Kansas City Chiefs. They need to keep winning as they are still deadlocked with the Baltimore Ravens atop the AFC North division. That should be motivation enough, but they also want to beat the Browns because they haven't since 2019 when Andy Dalton was their quarterback.
The Bengals want to this one and Chase, Higgins and Boyd are all healthy. If the Browns hope to stay alive in the playoff chase, they need to win this game. Before the previous matchup on Monday Night Football, Newsome noted his disappointment that Chase would be unable to play, eager to answer the challenge that he would provide.
Wednesday, Ward echoed that sentiment ahead of Sunday's game. "I like matchups like those," Ward said of Chase. "Definitely looking forward to him being back and going against those guys. They got a great receiving group. Great quarterback , obviously, and I think it would be a great matchup to go against offense and defense."
Ward also said he enjoyed the trash talking that happens in this matchup, though he did not indicate which Bengals receiver was the most vociferous. When asked if he likes to get the first shot, Ward failed to contain a smile, saying, "No. Not necessarily. I'm gonna go out and try to play my game and do what I can to help my team win. That's my focus. I'm just trying to win the games."
Browns players are unwilling to rest on their laurels due to past success nor can they afford to because the matchups keep changing. With Ward out, Newsome played on the outside in the first matchup this year. A.J. Green III operated in the slot. Ward being back would put Newsome back into the slot. This time, they have to account for Chase.
Seemingly, Emerson is going to end up on Higgins a fair amount of the time. Ward will should match up with Chase and when they try to either align in the slot or attack inside, they are likely to draw Newsome. That's often where Boyd is, but they could certainly try to create opportunities to get the ball to Chase by having him play inside.
While the play of Deshaun Watson will have a significant impact on the result of the game as he tries to shake off the rust from his layoff, the winner of the matchup between the Bengals receivers and Browns corners will determine just how much they need from head coach Kevin Stefanski will need from his franchise signal caller. There's an inherent advantage for the Bengals simply because Watson isn't at full strength but the Browns corners showed they can minimize the need for top tier quarterback play.
This should be the first round in a series of three bouts between these trios, so long as everyone remains healthy. The Browns corners are all locked into contracts for the next several years and that lineup is unlikely to change. Higgins and Boyd are under contract through the 2023 season.
Much is made of Burrow versus Patrick Mahomes being must-see TV, deservedly. Those matchups have been great, but the quarterbacks are never on the field at the same time. The Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers and Cleveland Browns corners are in direct competition with the added edge of being a divisional matchup. The group that prevails will not only have bragging rights but likely come out with a victory on Sunday.
