Cleveland Browns could avoid last-place AFC North finish by outperforming this rival

With the disappointing endings of both Ohio professional baseball teams (the Reds and Guardians) in the postseason today and yesterday, we can turn our attention to a different kind of Ohio Cup. Comparing the pro football teams in Ohio and predicting which one will finish with more wins this season.

Coming into this season, the Cincinnati Bengals would easily be the favorite in this category, as their win line was hovering around nine to 10 wins. The Cleveland Browns weren’t expected to win many games or even make it close to the playoffs, as they were projected to finish with around four or five wins.

The Browns and Bengals matched up in week one this year, and after a thrilling game in Cleveland, the Bengals ended up pulling a victory out of thin air, 17-16.

With an MVP candidate at the quarterback position, the Bengals looked poised to compete for the playoffs. Unfortunately for Cincinnati, Joe Burrow sustained a toe injury that turned out to be turf toe in week two. Grade three was assigned to the injury, keeping Burrow out for a minimum of three months.

The Bengals would end up winning that week two game against the Jaguars, moving to 2-0, while the Browns would hang around for a bit vs the Ravens but eventually lose and go to 0-2.

Week three saw the Bengals get dominated by the Vikings, 48-10, as the Vikes' defense confused backup QB Jake Browning a lot into a couple of interceptions. The Browns would pull off a miraculous win vs the Green Bay Packers with a walk-off field goal, 13-10.

This past week, it did not look any better for the Bengals as they only squandered three points, losing to the Broncos 28-3. The Browns weren’t much better, though, losing to the Detroit Lions, 34-10.

Now the Bengals sit at 2-2, and the Browns at 1-3. The NFL Football Power Index projects both the Browns and Bengals to have 6.5 wins and 10.4 losses. The same model gives the Bengals a slight edge to make the playoffs at 10.8%, with the Browns slightly behind them at 9.9%.

The strength of schedules going into the season has the Bengals running into a bit of a gauntlet over the next three weeks, facing Detroit, Green Bay, and Pittsburgh. Then they face the Jets, Bears, and Steelers again over the next three weeks, followed by a matchup against New England, before taking on AFC favorites Baltimore and Buffalo.

Miami and Arizona will follow those games before setting up the season-ending matchup vs Cleveland.

The Browns seem to have a more manageable schedule for the rest of the season, as they hop across the pond to take on the Vikings this Sunday, then head to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers.

The next three weeks will see the Browns competing in the AFC East against the Dolphins, Patriots, and Jets. They face the Ravens before heading west to take on the Raiders, then host the 49ers. Cleveland stays at home to host the Titans, then go to Chicago to take on the Bears, before they get their shot at the Bills. Finishing off the season with the rival Steelers and of course, finalizing with the Bengals.

The Bengals currently hold a slight edge in wins, but considering their recent struggles and the tough upcoming weeks, this could shift even if the Browns win one of their next three games.

With Cleveland presumably having an easier schedule moving forward, switching up their starting quarterback, and a much better defense than Cincinnati, they could pass up the Bengals in wins, but as Chris Berman says, “This is why they play the games.”