Neither the Cincinnati Bengals nor the Cleveland Browns are having the type of season they hoped for, and the reasons are vastly different.
Let’s take a closer look:
The Bengals are hoping to take off from here
After outlasting the New York Giants in an ugly 17-7 win in New Jersey on Sunday night, Cincinnati is looking for its first winning streak of the season.
That would be another step toward getting back on track after a 1-4 start.
They have their defense to thank for their second win of the season after being able to blame that unit for losses to Washington and Baltimore.
The Browns are looking for any reason for optimism
Cleveland has lost four in a row, but a victory Sunday would at least drag their in-state foes into the AFC North cellar with them.
The Browns are having a nightmare season both because of injuries on defense and the offensive line and the struggles of quarterback Deshaun Watson.
In a trade with the Houston Texans, the team mortgaged its then-bright future for Watson two years ago, forfeiting three first-round draft picks, $230 million and the faith of many fans dismayed by more than 20 lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct
While Watson was never criminally charged, the cloud hangs over him off the field, and on the field he has not looked like the player who starred in his early days for the Houston Texans.
Cleveland is still a bad matchup for the Bengals
The Browns have given the Bengals trouble in the Joe Burrow era not only because they have a lot of good players but because of how the teams are constructed.
Cleveland has the cornerbacks to lock up Cincinnati’s elite receivers and pass rushers to take away Burrow’s time to throw.
The Browns also like to run the ball while the Bengals hate to stop the run, so Cleveland could have the formula to short circuit Cincinnati’s rise back to respectability this season before it gets very high off the ground.
Star running back Nick Chubb, who is expected to return from a 2023 season-ending knee injury, has been a Bengals killer. He could give Watson and the beleaguered offense a big boost against a Bengals team that still can’t afford to slip up anytime soon if it wants to be playing important games in December and January.
However, Cleveland also will have to overcome the loss of top receiver Amari Cooper, who was traded to Buffalo this week.
Could more in-state sports action be on the horizon?
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
New Ohio State men’s basketball coach Jake Diebler said this week he is interested in arranging a multi-team event featuring the Buckeyes, Xavier, Cincinnati and Dayton.
Something of the sort was discussed a few years ago, but then-OSU director of athletics Gene Smith told me they ran into multiple logistical issues.
Those included the Buckeyes playing 20 Big Ten games and being part of multiple events such as the Big Ten/ACC Challenge that occupied some of their nonconference slots.
Each team also needs to have a certain number of home games to maximize revenue (which is why you see all of them playing cupcakes in November and December).
However, the Big Ten/ACC Challenge went away with the Big Ten ending its longtime partnership with ESPN, Smith retired earlier this year and the media landscape is ever-changing.
New OSU AD Ross Bjork has not gone on record (to my knowledge) about an Ohio “Crossroads Classic” such as college basketball fans in Indiana enjoy, but he has left little doubt maximizing revenue is among his main concerns.
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