Cincinnati’s Path To Finishing Strong
Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown (30) eyes the end zone after catching a pass in the second quarter of the NFL Week 6 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Seattle Seahawks at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023.
After a tumultuous season that fell below pretty much everybody’s expectations, the season finale has finally come. The Bengals and Browns will engage in the Battle of Ohio at Paycor Stadium this Sunday at 1pm. Cleveland took the first head-to-head matchup of the year, and Cincinnati will look to ensure that the Browns don’t pull off a season sweep.
Here are our keys to the Bengals pulling off their first division win.
Realize what you’re playing for
Cincinnati will not only be looking to end the season with a winning record, but they will be fighting for their first division win of the year. A loss would give the Bengals a winless record in their division for the first time since 2002.
Even though the Bengals are out of the playoff picture, Sam Hubbard is one of many players who isn’t giving up quite just yet.
“We still have a winning season on the line to fight for,” Hubbard said in an interview with All Bengals. “We’re 8-8 and we’d like to finish the season above .500. We have a game against a divisional rival on Sunday. We want to win every game within the AFC North, especially this one. We want to finish our season on a high note and have some momentum going into our offseason.”
While many fans will want the Bengals to lose to ensure a better draft pick, the whole team is on the same page in wanting to get a victory to give them their third straight winning season.
Jake Browning on Ja'Marr Chase setting a tone.
"The beginning of this week, Ja'Marr (Chase) says, 'Nah, I'm playing.' Everybody's like, 'Here we go. Let's finish this thing right.'"
Sounds like Ja'Marr had no plans of sitting out with a nagging shoulder this week. #Bengals pic.twitter.com/3PNVwd8zEH
— Jeremy Rauch (@FOX19Jeremy) January 3, 2024
In a home game where the Browns will be resting the majority of their starters, the opportunity to go out with a win is as golden as ever.
Stay the course, Mr. Browning
The Bengals’ three game winning streak earlier this year was due in large part to Jake Browning’s ability to effectively play the role of game manager. While he’s been a clear downgrade from Joe Burrow, he’s still stepped up and won games when nobody expected him to.
This might be loser talk, but there’s an odd feeling of relief about this Bengals season having some finality.
Like, we weren’t winning the Super Bowl with Jake Browning (all due respect to him, he’s a warrior).
Not a great season. But we learned this team will just never die.
— Willie Lutz (@willie_lutz) January 1, 2024
At his best, Browning is a consistency machine who limits turnovers, spreads the ball to his entire offense, and drives the ball down the field in an unexciting-yet-reliable fashion. If he maintains that skillset and doesn’t try to do too much under center, he should have no problem on Sunday pulling out a victory against a Browns defense that won’t be playing starters like Myles Garrett much, if at all.
Browning will be leading an offense that put together a dreadful second half performance against Kansas City on Sunday. In the final two quarters, they scored zero points and only ran one play inside Chiefs’ territory after a failed 4th and 1 by Joe Mixon on the Chiefs’ 6 yard line.
Browning is also incredibly cognizant of what this game means to the offense.
Jake Browning explains exactly why Sunday’s game does mean something to the Bengals and specifically Ja’Marr Chase and Ted Karras. “Here we go. Let’s lock in and finish this thing right.” pic.twitter.com/QCt2LEWLw1
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) January 3, 2024
As the all but certain QB2 in 2024, Jake Browning will receive one more opportunity this season to show that he can step up in the event of another untimely Joe Burrow injury. After his recent two-game skid, Browning will look to end his 2023 campaign with a win that would give the Bengals their third consecutive winning season. The winning record would be quite the accomplishment considering the fact that, among other significant injuries, Joe Burrow was only fully healthy for five games all year.
It remains to be seen whether his receiver corps will be at full strength, as Tee Higgins did not practice Wednesday due to a hamstring injury. Ja’Marr Chase is also still slightly banged up from his shoulder injury, but it appears as if he’ll play this Sunday.
Everyone on defense needs to be on the same page
The Bengals aren’t likely to see any of the Browns’ overwhelming strengths on Sunday, as they will be resting their starters. With that, Cincinnati’s biggest key to victory will be their ability to come together as a team.
Coming together starts with their defense being a cohesive unit and trying to stop the opponent’s big play, which has plagued them the entire season. One thing that must improve from the loss to the Chiefs was communication in the secondary.
An accountable Cam Taylor-Britt says he believes in the secondary and its ability to improve in 2024. Says critical mistakes in communication were made including today. pic.twitter.com/tlyzeLnQCL
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) January 1, 2024
The front seven will also need to come together to contain Jeff Driskel, who has been a reliable dual-threat QB throughout his career. Driskel will also be out to prove that he is more than a journeyman QB, especially considering he’s starting against his former team.
“When you get an opportunity to get on a 53-man roster you take it,” Driskel said in an interview. “(I’m) looking forward to the opportunity on Sunday.”
Up Next