The Browns travel to Cincinnati for an AFC North matchup against the Bengals in the final week of the season at Paycor Stadium. Cleveland can split the season series with the Bengals, while Cincinnati can win its seventh game of the season.
“Great opportunity in front of us, heading down to a division rival,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “We haven’t seen them since Week 1, but excited about the opportunity. These guys worked very hard this week, and then we get to finish strong on Sunday.”
As the Browns aim to close out the season with two consecutive divisional wins, here are three keys to the game.
The Browns need to keep the chains moving on third down against a Bengals’ defense that has allowed teams to convert on third down 44 percent of the time, the fifth-highest rate in the NFL.
The Browns have 74 third-down conversions, the 23rd-most in the NFL despite being second in the league with 221 third-down attempts. Cleveland’s 33.7 conversion percentage ranks 30th in the NFL. Against the Bills in Week 16, Cleveland had its best third-down performance of the season. The Browns converted eight of 14 third-down attempts, gaining a first down on a season-high 57.1 percent of their chances.
Cincinnati’s third-down defense offers Cleveland a chance to build on its Week 16 performance. In addition to the Bengals’ defensive struggles on third down, they also allow 392.2 yards per game, the most in the NFL. Converting on third down will help the Browns to sustain drives, move down the field and, in turn, score points to win the game.