Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has a single New Year’s resolution – “to beat Cleveland.”
Cincinnati and Cleveland close out the season with a Week 18 AFC North matchup at Paycor Stadium. To achieve Taylor’s goal, the Bengals’ offense will have overcome a Cleveland defense that allows just 278.6 total yards per game, the second fewest in the NFL.
“They play to their scheme. They’re not overly complicated, which is a positive for them. They play to their guys’ strengths, and they do an outstanding job,” Taylor said. “(Browns defensive coordinator Jim) Schwartz does a great job of countering when he needs to, and so it’s a challenge not just for us, but for every team we’ve ever seen on tape against them, and you have to be really smart when you play against them.”
The Bengals’ strength this season has been their passing attack with QB Joe Burrow, while also employing quarterbacks Joe Flacco and Jake Browning when Burrow missed time with a turf toe injury. Cincinnati has averaged 236.4 passing yards per game this season, the sixth-most in the NFL, and the only major offensive stat where they rank in the top half of the league.
Cleveland’s defense has been stiff against the pass. The Browns have allowed 163.8 passing yards per game through 16 games, the second fewest in the NFL. When the Browns and Bengals played in Week 1, Burrow and Cincinnati were held to a season-low 113 passing yards. The Browns have continued that trend against other teams, allowing fewer than 200 passing yards in 11 of 16 games.
“It feels ugly when you play them because (Myles Garrett’s) disruptive, the whole front’s disruptive, the backers are fast and confident, they have outstanding cover corners,” Taylor said. “Denzel (Ward) does a tremendous job as well as everybody else.”