Bengals, Browns kick off 2024 NFL season at home: Week 1 preview

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) – The Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns open the season with home games against strikingly different opponents. What will it take for Ohio to start 2-0 in the NFL?

Here are keys to the Week 1 matchups:

New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals

Sunday at Paycor Stadium, 1 p.m.

Cincinnati trenches : A major weakness for Cincinnati last season was the run game on both sides of the ball. The team ranked 31st in rushing offense, averaging 89.8 yards. Joe Mixon is gone, leaving carries for Zack Moss and Chase Brown. The upside goes to Brown, the better pass-catching back, who had the second-fastest run in the league last season when he reached 22.05 mph. That burst was better than Tyreek Hill’s fastest run of 22.01 and just shy of DK Metcalf’s 22.23. Moss, meanwhile, can do damage inside the tackles and in the red zone to complement Brown’s speed.

Up front, right tackle Armarius Mims will not play in the opener, but other than new center Alex Cappa, the unit remains mostly intact. Whether that’s proves successful remains to be seen.

The defense was a sieve in 2023, allowing 136.3 yards per game on the ground, and D.J. Reeder is now in Detroit. The signing of DT Sheldon Rankins, a versatile interior lineman with pass-rushing capabilities, will help plug some holes up front, but Cincinnati will rely mostly on rookies such as second-round pick Kris Jenkins (Michigan) and third-rounder McKinnley Jackson (Texas A&M). They’ll need to establish continuity quickly to quiet the duo of New England’s Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson.

Just win : No, Week 1 is not a must-win game, but the Bengals cannot afford to come out of the gate losing its first two games for a third-straight season. Their schedule is packed with out-of-division opponents to the tune of Kansas City, Dallas and Philadelphia. September games against inferior opponents, such as New England, Washington and Carolina, offer an opportunity for Cincinnati to take early command of the AFC North before division games roll around next month.

Line : Bengals 8 ½. O/U: 40 ½.

Prediction : Bengals stave off another disastrous start to the season against the rebuilding Patriots. Who-Dey, 24-13.

Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns

Sunday, Sept. 8 at Huntington Bank Field, 4:25 p.m.

Judge Jeudy : The jury is still out on Jerry Jeudy, who joined the Browns after a trade with the Broncos in March, in exchange for two late-round picks. The trade didn’t make blockbuster headlines, in part due to Jeudy’s underwhelming tenure in Denver. His third season, however, saw career highs of 67 receptions, 972 yards and six touchdowns (more than half of his career total of 11) with the Broncos. Those numbers would be welcome in Cleveland, which still leans on Amari Cooper to lead the aerial attack. Other than TE David Njoku, no other player had 60 receptions. Elijah Moore had 59, but only logged a couple of high-impact performances.

Jeudy, the former Alabama star, could get an early test with Cooper drawing coverage from top Cowboys corner Trevon Diggs. It would also alleviate any concerns over a slow start from Deshaun Watson, who will be navigating a new offensive scheme under OC Ken Dorsey.

Must Cee TV : The Browns secondary remains one of the defense’s strengths and perhaps could get its biggest test right out of the gate. Cowboys’ receiver CeeDee Lamb led the league with 135 receptions in 2023, adding 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. He sat out the offseason and preseason before signing a four-year, $136 million contract on Aug. 26.

But don’t expect a pitch count for Lamb, who recorded at least nine targets in 11 games last season, including its one playoff game. He is also reportedly building up his regimen in practices and says he is “ locked and loaded .”

Neutralizing Lamb may be a futile effort, so the Browns secondary, led by safety and Lamb’s childhood friend Grant Delpit, will have to smother other top Dallas targets like TE Jake Ferguson and WR Brandon Cooks.

Line : Browns 2 ½. O/U: 40 ½.

Prediction : Despite Dallas’ shortcomings in the post season, it boasts the second best all-tine winning percentage in Week 1 (40-23-1, .633). Chalk up another win for Big D, 27-24.

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