The Cincinnati Bengals head to Cleveland in search of their first AFC North win this season.
Cleveland hasn’t been kind to the Bengals in recent years. In fact, the Bengals haven’t won a game in Cleveland since 2017.
No player on Cincinnati’s current roster has beaten the Browns in their home stadium. Head coach Zac Taylor is 0-5 in games at Cleveland.
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Sitting at 2-4 on the year, the Bengals need to start stacking wins to turn their season around. A win against the Browns is a must because an 0-2 hole in the division would be extremely hard to overcome.
So, how do the Bengals beat the Browns on Sunday?
Bengals can't let Myles Garrett wreck the game
No player has sacked quarterback Joe Burrow more than All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett.
In six games against one another, Garrett has sacked Burrow eight times. For the Bengals to win, they can’t let Garrett feast on Burrow.
Prior to their most recent win over the New York Giants, the Bengals’ passing attack was operating at a high level. They expect to return to form, but to do that they must protect Burrow better than they have in year’s past.
Garrett has logged 16 hits and 21 pressures in addition to his eight sacks in those six games against Burrow.
Cincinnati’s offensive coaching staff understands what Garrett is capable of doing to their game plan probably more than any other staff in the NFL. Everyone inside the building knows if the Bengals want to end their losing streak in Cleveland, they must prevent Garrett from wrecking the game.
Bengals must prepare for an emotional Nick Chubb game
Cleveland’s Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb is set to make his return this weekend after suffering a season-ending knee injury last year. Chubb has been a problem for the Bengals’ defense for a long time now.
The expectation is that Chubb’s snaps will be limited to some degree because he’s working his way back, but he’s still capable of making impact plays even if he gets less that 15-20 snaps.
Cincinnati defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said he went out of his way to mention the Bengals’ road record in Cleveland to his defense this week. If the Bengals can play well against the run, Cincinnati’s defense should be in good shape. The Browns rank No. 29 in passing offense and just traded their best wide receiver in Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills. Cincinnati’s defensive line is healthy and should be ready for the Browns to try and attack them on the ground.
The Bengals know the Browns’ run game is coming, we’ll see if they can stop it.
Bengals must play a clean, sharp game
Last year, the Bengals blamed the rain as a key reason the team didn’t play well on offense. No rain is expected in the forecast this week.
There are no excuses for the Bengals to not win this game against the Browns. Cincinnati dug itself a massive hole in the month of September and now has to start stacking wins. In order to do so, they must start beating teams they should beat.
Cleveland hasn’t scored more than 21 points this year. The Browns’ offense isn’t as good as it has been in year’s past. Cincinnati’s offense is one of the best in the league when it starts fast and don’t turn the ball over. The Bengals have turned the ball over in their last two games and that’s not a positive trend.
No game in the NFL is ever easy, but if the Bengals can play clean football and not make any self-inflicted mistakes, they should win this game.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Three keys: How Bengals beat the Browns
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