NFL Week 2 Primer: How to watch and follow Bengals vs. Browns

Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) at Cleveland Browns (0-1)

Game Time: 8:20 p.m. EST on Sep. 17th

Location: FistEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio

Weather: Mid 80’s, mostly cloudy [NFL weather]

TV Channel: The game will air nationally on NFL Network and is produced by FOX-TV. In Cincinnati, it also will be carried by WKRC-TV (CBS Ch. 12).

Announcers: Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (analyst), Erin Andrews (sideline reporter) and Kristina Pink (sideline reporter).

Online Stream: Watch the game online with a free trial of fuboTV.

Radio Broadcast: The game will air on the Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati flagship stations WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530; all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst).

National Radio: Westwood One Radio with Dan Miller (play-by-play) and Tony Boselli (analyst).

Odds: The Browns are 8.5-point(!) favorites. [Odds Shark]

Replays: Check local listings on NFL Network or NFL Game Pass

Series Leader: The Bengals lead the series 51-42

Streak: The Bengals have won eight of the past 11 meetings

Coaches vs. Opponent: Zac Taylor: 1-1. Kevin Stefanski (0-0)

SB Nation Browns’ site: Dawgs by Nature

Rosters: Bengals | Browns

Depth Charts: Bengals | Browns

Prediction: TeamRankings is projecting a 24-18 win for the Browns, while numberFire went with a 27-20 win for the ‘home’ team.

The Bengals and Browns didn’t start off 2020 in a great way. However, both teams get a chance to get over that loss with a quick turnaround on Thursday Night Football.

Cincinnati saw moments of what we all hope Joe Burrow can be in the NFL. He called an audible to a quarterback drawn that resulted in a touchdown run. He also had a veteran like control of the offense in the final two minute drill that setup the team with a chance to win at the end of the game. He also threw a very unfortunate pick in the fourth quarter right to a defensive lineman, and he still looks like he is getting on the same page with some of his receivers.

It was the Bengals defense that really stole the show in Week 1. Sure, they gave up some yards, but they also came up big in situations where they just didn’t in 2019. We saw them shutdown the Chargers on two fourth down attempts. More importantly they got big stops in the fourth quarter outside of one sustained touchdown drive. Holding any team to only 16 points is pretty impressive in today’s NFL.

Meanwhile, the Browns seem to be suffering from the same disappointment from last season. They went out and hired Kevin Stefanski as their head coach and improved their offensive line, but the Ravens still took them to school in Week 1. Was that just a matter of going up against one of the best teams the AFC has to offer, or is that a sign of things to come in 2020?

Bengals notes

• Quarterback Joe Burrow completed 23 of 36 passes (63.9 percent) for 193 yards and rushed for 46 yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut last week. He became the second quarterback to rush for over 40 yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut since 1970 (Kevin Hogan in 2016).
• Running back Joe Mixon rushed for 69 yards last week. He aims for his third in a row against the Browns with at least 175 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. He has 592 scrimmage yards (148 per game) and three rushing touchdowns in his past four games against the AFC North. He has a touchdown in three of his last four road games.
• Wide receiver A.J. Green led the team with five catches for 51 yards last week. He has a touchdown catch in three of his past four games against Cleveland. He has five receiving touchdowns in his past four games against the AFC North. Green has also scored at least two touchdowns in two of his past three primetime games. He has 8,907 career receiving yards, fourth-most in the NFL since 2011. Wide receiver Tyler Boyd had four catches last week. He aims for his fourth in a row against the Browns with at least five catches. Boy also aims for his third in a row on the road with at least 75 receiving yards. Tight end C.J. Uzomah had four catches for 45 yards last week. He has a touchdown catch in two of his past three games against Cleveland.
• Carlos Dunlap had 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a pass defense in the last meeting with the Browns. He has 12.5 sacks in 17 career games against Cleveland, the most against any opponent. He has a sack in two of his past three against the AFC North. Dunlap (81.5) and Geno Atkins are (75.5) the only pair of active teammates each with at least 75 career sacks. Defensive end Carl Lawson had a sack last week. He has three sacks in his past two games against the Browns. Linebacker Josh Bynes had eight tackles and a sack last week. He aims for his third in a row against Cleveland with a tackle for a loss. Cornerback Darius Phillips had a career-high two interceptions in the last meeting.

Browns notes

• Quarterback Baker Mayfield passed for 189 yards with a touchdown and interception last week. He has 11 touchdowns and five interceptions for a 100.5 passer rating in four career games against the Bengals, the most touchdowns he has against any opponent. He has three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 95.6 passer rating in two career games on Thursday Night Football.
• Running back Nick Chubb rushed for 60 yards last week. He has 402 scrimmage yards (100.5 per game) and two touchdowns in four career games against the Bengals. He has at least 90 scrimmage yards in six of his past seven games at home. He has 520 scrimmage yards (104 per game) in his past five in primetime games. Running back Kareem Hunt led the team with 72 rush yards last week. He has four touchdowns in three career games against Cincinnati. He has 421 scrimmage yards (140.3 per game) and three touchdowns in three career games on Thursday Night Football. He has also scored a touchdown in five of his last six primetime games.
• Wide receiver Jarvis Landry led the team with five catches for 61 yards last week. He had 82 receiving yards and a touchdown in the last meeting. He has at least 70 receiving yards in four of his past five games against the AFC North. Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. had a touchdown catch in the last game against the Bengals, and he has at least 80 receiving yards and a touchdown in two of his three career games against Cincinnati.
• Myles Garrett had a tackle for a loss and fumble recovery last week. He has a sack in two of his three career games against the Bengals. He has five sacks in his past four games in primetime. Defensive end Adrian Clayborn had a sack in his Cleveland debut last week. Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi forced his second-career forced fumble last week. He has four sacks in six career games on Thursday Night Football. Cornerback Denzel Ward aims for his third in a row against Cincinnati with an interception. He has five passes defended in his past three games against the Bengals.