Browns Can Take Over AFC North Over Bengals on Big Stage
Oct 26, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine celebrates a 4th quarter touchdown with wide receiver Taylor Gabriel (18), wide receiver Andrew Hawkins (16) and quarterback Brian Hoyer (6) at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns beat the Raiders 23-13. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns have not won in Cincinnati since the 2008 season, but it would be well worth the wait if they could unseat the Bengals on Thursday Night Football to kick off week 10.
Cleveland is 5-3 this season in a very tough AFC North, one that includes four teams with nobody having a record of even .500 at this point in the season. Both teams have protected their home field well, but the Bengals have done it exceptionally well over the last two years (save for a playoff game vs. the Chargers) with a record of 13-0-1.
With so much on the line in the early portion of the season, can the Browns rise to the occasion and beat the Bengals? I think there’s reason to believe they could.
The Browns are not a team that is going to come out every week and consistently move the ball down the field with ease offensively. They are missing their top offensive playmaker in Josh Gordon, and are using a mixed bag of characters to get where they are at this point, which is to have a 5-3 record and a shot on Thursday night to take a huge piece of the AFC North.
With Brian Hoyer at quarterback, the Browns have proven to be a contender. It might not always be pretty, but dating back to his pre-injury form last season, he’s provided the team with not only a spark, but a true ‘best option to win’ like coaches always claim when they make tough QB decisions.
You have to love what the Browns are able to do right now. Guys are coming out of nowhere to make plays. Certainly they expected big contributions from Andrew Hawkins when they signed him away from the Bengals this offseason, but I don’t think they expected he would lead the team in receiving. I don’t think they expected Taylor Gabriel, an ultra-athletic 5-foot-8 receiver out of Abeliene Christian, to be one of their most explosive playmakers to this point.
The Browns are also using a running-back-by-committee that hasn’t been overly efficient (their top two rushers average under four yards per carry) but they are finding ways to propel this team into victory lane.
The real reason for the Browns’ success has been the defense, led by guys like Tashaun Gipson who leads the NFL in the interception category. Guys like free agent acquisition Karlos Dansby, who leads the team in tackles or Paul Kruger, who leads the team in sacks.
This is a talented team, and the Bengals know it coming into this game. Most are expecting Cincinnati to win this game with ease, but it could be a lot tougher for them than they think and it might even wind up being the Browns who steal all the headlines.