Cleveland Browns Stadium has been a house of horrors for Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. Fittingly, the Browns' last home game against the Bengals was on Halloween night, as the home team rolled to a 32-13 win.
That would be the Bengals' final loss of the 2022 regular season. Cincinnati won its final eight games that included Burrow's first win over the Browns, a 23-10 win in Cincinnati in Week 14. The win helped the Bengals win their second straight AFC North Crown. Conversely, the loss contributed to the Browns suffering their second consecutive losing season.
Both teams are expected to be competitive in 2023. Cincinnati has continued to add pieces around Burrow that includes Pro Bowl offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who left the Chiefs to sign with the Bengals this offseason. The Browns are hoping Deshaun Watson can return to his former Pro Bowl level in what will be his first full season in Cleveland.
How to watch
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 10 | 1 p.m. ET
- Location: Cleveland Browns Stadium (Cleveland, Ohio)
- TV: CBS | Stream: Paramount+
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Odds: Bengals -2; O/U 47.5 (via SportsLine consensus)
Who will win?
Cincinnati didn't play its starters in the preseason, so there's a thought the Bengals could start the season flat. That being said, Burrow has looked sharp since returning to practice after missing a month of camp after injuring his calf. Rest assured that he is motivated to hit the ground running this season after he and the Bengals endured an 0-2 start last year.
The Browns might be competitive this year, but at this point, Cleveland is a team with talent that is going from power running to a big-play passing team. That might work, but for this game, I'm going with the more stable Bengals to come out on top, as long as they do a better job containing Amari Cooper, who went off for 131 yards and a touchdown in Cleveland's win last Halloween. They'll also have to minimize Myles Garrett, who will spend the afternoon going up against Brown.
Prediction: Bengals 19, Browns 16
