COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The Cleveland Browns go for the rare Pittsburgh sweep, and the Cincinnati Bengals try to salvage their season on Monday Night Football in Dallas.
Here are the keys to Week 14’s games.
Cleveland Browns (3-9) at Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)
Sun. Dec. 8 at Acrisure Stadium, 1 p.m.
Football for $200: “The last time the Cleveland Browns swept the Pittsburgh Steelers.” What is 1988? That’s correct, it has been 36 years since the Browns accomplished that feat in the regular season. Fourteen-year veteran and former Ohio State Buckeye great Cameron Hayward wasn’t even born yet.
Cleveland took two out of three in 2020 after its postseason upset at then-Heinz Field, and as dismal as the last three and a half decades have been for the Browns — as it pertains to the Cleveland-Pittsburgh rivalry, among so many other things — the two teams have actually split their last 10 games, including the playoffs. The previous three decades, however, Pittsburgh holds a 44-11-1 advantage.
So what will it take to pull off the magical sweep this year?
- Rush the quarterback: The Browns need to recreate the chaos with which Myles Garrett unleashed upon the Pittsburgh offensive line two weeks ago. Garrett had three sacks on eight QB pressures and forced a fumble, earning him defensive player of the week honors in Week 12. It will take another herculean effort from Garrett to break through double-team blocking schemes as assistance from other edge rushers is rare. No one else on the roster has more than three total sacks this season.
- Convert third downs: The Browns converted just one of 10 third downs in their first meeting with the Steelers. That one conversion, along with two fourth-down conversions all took place on the team’s final drive to push Cleveland across the finish line with a win. The team can ill-afford drive-stalling turnovers (three in the second half in Week 12) if it wants to make a serious run at a second Pittsburgh victory.
- Limit Pittsburgh splash plays: In Week 12, Cleveland safety Grant Delpit led the team in tackles with 10, a sign that the Steelers were getting into the second level often. The Browns allowed five passing plays of over 20 yards and four rushes that exceeded 10 yards. Last week that trend continued as Pittsburgh had at least a dozen plays of 15 yards or more against the Bengals. The Broncos, of course, had the biggest play of Week 13 when Bo Nix hit Marvin Mims Jr. for a 93-yard touchdown pass.
Line: 6 ½. O/U: 43 ½.
Prediction: Once is an accident, twice is a trend, but 36? Steelers 27-20.
Cincinnati Bengals (4-8) at Dallas Cowboys (5-7)
Mon. Dec. 9 at AT&T Stadium
Good on paper: In August, a Bengals-Cowboys game was likely circled on the calendar as a marquee game in the making. High expectations swirled around both teams, with deep playoff run aspirations. Fast forward to December and the Bengals are 0-7 against teams with a winning record. The Cowboys are almost as miserable with a 2-5 record against winning teams. Two of their other three wins are against the New York Giants.
Math is hard: But it’s not that hard. Simply put, Cincinnati is a better team, top to bottom. While the Bengals defense absolutely represents most everything that has gone wrong this season, it’s offense can’t be matched. Dallas, on the other hand, is a train wreck at home, with four of its five losses coming by at least 24 points. The Cowboys finally won their first game at AT&T Stadium just last week.
Take the over: The Bengals are no stranger to shootouts. Nine times have the Bengals scored at least 25 points in a game, including six games with at least 33 points (four losses). The team also allows the second most points in the league. The Cowboys are likewise no strangers to allowing points (339), having given up exactly one less than the Bengals (340). The offense has also seen a mini spark of late, scoring 61 points over its last two games.
Line: Bengals 5 ½. O/U: 49 ½.
Prediction: Cooper Rush is the third lowest rated current starting QB in the league. Joe Burrow is the 2024 GOAT. It really should be that simple. Bengals 38-24.