Both the Browns and the Bengals will come into Huntington Bank Field on Sunday in search of their first division wins of the season.
The Browns, at 1-5, are last in the division and the Bengals are just ahead with a 2-4 record. However, due to the way the Bengals have played on offense this season, Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz thinks QB Joe Burrow and the rest of the Cincinnati offense are a better unit than their record shows.
"When you watch the tape, offensively, it doesn't look like a 2-4 team," Schwartz said on Thursday. "You see a lot of points on the board, you see a lot of playmakers."
The Bengals are averaging 29.7 points per game over their past three contests. WR Ja'Marr Chase has 350 receiving yards and three touchdowns over the past three games and Burrow – who had a quieter performance in Week 6 – put on one of the best quarterback performances of the season in the Bengals' Week 5 loss to the Ravens. In their overtime loss to Baltimore, Burrow had nearly 400 passing yards, five touchdowns and an interception.
Schwartz compared Burrow to two of the NFL's all-time great quarterbacks.
"You watch the film now, and the ball is coming out super fast," Schwartz said. "It reminds me a lot of guys like Eli Manning or Peyton Manning. He has just really good command, knows where his answers are. He's not afraid."
When Burrow is getting rid of the ball quickly, it usually means the offense is finding success. In Week 5 against the Ravens, Burrow held onto the ball for an average of 2.5 seconds, completing nearly 77 percent of his passes and averaging +0.51 expected points added per drop back. In Week 6 against the Giants, Burrow held the ball for an average of 3.1 seconds, and saw a 10 percentage point dip in his completion percentage as well as averaging just +0.12 EPA per drop back, per Next Gen Stats.
Check out photos of the team working to prepare for their game this week against the Cincinnati Bengals at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Running back Nick Chubb (24) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Wide receiver Elijah Moore (8) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Defensive end Za'Darius Smith (99) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Wide receiver Jamari Thrash (80) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Wide receiver Elijah Moore (8) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Linebacker Mohamoud Diabate (43) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Safety Grant Delpit (9) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (6) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (54) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Cornerback Denzel Ward (21) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Cornerback Greg Newsome II (0) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Cornerback Tony Brown II (38) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Running back Nyheim Hines (22) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. (51) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Running back Nyheim Hines (22) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Quarterback Jameis Winston (5) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Running back D'Onta Foreman (27) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Running back D'Onta Foreman (27) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (17) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Linebacker Jordan Hicks (58) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Offensive Coordinator Ken Dorsey during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II (90) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Wide receiver Elijah Moore (8) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Wide receiver Cedric Tillman (19) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (17) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Defensive end Elerson Smith (52) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Wide receiver Cedric Tillman (19) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Wide receiver James Proche II (11) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Cornerback Denzel Ward (21) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Wide receiver Michael Woods II (81) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Safeties Coach Ephraim Banda and Cornerback Tony Brown II (38) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Cornerback Kahlef Hailassie (25) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Offensive tackle Jack Conklin (78) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Linebacker Nathaniel Watson (40) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Cornerback Mike Ford Jr. (31) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Cornerback Greg Newsome II (0) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Safety Chris Edmonds (41) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Quarterback Jameis Winston (5) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Bubba Ventrone during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Director of Performance Shaun Huls during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Cornerback Tony Brown II (38) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Defensive end Za'Darius Smith (99) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Equipment Intern Keaton Huff during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 17, 2024.
Cornerback Kahlef Hailassie (25) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 16, 2024.
Pressuring Burrow early while preventing his talented receivers like Chase and Tee Higgins from getting open will be a primary focus for the Browns defense on Sunday.
"We got a real challenge for our coverage and our pass rush because the ball does come out so quick, particularly on first and second down. So, I'm trying to get him off the spot, trying to ruin the timing, that's a big challenge this week," Schwartz said.
Burrow has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL this season when under pressure. He holds a 100.7 passer rating when pressured, fifth highest in the NFL, and has thrown three touchdowns and one interception.
Schwartz said that Burrow's ability to quickly read a defense and not flinch under pressure is what has made him so great this year.
"It's the old adage, 'You never go broke taking a profit,'" Schwartz said. "He's taking the checkdowns. He's working through his progressions real fast. And then he's picking and choosing his times to run, which is mainly third down and red zone."
Schwartz said that the Browns defense, which was one of the best at pressuring opposing quarterbacks in 2023, must increase its pressure percentage in 2024, especially against quarterbacks as talented as Burrow.
The Browns still have the fourth-highest pressure rate in the NFL at 39.1 percent, but their sack percentage of 7.4 percent is 10th-highest in the league – a good, but not necessarily elite, clip.
"Our pressure rate really needs to increase," Schwartz said. "Our scheme and what we do is based on four-man pass rush and our pressure rate needs to go up. Last year, we were really, really good there. Even when we didn't get sacks, we were applying a lot of pressure. And a little bit like our corners, we need to up our game a little bit in the pass rush game. I have confidence that we can. We have good players up there. We need them to get back and play like we expect them to play."
One way the Bengals have been able to negate opposing defense's pressure opportunities has been by establishing their rushing attack. With RB Joe Mixon's trade to the Texans, the Bengals have relied on a committee of running backs in Chase Brown and Zach Moss. The two have combined for 507 rushing yards and six total touchdowns through the season's first six weeks.
Schwartz noted that the Bengals have increased their usage of 12 personnel, meaning two tight ends are on the field. The Bengals run two-tight end sets at a 22.9 percent clip, the sixth-highest percentage in the NFL.
"They've expanded their run game quite a bit; a lot more traps and a lot more whams and a lot more scheme blocking," Schwartz said. "You see some San Fran influence in there with some of these tight ends moving. They even get into two-back sets and run two-back sets. It's been effective for them, and I think it's probably kept them out of being a little bit so one-dimensional on offense."
