Ohio is football country. We love our local High School, college, and Professional teams. We are one of the BIG 5 when it comes to recruiting talent, along with Texas, California, Pennsylvania, and Florida. We love the game, and our Professional teams have been pretty good for the last several years. The Bengals have been a legitimate contender for the Super Bowl, and the Browns are often in the playoffs. So, what is going on this year?
At the start of this season, the Bengals had Joe Burrow back from his wrist injury. Expectations were high for the Bengals because, let’s face it, Joe Burrow is one of the best in the league and has proven that his entire time in the NFL. Not much else had changed, so expectations were through the roof, the Super Bowl was a real possibility!
Six weeks into the season, and they look awful. What happened? The loss of Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates at safety has really hurt the Bengals. Nick Scott, brought in from the Rams, has been a total bust and lost his spot to Jordan Battle. That, along with free agency losses of Chidobe Awuzie, Jonah Williams, and the biggest loss, in my opinion, D. J. Reader, has hurt the defense.
Reader was a pure stopper, and his loss has really shown in the running game. Defensive co-ordinator Lou Anarumo so far hasn’t found a way to stop anybody. Through five games, the Bengals rank 31st in defensive success rate, 30th in points allowed per drive, and 31st in third-down defense, according to ESPN Research. That explains a lot. The offense has looked good, but the loss of Joe Mixon has hurt the running game some.
Zach Moss, while very capable, is not Joe Mixon! There is still time for the Bengals, but unless the defense is fixed, and with the current losses at offensive tackle for the Bengals, keeping Joe upright is a concern. If they can’t, it will be a long season!
The Browns are a whole different story. They are a mess! Here are some of the Cleveland Browns’ offensive stats for 2024:
- Passing yards per game: 30th overall at 142.8
- Rushing yards per game: 27th overall at 96.6
- Total yards per game: 32nd overall at 239.4
- Third down percentage: 32nd overall at 18.2%
Turnover +/- T-19th overall at -1. That pretty much tells the tale, and without Nick Chubb, they are really struggling. The Defense, which has been their calling card for the last several years, has also fallen on hard times. Here are some of the Cleveland Browns’ defensive stats for 2024:
- Total defense: 13th in the league, with an average of 326 yards per game
- Points against per game: 23rd in the league, with an average of 24.2 points per game
- Passing yards against per game: 8th in the league, with an average of 184.40 yards per game
- Rushing yards against per game: 25th in the league, with an average of 141.60 yards per game
- Sacks: 11th in the league
- Interceptions: 28th in the league
In 2023, the Browns’ defense finished the season ranked 14th in the league for points allowed per game, 6th for sacks, and 6th for takeaways.
- I have no idea how to fix the mess they have other than to get rid of DeShaun Watson. He has done nothing but get in more trouble, and in my opinion, it is time to move on from him. His total quarterback rating through 17 games is 34.3, 32nd among 34 qualified passers, and his 9-8 record is mediocre at best. He has been a bust in every sense of the word, and it is time to move on from the 240+ million dollar mistake!
- The season is still young, and both teams can turn it around. Well, the Bengals can if the defense shows up, but for the Browns…….back up the truck and start over! That’s the way I see it….from the sidelines!
