The rematch of the Battle of Ohio takes place at Cleveland Browns Stadium just four weeks after the Bengals defeated the Browns in the first game between the two teams. After that, Cincinnati enjoyed a streak of three wins that ended last week in a surprising home defeat to Miami. Cleveland, meanwhile, is still waiting for that elusive first victory of the season, but to their credit they have played well against some good teams. Surely that first win cannot be far off now?
The Bengals found in the 2011 NFL Draft their offensive leaders for the coming years: Andy Dalton and A.J. Green. In their rookie season, they were both pivotal contributors in the Bengals’ playoff surge and while Dalton is having his ups and downs this season, Green is already looking like one of the league's top receivers. Cleveland mimicked that approach this spring when they collected Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson in the first round of the draft. Along with a crop of young receivers, Browns fans will be hoping this duo can have a similarly positive influence on their fortunes as Dalton and Green had on their cross-state rivals a year ago.
Let’s take a look at the key matchups for this AFC North game.
Andy Dalton vs. Brandon Weeden
Both quarterbacks in this matchup are off to shaky starts of varying degrees. Dalton has lacked the sort of consistency that you would have hoped for after the rookie season that he put together. After two positive performances, he went all the way down last week with a -4.1 grade against Miami. It was the second time in the season when he was forced to throw more than 35 times and it didn’t work out well. His completion percentage dropped from 70% to 60% and his QB rating decreased from 118 to 65. On both occasions that Dalton has thrown that often, the Bengals have lost. Dalton needs to start hot and help the Bengals establish early leads, he doesn’t want to start a trend of not being able to pull the Bengals back late in games on the strength of his own play. When he can control the game and get into a rhythm early, hitting his receivers and moving the chains regularly, is when he is at his best.
Weeden is a completely different story. After his debut, in which he earned the lowest single game grade for a QB in PFF history (-9.4), the only way was up and, thankfully, his performances have moved in that direction. He still has a long way to go, but in his last game in New York, against the defending Super Bowl champions, Weeden showed that he can make the kinds of throws that an NFL quarterback has to — like the two touchdown passes to Josh Gordon. His best game to this point in the season was against the Bengals, on the road in Week 2. Weeden completed 70.3% of his passes for 322 yards and had a QB rating of 114.9. In that game he managed to avoid the kind of mistakes that he has made in other games and cost his team valuable points. He has thrown nine interceptions and his PFF adjusted QB Rating is the second-worst in the league; 73.96.
Trent Richardson vs. Bengals Front Seven
Richardson had a slow start after having a knee surging in the preseason, but he is now showing why he was the third pick in the draft. The Browns increased his playing time versus the Giants from 70% to 85% and Richardson responded with a great performance. He graded +2.6 in rushing, +3.1 overall, and showed his skills on the open field breaking six tackles.
His other great game until now, like Weeden, was in Cincinnati when he took advantage of a disappointing display in run defense by the Bengals, with only one player in the front seven grading positive in that area. This time he is coming up against a defense coming off a good game versus Miami. Rey Maualuga’s performance was especially encouraging. He had six defensive stops, as much as he had in the previous four games, and no missed tackles for the first time of the season. The right side of the defensive line also had a great day. Geno Atkins and Michael Johnson combined for six defensive stops and a +3.5 grade in run defense.
A.J. Green vs. Joe Haden
Not many defensive backs can match up with Green’s talent and athleticism. It’s just his second season in the league but he has built on that impressive rookie campaign with a strong start to his sophomore season. He is already one of the most feared receivers in the league. He is sixth in Yards Per Route Run (2.69) and in Deep Passing, with a Catch Rate of 41.2. Facing the Browns means facing the returning Joe Haden, a matchup that could be a classic in the coming years and while Green enters the game in fine form, we can’t be so sure that the same applies to Haden.
Haden comes back from a four-game suspension and his absence has been quite noticeable. He played in the season opener, earning a +1.6 grade in pass coverage and proving that he is the best Browns cornerback by far. Buster Skrine had his chance to step up, but didn’t impress (-5.6 pass coverage grade in the last four games) as he let the side down, particularly in the Browns’ visit to Cincinnati in Week 2. So far this season Skrine is allowing a 109.3 passer rating on the 36 passes thrown into his coverage.
Now Haden is back, he is expected to start alongside Sheldon Brown and pick up the role he filled against the Bengals last season, tracking Green all over the field in man coverage. Haden is one of the few corners in the league who tracks an opposing No. 1 receiver when the Browns feel that the opposition has a player worth tracking. It will not be in the least bit surprising to see that tactic pulled out again this week. Allowing Green to take advantage of favorable matchups against the Browns’ other corners would not be wise, to say the least.
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