Bengals Week 7 Scouting Report: Cleveland Browns

After picking up a primetime victory over the New York Giants in Week 6, the Bengals travel to Cleveland for an AFC North matchup with the Browns. Cleveland is coming off a 20-16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last week.

The Browns offense has scored nine touchdowns over the first six games, tied with the Chargers for the third-fewest in the NFL. They are also the only team in the NFL to not eclipse 20 points in a game this season.

The Browns will likely get a boost this week, though, as star running back Nick Chubb is expected to make his season debut. Chubb has been sidelined since Week 2 of 2023 with a knee injury, but the four-time pro bowler accumulated over 1,500 yards rushing the last time he was healthy for a full season in 2022. For his career, Chubb averages 5.3 yards per carry and has scored 52 touchdowns in 77 games played.

The return of Chubb should help the Browns rushing attack get back on track. Cleveland has just two rushing touchdowns this season, tied for the fewest in the NFL, and 583 total rushing yards. The Browns also lost current starting back Jerome Ford against the Eagles, who is being considered week-to-week with a hamstring injury. As Chubb gets back into game shape, backup running backs D’Onta Foreman and Pierre Strong Jr. will likely supplement. Per PFF, the Browns offensive line has a 52.8 run-block grade, the third lowest in the NFL.

The Cleveland offensive line also comes into the week with a 48.9 pass-block grade, also the third lowest in the league. Quarterback Deshaun Watson has been sacked a league-leading 31 times. A dual-threat, Watson has 148 yards rushing this season. His 61.2 PFF passing grade ranks 25th among quarterbacks with at least 25 dropbacks this season.

Cleveland likes to use the run game to set up the pass. Per PFF, the Browns have run 67 play-action plays, the second most in the league. On such dropbacks, Watson has a 7.3% big-time throw percentage, the fourth-best in the league. PFF defines a big-time throw as “a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window.”

A three-time pro bowler with the Houston Texans, Watson completed 69.6% of his passes against the Eagles last week, his second-highest completion percentage so far this year. He also started to push the ball downfield a bit more, averaging 7.3 yards per attempt, his most by over a full yard. After throwing two interceptions in their opening season loss to the Cowboys, Watson only has one interception in the last five games. As a team, Cleveland has only six giveaways this year, but they’ve also punted on 51% of their possessions, the highest rate in the NFL, per ESPN.