If the Cleveland Browns are going to salvage even a shred of a chance to make the playoffs, they will have to get a win this weekend against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals may be struggling at 2-4, but they will bring a potent offense led by quarterback Joe Burrow and star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase to Huntington Bank Field.
While Cleveland has had lots of trouble putting up points — they haven’t reached the 20-point mark yet this season — they will have to lean on their defense in order to get some victories, just as they did last year.
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz challenged his cornerbacks to step up their play while praising them as the best group at that position in the NFL, per Mary Kay Cabot.
At the cornerback position, the Browns have Denzel Ward, a three-time Pro Bowler, Greg Newsome II and Martin Emerson, and thanks in part to them, the team ranks a solid 11th in passing yards allowed and seventh in passing touchdowns given up.
In six games this year, Ward has 10 passes defended, which leads everyone in the NFL, and one quarterback hit.
The Browns will look a little different on the other side of the football this Sunday, as they traded star wide receiver Amari Cooper earlier this week to the Buffalo Bills.
They got a 2025 third-round draft pick and a seventh-round pick in 2026 for the five-time Pro Bowler, and one has to wonder if that trade will trigger something of a soft rebuild for them.