6 realistic expectations for Bengals vs Browns in Week 18
By Alex Austin
The Cincinnati Bengals will take on the Cleveland Browns in the first-ever NFL week 18 and this game lost a lot of luster quickly.
Two weeks ago, many were looking to this game as a potential AFC North division championship game. The Bengals were set to play the Kansas City Chiefs, while the Browns were taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers. A Bengals loss and Browns win would have set up a winner take all divisional matchup this week in the final game of the regular season.
Instead, the Bengals beat Kansas City to win the AFC North, while the Browns struggled and lost to the Steelers.
Now the postseason fates are set for both teams.
The Bengals will be back in the playoffs for the first time since 2015, while the Browns will be sitting at home.
So what does that mean for this game? It means an awful lot of changes to both sides.
Baker Mayfield has elected to get surgery to accelerate his recovery time and be ready for next year, so he will not be playing in the final game of the season.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati seems like it will be sitting almost everyone, making this game look more like preseason than the final game of the year. With that in mind, here are some realistic expectations for the Bengals vs. Browns.