3 problems Bengals must fix before Week 7 game against Browns

The Cincinnati Bengals were able to pull out a 10-7 victory over the New York Giants in Week 6, but it was an ugly win. They're going to need to play much better moving forward if they want to continue to climb back into the playoff picture in the AFC after a 1-4 start to the season.

Here's a look at three problems that the Bengals must address immediately in order to grab their second consecutive W of the season against the Cleveland Browns in Week 7.

Cut back on fumbles

Fumbles have been an issue for the Bengals so far this season. In six games, Cincinnati has eight total fumbles, including four that they lost. They had two in the win against New York alone. Zack Moss lost a fumble early in the third quarter of the contest, and then Chase Brown lost the ball late in the game. Luckily, the Bengals were able to retain possession as the ball bounced out of bounds, but it could have been a very costly error.

It's a team-wide issue, as six different players have fumbled the ball for Cincinnati this season. Joe Burrow is the only player on the roster who has fumbled the ball on multiple occasions, but as the quarterback he has the ball in his hands the most, so that's not surprising. Overall, the Bengals need to emphasize ball control in the game against the Browns, and beyond.

Increase rushing attempts

When you have Joe Burrow as your quarterback, it makes sense that you'd want to tap into his skills as a passer as much as possible. However, the Bengals need to strike a bit better balance between rushing and passing in order for the offense to reach its full potential.

Through six weeks of action, the Bengals are near the bottom of the league in rushing attempts per game with 22.0. Only the Seattle Seahawks, Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars are averaging fewer attempts per performance. The Bengals have a good back in Moss, and a potential great one in Brown, who is averaging 5.5 yards per carry but only getting 8.5 attempts per game on the season. Moving forward, Brown -- and the backfield in general -- should be given more of an opportunity to produce.

Improve run defense

Run defense has been a problem for the Bengals early in the season. As a team, they've allowed 876 rushing yards, which is the fourth-most in the entire NFL. Only the Colts, Panthers and Cardinals have allowed more. In Week 6, they gave up 175 rushing yards to the Ravens. They'll need tighten up the ground defense against Cleveland, especially since the Browns are expected to get star running back Nick Chubb back for the contest.

Chubb hasn't played since suffering a major knee injury in Week 2 of the 2023 season, so his action in his return game could be limited. But, Chubb has burned the Bengals for 100-plus yards several times in the past, so keeping him and the rest of Cleveland's ground game in check should be a priority for Cincinnati.