The regular season is finally here, and the Cincinnati Bengals open up theirs against a familiar foe, the in-state rival Cleveland Browns, at Huntington Bank Field. The Bengals opened up in Cleveland in 2023, a matchup they lost 24-3. Early-season struggles have been a nagging narrative for Cincinnati to say the least.
However, both teams have gone through a lot of changes since then, the Browns especially, going from a solid playoff team to No. 1 pick contenders. Yes, the Bengals have the better team on paper and should easily get by Cleveland, but as Cincy fans know well enough by now, nothing is certain — especially not in Week 1.
Last season, they opened up at home against a New England Patriots team that would go on to finish 4-13 on the year. One of those four wins was against the Bengals in the season opener. However, Zac Taylor and the coaching staff took measures to try and circumvent this, like giving the starters more playing time in the preseason. Will these measures work? Well, we'll find out very soon.
In the meantime, let's look at some interesting matchups that will take place in the divisional game vs. the Cleveland Browns.
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference.
Ja'Marr Chase vs. Denzel Ward
When asked who the toughest cornerback in the league that he's faced was, Chase didn't waste any time answering and giving high praise to Browns' veteran corner Denzel Ward. Ward, since coming into the NFL in 2018, has been one of the more underrated corners in the league, being a bright spot on some very good-- and very bad-- Cleveland squads.
Bengals fans should be familiar with the former Buckeye, as he has nabbed three interceptions in his 11 games against Cincy. Two of those picks were house calls, including one that went end zone-to-end zone in their first duel in 2021.
Ward has also held up well against Chase, as Ja'Marr has only gone for over 100 yards in one of his seven games against the Browns.
Denzel Ward was on a loaded list of names on the Browns' injury report for Week 1, although it sounds like he'll be good to go on Sunday. So, we should get a good WR-DB showdown between arguably the best wide receiver in the league and an underrated, lockdown corner.
Orlando Brown Jr. & Amarius Mims vs. Myles Garrett
Last season, the Bengals were able to contain the four-time All-Pro and past Defensive Player of the Year better than they ever have during the Joe Burrow era, allowing just one sack in two games.
This was thanks in large part to the additions the Bengals made to the offensive line over the last few years, specifically at tackle. They signed 4-time Pro Bowler Orlando Brown Jr. during the 2023 offseason, though it was 2024 first-round pick out of Georgia, Amarius Mims, who was really battle-tested and held his own. Brown ended up playing sparingly in the first game against Cleveland and missed the second one entirely, both due to injury.
Amarius Mims vs Myles Garrett & the Browns defense:
— Bengalscentre (@benga1scentre) October 21, 2024
• 3.6% pressure rate
• Myles Garrett held to 0 sacks pic.twitter.com/FuKG2McXG1
Now, Orlando Brown Jr. is healthy, and chances are Myles Garrett will be facing both him and Amarius Mims multiple times throughout the game. It'll be interesting to see if the best tackle duo that Cincinnati has had in years can contain one of the best pass-rushers in the league, or if Myles Garrett will have a big day and disrupt the Bengals' stellar offense. Fingers crossed for the former.
Chase Brown vs. Browns linebackers
Chase Brown enters his second year as Cincinnati's starter at running back. Despite new, necessary depth additions to the room in second-stint vet Samaje Perine and rookie sixth-rounder Tahj Brooks, Chase Brown is going to be the feature back. Running backs coach Justin Hill even said they've reworked the run game to cater to Brown's strengths specifically.
One thing Chase Brown did a lot in his sophomore campaign was rush through the middle of the field, and that probably won't change this year, since he was very efficient on those carries. Cleveland's linebacker core will have its hands full.
Unfortunately for the Browns, injuries have ravaged that position for them. The most notable player who has been afflicted by injury being Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who will not only miss the season-opener but will be sidelined for all of 2025.
A lot of pressure will be on second-round rookie Carson Schwesinger. The UCLA product was one of the top linebacker prospects in the draft. Schwesinger is a supreme athlete, and must step up to stop the Bengals' rushing attack. Cleveland figures to deploy some combination of Schwesinger, Devin Bush, Mohamoud Diabate and Jerome Baker to thwart Brown on the ground.
Daxton Hill vs. Harold Fannin Jr.
After leading the entire FBS in yards and receptions — not just among tight ends, but among all receivers — Harold Fannin Jr. went into the 2025 draft as one of the most interesting Group of Five prospects in recent memory, with some even arguing that he was the top tight end in the class over first-round picks Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren.
The Browns managed to land Fannin in the third round, adding a versatile and exciting weapon to an offense that needed it. Although David Njoku is still the starter at tight end for Cleveland, Fannin Jr. is expected to be heavily involved in the two-tight-end offense that Browns' head coach Kevin Stefanski likes to run.
And chances are, the Bengals will see the 6-foot-3, 240-pound tight end lined up in a variety of positions. Fannin could even line up as a slot receiver, much like how Cincinnati uses Mike Gesicki. If the rookie out of Bowling Green does end up in the slot, he'll see a lot of fourth-year defensive back Daxton Hill across from him.
With the departure of Mike Hilton, the Bengals needed someone else to step up and fill that vacant nickel cornerback role. They seem content with putting 2022 first-rounder Dax Hill there.
Hill's career has gotten off to a shaky start. Being moved around to various positions and injuries haven't helped. He started at safety, then, after a rough 2023 campaign, they kicked him to outside corner for the 2024 season, which was cut short for the former Michigan Wolverine with a knee injury. Now, with Hilton gone, they're moving Dax Hill back to the position where he saw the most action in college: slot corner.
Hill has an intriguing first test at his new full-time spot, going up against a tight end that is just as versatile offensively as Hill is defensively. Can Hill keep the rookie in check? Or will Fannin Jr. have a memorable debut?
We are little more than 24 hours away from the Bengals kicking off their season, and here's to hoping they get off to a good start by getting the upper hand in some or all of these matchups. WHO DEY!