For the first time in many years, the eyes of the AFC will be watching the great state of Ohio today as the AFC North race has been made a three-horse race. After the Bengals lost to Baltimore last weekend, today’s showdown between the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals means a lot to far more than just these in-state rivals. The 4-5 Browns are eager to prove they’re not a fluke, and the 6-4 Bengals are desperate for a win to stay in the playoff chase. If you can’t catch the game live on CBS at 1pm EST / 10am PEST today, you can watch Browns vs Bengals online free using one of several different methods.
This should be a close AFC North contest between teams that have played one another tight during the past several seasons. The Browns won the last Battle of Ohio, and they’ll hope to make it two in a row with Jason Campbell at quarterback. In two starts this season, Campbell has thrown for five touchdowns and no interceptions while recording a passer rating above 100. He isn’t exactly a “dual threat” like high-profile QBs Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson or Robert Griffin III (RG3), but he can get out of the pocket. During those aforementioned starts he’s rushed seven times for 37 yards.
On the other side of the ball, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton will need to regain his form from earlier in the season. Dalton has been 18-of-39 against the blitz over the past two weeks, notching a passer rating of 36.9. When he’s not under pressure he’s performed a bit better, but with that recent track record you know the Browns and their fifth-ranked defense will be blitzing hard and often against the Bengals’ offensive line. For the season Dalton has done well, with a #17 quarterback ranking and totals of 239-383 for 2,861 yards and 18 touchdowns. Again, though, the past two weeks have been challenging for him, so he’ll need to remember what got him those stats in the first place.
During the Bengals’ four-game winning streak last month, Dalton put together the best stretch of any quarterback in Bengals history. However, during the past two games he’s thrown six interceptions and was part of a fumble. Dalton will turn it around eventually, and if he does, the Bengals will undoubtedly follow his lead. The Bengals were sitting pretty two weeks ago, but they’ve lost two games in a row that they really should have won. With the standings the way they are, when you watch Browns vs Bengals online free you should see a winning-record Bengals team beat up on its in-state rival with a losing record. If Dalton can indeed start clicking again, that should end up being the case.
It’s not like they won’t face some obstacles, of course. Before coming out of last week’s game versus Baltimore without any player lost to injury, the Bengals had watched in the previous three games as they lost their top cornerback, their best defensive player, a starting linebacker and their most versatile defensive back to serious injuries. Probably the most notable injury of today’s Browns vs Bengals game, though, is the bruised ribs of Browns QB Jason Campbell. The Browns downplayed his injury during their bye week, but quarterbacks can only stand in the pocket so long with bruised ribs. The one person the Browns can’t afford to lose is Campbell, who’s played better in the past two games than he has his whole his career.
You can watch Browns vs Bengals online free live streaming on DirecTV’s website if you have the NFL Sunday Ticket with MAX Package. The package requires a subscription, but anyone who has one can watch the live streaming version free of any game, including today’s 1pm EST / 10am PST NFL game between the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.
