Bengals vs. Browns: 5 Bold predictions for NFL Week 2

2. Nick Chubb goes for 120+ yards, Joe Mixon held under 60 yards

Fantasy football managers are surely quick to tell you that Browns running back Nick Chubb split snaps down the middle with Kareem Hunt in Week 1 while the latter actually got three more carries on the game (13-to-10). For everyone who was a believer that Kevin Stefanski’s offense would mean fewer carries for Chubb, they were proven right.

Or were they? Simply put, Cleveland was beaten into the ground by the Ravens last week. That caused them to adjust the gameplan, throw more often and get away from Chubb. The same script won’t present itself in this game. And in doing so, the running back will find his way back into favor with a monster game.

The same, however, won’t be said for Joe Mixon. Mixon averaged just 3.6 yards per carry (19 for 69) against the Chargers and, admittedly, Cleveland’s run defense isn’t as stout. But with the Bengals needing to throw more and the Browns line able to get a push, Mixon is going to have another rough day at the office.

1. Browns get a double-digit victory over the Bengals

Considering that the Browns were blown out last week while the Bengals kept things close, this might not seem likely. However, the matchups that each team faced are being entirely too overlooked. While Cleveland faced a legitimate Super Bowl contender, Cincinnati faced a fringe playoff team.

With one pseudo-preseason game out of the way for Cleveland, I expect everything — particularly on offense — to look much cleaner for the home team on Thursday night. And with the youth and lack of defensive depth for Cincinnati, the result will be a resounding victory for the Browns, winning by double-digits to climb back to .500 early in the year.