Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals, 1:00 PM
Can we please stop talking about the Cincinnati Bengals? Please? Why do people think this team is going to make some magical playoff push down the stretch? They can score points with the best of them, but their defense can't stop a nosebleed. They are 6-8 for a reason, and even if they had an average defense, this team would be 9-5 or even 10-4, which tells you just how bad their defense has been this year.
To be fair, Joe Burrow has played out of his mind, and I am not sure there has been a better QB in football this year. Unfortunately for Burrow, he's likely not playing in late-January and surely not going to win the MVP. Again, even if their defense was just average, this team would be atop the Super Bowl contention window, but here we are.
The Bengals have this game at home, and they will need to keep winning to stay in the playoff chase. They truly can't afford another loss, and if the Denver Broncos were to beat the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football, the Broncos would clinch a playoff spot, so there would be one less spot for the Bengals.
The Browns come into this game having lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15 and are in the middle of yet another lost season. There isn't a ton to like with the Browns this year, and they may be forced to bring Deshaun Watson back in 2025, which is just something I could not stomach as a Browns fan.
I do not believe Cleveland has what it takes to pull off the upset here. Joe Burrow and the Bengals will take advantage of playing yet another bad team and will win here in Week 16, again putting up a ton of points.