4 Must-Watch Matchups in the Cleveland Browns Week 16 Matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals

The Cleveland Browns are making a switch at quarterback in advance of their Week 16 matchup in Cincinnati. With little left to play for outside of pride, finishing the season with a winning record inside the division is still on the table. Here are the must-watch matchups for the Browns in Week 16.

At 3-11, the Cleveland Browns have moved on to full evaluation mode. As Cleveland plays out the string, many young players including Dorian Thompson-Robinson will get extensive looks. The infusion of youth comes as the Browns head to Cincinnati to take on the yet-to-be-mathematically eliminated Bengals. Here are four must-watch matchups for the Browns in the latest installment of the Battle of Ohio.

Matchup No. 1: Germain Ifedi vs Trey Hendrickson

With the Browns starting an inexperienced quarterback the matchup between Germain Ifedi and Trey Hendrickson could greatly affect the outcome. Ifedi has struggled mightily in pass protection since taking over as the starting left tackle. Over the last five games, Ifedi has given up 20 total pressures, with 13 hurries, four quarterback hits, and three sacks.

That volume of pressure is catastrophic for any offense trying to stay on schedule and makes it next to impossible for a quarterback to build a rhythm and go through their reads. Factor in DTR’s inexperience and you have a recipe for disaster.

Enter Trey Hendrickson. Currently, Hendrickson leads the NFL with 12.5 sacks. In addition to leading the league in sacks, Hendrickson has 67 total pressures, 40 hurries, and 14 quarterback hits.

Hendrickson’s motor does not have an off-switch so Ifedi must play through the echo of the whistle. If David Njoku is not able to go on Sunday, Ken Dorsey will have to get creative with ways to help Ifedi keep Hendrickson from wrecking the game and buying DTR some much-needed time to throw.

Matchup No. 2: Myles Garrett vs Whichever Poor Soul Draws the Assignment

With Orlando Brown Jr. missing the last two games with a leg injury and missing practice again this week, it appears that the Bengals will hand the assignment of blocking Myles Garrett to either Cordell Volson, Cody Ford, or Devin Cochran. There is a possibility that they could move Amarius Mims over to left tackle to face the All-Pro game wrecker.

Regardless of who draws the assignment, expect Zac Taylor to send the kitchen sink at Garrett to help protect Joe Burrow. Garrett has sacked Burrow eight times in their seven meetings, which is the most sacks that Garrett has of any quarterback. If there is any matchup that the Browns must exploit to beat Cincinnati, this is it.

Garrett was rendered largely ineffective in their last matchup in October, registering one total pressure on Burrow. For the Browns to have a chance in Cincinnati on Sunday, Garrett must dominate his one-on-one opportunities and speed up Burrow’s clock to force mistakes.

Matchup No. 3: Dorian Thompson-Robinson vs Lou Anarumo

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Jameis Winston has officially been benched and Dorian Thompson-Robinson will get his first start of the 2024 season. With three games remaining, the Browns are trying to ascertain as much as they can about the prospects of DTR being a part of their quarterback room going forward, whether that is as a backup or a potential starter. This will be Thompson-Robinson’s fourth NFL start, but only the second time that he has had a full week of preparation.

For Bengals’ defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, the opportunity to face a young quarterback with only three starts under his belt is a welcome one. The Bengals’ defense has massively underperformed to their expectations in 2024. Cincinnati’s defense is currently in the bottom five in the league in the following categories: points against (31^st), yards allowed (29^th), first downs allowed (30^th), and touchdowns allowed (28^th).

Anarumo is in his seventh season as a defensive coordinator, having spent six of those seasons leading the Bengals’ defense. He has already faced DTR once this season, albeit without any preparation by either Thompson-Robinson or Anarumo, so he has somewhat of an idea of what to expect from the second-year quarterback from a skillset perspective.

Given how Thompson-Robinson can extend drives with his legs, Anarumo will likely attempt to take that off DTR’s menu and make him win with his arm. Thompson-Robinson must have a counter-punch when Anarumo attempts to take away what he is best at. Keep an eye on the chess match between DTR and the second-year coordinator because it will likely determine how successful the Browns can be on Sunday.

Matchup No. 4: Denzel Ward vs Ja’Marr Chase

There are good-on-good matchups and great-on-great matchups, this is the latter. Denzel Ward is playing some of the best football of his career in 2024. The same can be said for Ja’Marr Chase, who is currently making his bid to win the NFL’s triple crown of receiving.

While neither player’s elite play has propelled their respective teams to a winning record, it is impossible to not acknowledge that this matchup is as good as it gets between a wide receiver and a cornerback. Add in the fact that Chase and Ward take exception with each other’s hierarchy standing within the AFC North, and you get one of the spicier matchups in the NFL.

Through 14 games, Chase leads the NFL with 102 receptions for 1,413 yards and 15 touchdowns. With Tee Higgins missing practice on Thursday with a knee designation, Chase could be in store for an even heavier target share than normal. If the Warden can put the clamps on Chase when they line up across from one another, it would further cement Ward’s case for his fourth Pro Bowl bid.