The Cincinnati Bengals need a second straight win in Week 7 over the rival Cleveland Browns in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. Luckily for Cincinnati, the game appears to be a winnable one, as the Browns have struggled mightily so far this season and have only won one of their first six games.
But, if the Bengals are going to pull out a win over Cleveland, they'll need some big-time performances from some key contributors. Here's a look at three Bengals players who need to thrive in order for Cincinnati to walk out of Cleveland with a win.
Tee Higgins, Wide receiver
Ja'Marr Chase has had more big-time highlights for the Bengals so far this season, but Tee Higgins has been central to the team's offensive success in recent weeks. Higgins missed the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury, and his absence was noticeable. The Bengals struggled to move the ball consistently without Higgins, and it's probably not a coincidence that they lost both of the games that he missed.
It's also probably not a coincidence that Cincinnati's offense really took off when Higgins returned to action in Week 3. They scored 34-plus points in three straight games immediately upon his return and his reliable production is a big part of the reason why. In addition to having 25 catches for 259 yards and two touchdowns on the season, Higgins has also come up big when it comes to moving the chains with 17 first downs generated.
If the Bengals are going to have success against Cleveland's secondary, Higgins is going to have to be a big part of it.
Chase Brown, Running back
Heading into the matchup with the Browns, Joe Burrow predicted a good ground game for Cincinnati.
"I think we’ll be able to run the ball well on Sunday. I like the run game plan," Burrow said. "We’ll see how it plays out. We’ll be ready to drop back 50 times if we need to just like always, but be nice to have a big time game on the ground."
The Browns can be run on -- they have been giving up over 137 yards per game on the ground -- and doing so could be the key to victory for the Bengals. With that said, look for Chase Brown to have a big game in Cleveland. Brown is averaging over 5.5 yards per carry on the season, and his role has continued to grow.
He had just 14 total attempts over the first three games, but he's received double-digit carries in each of the last three games. Look for him to be a major factor in the game plan this weekend. A big game from Brown would bode well for Cincinnati's chances.
Ryan Rehkow, Punter
The hope is that the Bengals offense will be able to move the ball against Cleveland consistently, but field position is the name of the game, and Cincinnati will need punter Ryan Rehkow to continue to be as good as he has been throughout his rookie campaign so far.
Rehkow is currently leading the league in net average punt yards and he's second in gross average punt yards. He's landed 11 punts inside the opponent's 20, and he has the second-longest punt league-wide on the season with an 80-yarder.
Cleveland's offense has struggled to produce points this season. They haven't even hit 20 in a single game. So, having to start possessions deep in their own territory thanks to productive punts from Rehkow will make things even more difficult on them, and could tilt the game in Cincinnati's favor.
