Week 17 Cleveland Browns score predictions: Looking to fourth straight vs. Bengals
By Randy Gurzi
The Cleveland Browns swept the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018 and look to do so again in 2019. Members of the DPD crew predict whether or not that will happen
Week 17 will be the final game for the Cleveland Browns once again as they continue to extend the NFL’s longest active playoff drought. Not since 2002 has this franchise made it into the postseason and they haven’t had a winning season since 2007.
They had incredibly high hopes that this would change in 2019 and they weren’t alone. Cleveland was a team to watch after their 5-3 run to end their past season as well as the acquisition of talented players such as Odell Beckham, Jr., Olivier Vernon, Kareem Hunt, and Greedy Williams.
Unfortunately, the talent didn’t produce wins. Cleveland was absolutely bullied in Week 1 by the Tennessee Titans and they were playing catch-up from there. That doesn’t mean there weren’t some good moments along the way.
One came in Week 4 when they were able to knock off the Baltimore Ravens and move into a 2-2 tie for first place in the AFC North. The two teams went in different directions after that as Baltimore is the hottest team in the NFL and the Browns are trying to figure things out still.
Baltimore wasn’t the only playoff-bound team Cleveland knocked off this season either as they defeated the Buffalo Bills in Week 10. That came on a game-winning touchdown pass from Baker Mayfield to Rashard Higgins.
They also can finally say they had one quarterback all season as Mayfield will be the first signal-caller since Tim Couch in 2001 to start all 16 games in a season. They can also finish with a record of 4-2 in their division if they’re able to sweep their final opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals.
With that game coming up, members of the DPD crew look ahead and predict the outcome of the last game of the year.