Cleveland Browns vs. Bengals Week 2 score predictions: No. 1 overall pick bowl

Who will win on Thursday night when the Cleveland Browns host the Bengals?

Week 1 went about as poorly as it possibly could for the Cleveland Browns, but thankfully there’s a quick turnaround so we don’t have to continue to dwell on that game.

Instead, we can look forward to their prime time debut in 2020 which comes on Thursday Night Football when they host the Cincinnati Bengals. In this game featuring cross-state rivals, there will be a couple of fun storylines to watch — each centered around Baker Mayfield.

First is the obvious — his battle against Joe Burrow of the Bengals. The LSU quarterback was taken first overall this season which pits him against Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick from 2018 for Cleveland. Each of these quarterbacks is being tasked with turning around a fledging franchise and they not only come in with the title of No. 1 pick, but also have a Heisman Trophy in their trophy case.

Mayfield won the award for Oklahoma back in 2017 and parlayed that into becoming the top pick for Cleveland. As a rookie, he was fantastic and it all started in a Week 3 primetime game on Thursday Night Football against the New York Jets — and that brings up the second storyline to watch. Mayfield was fantastic when the team took on New York that night at FirstEnergy Stadium and he’s once again going to be playing under the bright lights with all eyes on him.

Can he shake off the rusty performance from Week 1 and win over some of his critics? And if so, will it be enough to lead the Browns to their first win of the season? Those are the questions we look to answer as the Dawg Pound Daily crew gives their takes on the Week 2 showdown against Cincy.

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