Scouting Ahead: Cleveland Browns’ Week 9 opponent, Cincinnati Bengals

Which Browns defense will we get?

Enough about the offense, on to a perhaps more complex side of the ball: the Browns defense.

We’ve come to expect just about anything from the defense. They rank pretty well among defensive units in the NFL, in what has been a pretty weird year for defense in general to be fair, but we’ve seen in key losses especially that they are very prone to collapsing down the stretch and letting up big plays through the air.

The Chargers game and Cardinals game stick out in the mind for the big plays and penalties, although the penalties have been largely frustrating and controversial, to say the least. Still, Joe Woods can’t use that as an excuse, and it’s about time that his unit started clicking more consistently.

Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney have been a great wrecking crew this year, Malik McDowell and co. in the middle have been a nice surprise as well, and despite injuries, the secondary has shown a lot of promise at times.

The problem is other times the injuries and inconsistency overshadow the promise, resulting in the Browns getting torched. So which Browns defense will we get against the Bengals? If it’s the worst side, it’ll mean it’s time to start pointing fingers and identifying the source of a persistent issue.

It may have to be Woods himself if things aren’t better by the end of the season, and Stefanski might not hesitate to look for other options considering where his own job security could be at this rate.