Browns vs. Bengals: 5 bold predictions for Halloween night

4. The passes will continue

There have been several criticisms being hurled at the Browns during their four-game losing streak, and some are legitimate. There have been issues on defense that include miscommunications, a perceived lack of preparation, and some film where it appears players are avoiding contact — like when John Johnson II showed no interest in stopping Gus Edwards on his touchdown run.

Having said that, there’s one criticism that’s confusing — the knock on the number of passes thrown over the past couple of weeks. First, against the Patriots there were outcries when Jacoby Brissett threw it 45 times while Nick Chubb had just 12 rushes. That would be a fair claim in a close game but the Browns lost 38-15 and only threw that much since they were playing from behind.

Next was the frustration that Chubb had just seven carries in the first half against Baltimore while Brissett threw it 15 times. However, this was due to the defense and Brissett was getting it done. At halftime, Cleveland had 17 yards on 11 runs and 167 on 15 passing attempts. This is how Chubb managed 71 yards in the second half because the defense had no choice but to respect the pass.

With all that being said, the Browns will continue to throw against the Bengals. Again, the defense will have a say in this as they will load the box in an effort to slow Chubb down and Kevin Stefanski is going to try and take advantage with the pass. It might not be popular but it was working in Week 7 and there’s a reason to believe it will again this week.