Cleveland Browns potential breakout star in Week 14

The Cleveland Browns look to stretch their win streak to three games when they travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals for a second time.

The Cleveland Browns have yet to lose a game against the Cincinnati Bengals since Kevin Stefanski was hired in 2020. If they are to extend that streak they will need several young players on the defense to step up. A player that has the potential to be a breakout start Sunday is second-year linebacker Tony Fields II.

Fields has been thrust into more playing time after the linebacker room suffered more injuries including Sione Takitaki. Last week against the Texans, Fields really showed up and played easily his best game as a Brown. Fields had a forced fumble, recovered a fumble, and returned an interception for a touchdown in Houston.

Fields is a player that has a similar skill set to fellow linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. He brings some great speed and athleticism to the position. In addition to this, he’s also a player that is above average in coverage and a sure tackler when he gets his hands on the ball carrier.

It will be interesting to see how the Browns use their linebackers with both Fields and JOK being smaller athletic linebackers that play the same position. The team moved both around last week and will need to be creative with the position if they are to slow down Joe Burrow and the high-powered Bengals offense in Week 14.

The Bengals will get Joe Mixon back and will likely lean on the running backs and quick passing game to neutralize Myles Garrett and the Cleveland pass rush. Fields will be key in defending the short passes and will need to step up if they want to return to Cleveland with another win.