Given that the playoffs probably won’t be in the picture even if the Bengals win out, one could argue the Browns have more on the line.
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Here are six things to watch for in Sunday’s game:
RG3 returns
Robert Griffin III is back to lead the Cleveland offense after missing the last 11 games with a shoulder injury he sustained late in the season opener.
The injury occurred on a scramble when Griffin went right at a Philadelphia defender instead of getting down or out of bounds, which has been a knock on him his entire career.
Griffin will be the Browns’ eighth different quarterback to start against the Bengals since Andy Dalton arrived in 2011.
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Cleveland had great success using backup quarterback Kevin Hogan on read-option plays in the first meeting (seven carries, 104 yards), so you can expect the Bengals will be ready for Hogan if he comes onto the field Sunday. Will Browns coach Hue Jackson call some of those plays for Griffin III?
When Griffin III drops back, how patient will he be before taking off from the pocket? And when he runs, will he slide?
Accuracy could be an issue as well. It’s never been one of Griffin III’s strong points, and the Bengals are tied for second in the league in interceptions.
Running revival
In the last four games the Bengals have rushed for 78.8 yards per game and 3.1 per carry. In their last four games against Cleveland, they have rushed for 202.8 yards per game and 5.6 per attempt.
One of those trends will come to an end Sunday.
MORE: Bengals run game has stalled since last meeting with Browns
“We’ve got to find a way,” Hill said of the team’s recent struggles. “We know to accomplish the things we want to accomplish, we can’t have run performances like we’ve had the past few weeks. Otherwise we’re not going to have any chance.
Look for Cincinnati offensive coordinator Ken Zampese to try to get Jeremy Hill going early. Hill is one of the roughest stretches of his young career with just 55 yards on his last 39 carries. But two of his last four 100-yard games have come against the Browns, including the career-high 168 he had against them Oct. 23.
Youth movement
Bengals rookie wide receivers Tyler Boyd, Alex Erickson and Cody Core combined for seven catches for 120 yards last week in the 32-14 victory against Philadelphia.
The offense is going to need to continue getting that kind of production with A.J. Green not missing his third full game and fourth overall since suffering a hamstring injury on the second play Nov. 20 against Buffalo, but James Wright also is out with a knee injury.
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“I am not going to lie to you, it is a little (break),” Browns cornerback Joe Haden said of Green’s absence. “I am not trying to knock any other guys or anything, but A.J. is a special talent. He is a guy that not every team has an A.J. so it definitely is in our favor that he is not [playing]. It is a little bit better for me that he is not out there, but speaking of that, their last game without him they looked really, really really good.”
Defensive development
When the Bengals rolled up a season-high 569 yards and, at the time, season-high 31 points in the first meeting against Cleveland, the Browns didn’t have Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden and Jamie Collins was still a member of the Patriots.
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New England traded the linebacker to the Browns the following week, and since then he’s had at least eight tackles in his four games with Cleveland.
In the eight games before Collins arrived, the Browns were averaging 421.5 yards per game. Since the trade, that number is down to 357. Cleveland surrendered a season-low 296 in its most recent game against the Giants, and the 313 allowed the week before that was the second-lowest total of the year.
Dawg pounding
Since losing back-to-back games in Cleveland in 2012 and 2013, Cincinnati has obliterated the Browns on their home field the last two years, winning by a combined score of 67-3.
Like Sunday’s game, both the 37-3 victory in 2015 and the 30-0 shutout in Johnny Manziel’s starting debut in 2014 came in December, when FirstEnergy Stadium wasn’t exactly packed. And many of those who were in attendance were sporting Bengals gear.
RELATED: Bengals-Browns series history
During the last Browns home game Nov. 27 against the Giants, most of the lower bowl was shrouded in blue. It’s doubtful Bengals fans will pack the place that way given the poor record, slim playoff chances and the temperature expected to be in the low 30s.
And in addition to the cold …
Snowy scene
The forecast calls for a 90 percent chance of snow with a possible accumulation of 1-3 inches.
It’s been a long time since the Bengals played in anything more than some swirling flurries. Even Andrew Whitworth, whose Bengals career began in 2006, couldn’t remember any such games.
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With most of the players on the roster hailing from warm-weather schools, it could bear watching how they adapt to the elements.
“I think it would be fun,” Whitworth said. “I love true football environments. True football environments in some way lift you, give you a little inspiration to play. It’s fun. It’s like being in the backyard as a kid and going around and running around on the grass.”
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