The first round of the Battle of Ohio will take place in Cleveland this Sunday with the Browns (1-5) hosting the Cincinnati Bengals (2-4).

No matter what the team’s records are, you know you are always going to get a good matchup between these two teams, at least as of late.

Cleveland comes in spiraling downward and needing a win badly. They’ve had success in the past against Joe Burrow and the Bengals, we’ll see if they can continue it.

To learn a bit more about the Bengals heading into the game, I asked A to Z Sports Cincinnati beat writer John Sheeran a few questions.

Q: Joe Burrow has a 1-5 record against the Browns. It could just be a coincidence since his play hasn’t been particularly bad, but why do you think he has struggled against Cleveland in his career?

A: The talent of the Browns' defense has been on full display in all six contests. Myles Garrett has sacked him at least once in every meeting. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say he's the best player the Bengals face on a consistent basis, and that's no disrespect to T.J. Watt. The Bengals have never been able to block him for as long as he's been in the league. Combine that with the Browns' offense historically getting the jump on the Bengals' defense, and that's a recipe for Garrett to be unleashed for all four quarters.

Nightmare combination.

I also want to give credit to the Browns' cornerbacks for their ability to play man coverage against both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. That was especially a problem in Burrow's lone game against the Browns last year.

Q: The Bengals struggle against the run. In what Browns fans hope is a good season debut for Nick Chubb, what players in the front seven could the Browns look to run at to get things going?

A: Get to the perimeter and you should find success. Now that there's a stable rotation of defensive tackles up the middle, Cincinnati is capable of holding its own in the A gaps. But for as good as Trey Hendrickson is rushing the passer, he can get far too aggressive stopping the run and lose the edge. Sam Hubbard is healthier now than he was at the start of the season, but his best days at setting the edge are behind him.

If you can get to the second level, that's where the Bengals have had trouble keeping a lid on things.

Q: Where should a team like the Browns look to bear the Bengals? In other words, if the Bengals lose this game… Why does that happen?

A: It would happen like it usually does in this rivalry. If the Browns get an early lead and force the Bengals to favor the passing game, that's when the trouble arises for Burrow and Co. This offensive line is better than it's been in recent years but showed last week it's still matchup dependent when Brian Burns and Azeez Ojulari took over. Garrett is better than both of them combined.

Turnovers are also a consistent theme. Burrow has kept negative throws to a minimum this year, but bad decisions can be made by any QB when you're pressing for points to erase a deficit. The Bengals have also fumbled more often this year than in year's past, so taking advantage of that would be key.

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