Bengals don’t want to be Browns’ first win
Nobody wants to be the Browns’ first-and-only.
Last season, it was the San Diego Chargers. They went to Cleveland and lost 20-17 in the second-to-last game of the season, the only team the Browns would beat.
There were tears of relief in the Cleveland locker room. The stunned Chargers were speechless.
Ten games into this season, the Browns (0-10) are in the same predicament, still trying to get that first win. Every team that plays them now has the same thing in mind: Don’t be that team.
“They’re having a problem right now with finishing games,” Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick said. “I don’t want it to start with us.”
The Bengals (4-6) can’t afford to be that team. A 20-17 victory in Denver — their first there since franchise founder Paul Brown was the head coach — kept them on the periphery of playoff contention.
A victory over the Browns would extend their possibilities for one more week heading into a Monday night game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium.
A loss essentially would end the Bengals’ playoff aspirations and start the cycle of speculation about whether the head coach and the quarterback will be around for another year — basically, what goes on at the other end of the state all the time.
A win would give the Browns a chance to finally feel good about something as December approaches.
“I think that whether you are 0-8, 0-9 or 0-10, the only thing that is on our mind right now is getting that first W,” Browns quarterback DeShone Kizer said.
Ohio’s NFL matchup has become a moment of desperation all the way around. As Browns coach Hue Jackson put it early in the week: “Lord have mercy.”
Saints-Rams now marquee matchup
The New Orleans Saints’ visit to the Los Angeles Rams has turned into an unlikely meeting of powerhouse division leaders.
The Rams and the Saints have been two of the NFL’s biggest surprises this season. New Orleans has won eight straight games after an 0-2 start, and the Rams (7-3) have dramatically ended a decade of mediocrity with one of the league’s most exciting teams.
Quarterback Jared Goff faces future Hall of Famer Drew Brees at the Coliseum on Sunday — the Saints’ first visit to LA since 1994 — in a game that could have playoff position implications in the NFC.
“They’re fighting for the exact same things that we are fighting for, and they have had a phenomenal season thus far,” Brees said.
The teams boast two of the NFL’s three highest-scoring offenses, both averaging more than 30 points per game, and have top running backs in Mark Ingram (Saints) and Todd Gurley (Rams).
Saints rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore, the 11th overall pick out of Ohio State, will miss Sunday’s game. He hasn’t practiced since twisting his left ankle during a victory over Washington last Sunday. Lattimore often has covered opponents’ top receivers, rarely giving up catches. He has two interceptions, nine passes defensed, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.
Dolphins to start Moore at QB
Miami Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler was ruled out of Sunday’s game at New England because of a concussion, and backup Matt Moore will make his second start of the season.