BROWNS AT BENGALS

Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has thrown 16 touchdown passes in 10 games this season, with 25 percent of them thrown against the Browns.

Dalton threw two scoring passes to tight end Tyler Kroft, one to A.J. Green and a screen pass to running back Giovani Bernard that turned in a 61-yard catch and run for a touchdown in a 31-7 rout of the Browns on Oct. 1 at FirstEnergy Stadium.

The Browns have lost 10 times this season.

At times the defense has been let down by an inept offense, but the game with the Bengals was a low point for both sides of the ball. It is one the defense hopes to avenge Nov. 26 at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. When: 1 p.m., Nov. 26 Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati Records: Browns 0-10; Bengals 4-6 TV: WOIO Radio: WKNR-AM 850, WKRK-FM 92.3, WNCX-FM 98.5

“I know tight ends have hurt us over the middle in Cover 2,” said Browns cornerback Jason McCourty, referring to a defense that uses two deep safeties. “They were able to make more plays, especially in the red zone. That hurt us big time just holding them to third down and then allowing them to score touchdowns on those third downs.

“That just really put us down as a team. Going into the half down, 21-0, it’s a hard deficit to come back from. Especially going into this game, defensively, we can’t allow them to jump on us that fast and put ourselves into a hole.”

The Bengals are 4-6 and trying to claw their way back into the playoff race in the AFC. They are one game behind the Ravens and Bills, who at 5-5 are tied for the second wild-card spot. The Titans own the first wild-card spot at 6-4.

“This is when the ante goes up,” Browns safety Jabrill Peppers said. “I know we’re a long way from the playoff race, but we can mess a lot of things for a lot of people, so we’re going to keep getting better and better.”