Browns at Bengals: Week 18 preview, odds and injuries

Week 18 · Sun, Jan 10 · Paycor Stadium12 AM ET

at12 AMET · TBD

At a glanceUpdated Nov 10, 2026, 2:14 PM ET

The Cleveland Browns (5-4) visit the Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) on Sun, Jan 10, time TBD at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, OH (Week 18, 2026 season).

When and where is Browns vs Bengals?

Sun, Jan 10, time TBD at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, OH.

Who is injured for Browns vs Bengals?

Browns: Deshaun Watson (QB, questionable, concussion) and Maliek Collins (DT, questionable, elbow). Bengals: Kyle Dugger (S, questionable, quadriceps).

Cite this page

Pigskin Nightly, “Browns at Bengals: Week 18 preview”, https://pigskinnightly.com/games/2027-01-10-cle-at-cin (updated 2026-11-10).

How we calculate Plain-text version Report an error

Regular season through week 17 · rank out of 32

Where this game will be decided

1Bengals pass rush vs Browns pass protection
The Bengals' pass rush ranks 9th in sack rate (7.3% of dropbacks, 316 dropbacks faced) and faces a Browns pass protection ranked 32nd (10.8% sacked, 353 dropbacks).
32ndCLE offense23 spots apart9thCIN defense
2Bengals red-zone defense vs Browns red-zone offense
The Bengals' red-zone defense ranks 5th in red-zone touchdown rate (41% allowed, 29 trips faced) and faces a Browns red-zone offense ranked 31st (41%, 22 trips).
31stCLE offense26 spots apart5thCIN defense
3Bengals third-down offense vs Browns third-down defense
The Bengals' third-down offense ranks 1st in third-down conversion rate (54.6%, 97 third downs) against a Browns third-down defense ranked 16th (40.5% allowed, 126 third downs faced).
1stCIN offense15 spots apart16thCLE defense

When the Browns have the ballEdge CIN · +8 ranks

CLE dropback offenseEPA per dropbackCIN pass defense

22nd-0.01353 dropbacks

CIN +8

+0.03 allowed316 dropbacks faced14th

CLE run gameEPA per rushCIN run defense

29th-0.22194 rushes

-0.04 allowed176 rushes faced24th

Dropbacks include sacks and scrambles; rushes are designed runs. What EPA measures.

When the Bengals have the ballEdge CIN · +12 ranks

CIN dropback offenseEPA per dropbackCLE pass defense

3rd+0.26322 dropbacks

-0.02 allowed336 dropbacks faced9th

CIN run gameEPA per rushCLE run defense

18th-0.10162 rushes

CIN +12

-0.02 allowed231 rushes faced30th

Third downEdge CIN · +15 ranks

CLE third-down offensethird-down conversion rateCIN third-down defense

30th34.5%119 third downs

47.5% allowed101 third downs faced28th

CIN third-down offensethird-down conversion rateCLE third-down defense

1st54.6%97 third downs

CIN +15

40.5% allowed126 third downs faced16th

Conversions are third-down snaps that gained a first down or scored.

Red zoneEdge CIN · +26 ranks

CLE red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateCIN red-zone defense

31st41%22 trips

CIN +26

41% allowed29 trips faced5th

CIN red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateCLE red-zone defense

5th66%32 trips

48% allowed29 trips faced9th

A trip is a drive with at least one snap inside the opponent's 20; the rate is trips that ended in an offensive touchdown. Small samples swing fast here.

Explosive playsEdge CIN · +14 ranks

CLE big-play offenseexplosive-play rateCIN defense against big plays

21st8.4%547 plays

CLE +9

11.2% allowed492 plays faced30th

CIN big-play offenseexplosive-play rateCLE defense against big plays

17th9.3%484 plays

CIN +14

11.3% allowed567 plays faced31st

Completions of 20+ yards and runs of 10+, per snap. Definition.

Pressure & sacksEdge CIN · +23 ranks

CLE pass protectionsack rateCIN pass rush

32nd10.8% sacked353 dropbacks

CIN +23

7.3% of dropbacks316 dropbacks faced9th

CIN pass protectionsack rateCLE pass rush

8th4.7% sacked322 dropbacks

7.7% of dropbacks336 dropbacks faced6th

Sacks per dropback. The public play-by-play has no pressure charting, so this is the sack side of it only.

TurnoversEdge CIN · +8 ranks

CLE ball securityturnovers per gameCIN takeaway defense

13th1.1 giveaways a game9 games

CIN +8

1.5 takeaways a game8 games5th

CIN ball securityturnovers per gameCLE takeaway defense

16th1.1 giveaways a game8 games

1.2 takeaways a game9 games15th

Interceptions and lost fumbles on offensive snaps, per game. Turnover rates are among the least stable numbers in football.

AbsencesCLE 0 · CIN 0 regulars out or doubtful

Browns2 listed

0 of them are regulars ruled out or doubtful (60%+ of their unit's snaps across 3+ weeks on the field).

QDeshaun WatsonQB99% offense · 8 wk
QMaliek CollinsDT62% defense · 8 wk

Bengals1 listed

0 of them are regulars ruled out or doubtful (60%+ of their unit's snaps across 3+ weeks on the field).

QKyle DuggerS66% defense · 4 wk

Snap share is the average of the weeks each player was on the field this season. Full injury report ↓

Rest & travelCIN +3 days of rest · CLE travels 223 mi

AwayBrowns

7days since last game

223miles to get here

0time zones

Last: Sun wk 17 vs IND · 7,213 mi flown this season

Body clock 12:00 a.m.

Rest edge+3CIN daysTravel gap 223 mi

HomeBengals

10days since last game

0miles · home

0time zones

Last: Thu wk 17 vs BAL · 13,298 mi flown this season

Normal week

League splits for these situations ↓

Sample: CLE 9 games, 547 offensive and 567 defensive plays · CIN 8 games, 484 offensive and 492 defensive plays. Rank 1 is the best offense or the best defense in each stat. Keys are the largest rank gaps (12+ spots) between an offense and the defense it faces, one per stat. Ranks are not schedule-adjusted.

Season to date · rank out of 32