On the heels of a four-game losing streak, the Cleveland Browns will host the Cincinnati Bengals on Halloween as the two teams face off on Monday Night Football. It’s the first meeting of the season for the two Ohio-based franchises, and Cleveland has been in control of this rivalry for the past couple of years. Cincinnati hasn’t been shy about saying this game means more to them because of that, which should make it an interesting showdown. Here, we look ahead to the rivalry game and make five bold predictions for Week 8.

The Cincinnati Bengals got swept by the Cleveland Browns in 2021 and will be out for revenge in Week 8. Can they defeat a tough Browns side?The AFC North is heating up with the Bengals and Ravens breaking away from the pack in Week 7. Cincy currently sits in second place but holds the same 4-3 record as Baltimore. After a resounding victory over the Falcons, the Bengals appear primed to return to their 2021 form and will look to string together important wins ahead of their BYE week. According to FanDuel, the Bengals are 3-point favorites with a moneyline of -166 while the Browns' moneyline sits at +140. The over/under is set at 47 points. Even with the Browns being at home, the Bengals are still favored, which is to be expected after this past week's results.

All hail Joe Burrow. The star Bengals quarterback went off in Week 7 for 501 total yards and four touchdowns; since his pitiful Week 1 performance, Burrow has thrown 13 touchdowns and just one interception. We expect Burrow to continue his dominant streak against the Browns, who have a middling pass defense and will face a difficult challenge in containing Cincy's elite wideouts. Cleveland running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt have wreaked havoc on opponents so far this season, yet the Bengals boast one of the best run defenses in the league and can feasibly contain the duo. As long as Burrow doesn't suddenly regress to his Week 1 form, we're predicting a close game in which the Bengals nonetheless come out on top. Bengals win, 24-17.

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