# Week 18, 2026: Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals Jan 10, 2027 · not played yet · 0 calls on record No pundit we track has picked a side in Browns vs Bengals yet. Page: https://missedtakes.co/nfl/games/2026-week-18-browns-at-bengals ## How they come in The Browns are 3-1 and have won 3 straight; the Bengals are 2-2 and have lost 2 straight. It is a division game. On win totals, 11 pundits put the Browns at 5.9 wins on average, and 10 pundits put the Bengals at 10.7 wins on average. Venue: Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio - Cleveland Browns: 3-1, won 3 straight (81 scored, 95 allowed) - Last games: W 27-24 vs Steelers; W 21-18 vs Panthers; W 23-19 at Buccaneers - Unit ranks this season: offense 18th, defense 13th of 32 - Last season: 5-12 - Win-total calls: 11 pundits, average 5.9, 3 to 9 wins - The side most pundits took won 1 of 4 Browns games - Cincinnati Bengals: 2-2, lost 2 straight (97 scored, 85 allowed) - Last games: L 17-22 vs Jaguars; L 27-30 at Steelers; W 20-6 at Texans - Unit ranks this season: offense 15th, defense 12th of 32 - Last season: 6-11 - Win-total calls: 10 pundits, average 10.7, 9 to 12 wins - The side most pundits took won 2 of 4 Bengals games ## Players to watch Each club's starting quarterback, leading rusher, receiver and tight end, and its sack and tackle leaders, with their 2026 regular season so far, with the latest call on each from a pundit ranked on the leaderboard whose record beats the naive pick, made since the 2026 schedule came out ("No." is that rank). Leaderboard: https://missedtakes.co/nfl/leaderboard - [Deshaun Watson](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/deshaun-watson) (Starting QB, QB): 855 passing yards · 6 TD, 2 INT · 69.6% completions · 127 rushing yards · 4 games; 16th in the NFL in passing yards - No. 2 Lance Zierlein, May 22, 2026: Deshaun Watson to be 1st on the depth chart (not settled yet) - No. 5 Tom Pelissero, Jul 17, 2026: Deshaun Watson: a roster call with no direction stated (not settled yet) - [Quinshon Judkins](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/quinshon-judkins) (RB1, RB): 177 rushing yards on 59 carries · 1 TD · 15 catches for 96 · 4 games; 26th in the NFL in rushing yards - No. 3 Pat Fitzmaurice, Aug 30, 2026: Quinshon Judkins to fall short of his draft cost (a midrange or low-end RB2) (not settled yet) - No. 8 Derek Brown, Sep 1, 2026: Quinshon Judkins to fall short of his draft cost (a top 24 running back) (not settled yet) - [Denzel Boston](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/denzel-boston) (WR1, WR): 13 catches for 284 yards · 2 TD · 4 games; 12th in the NFL in receiving yards - No. 8 Derek Brown, Sep 2, 2026: Denzel Boston to be 1st on the depth chart (not settled yet) - [Harold Fannin Jr.](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/harold-fannin-jr) (TE1, TE): 17 catches for 153 yards · 3 TD · 4 games; 75th in the NFL in receiving yards - No. 3 Pat Fitzmaurice, Aug 30, 2026: Harold Fannin Jr. to outplay his draft cost (around the sixth-round/seventh-round turn) (not settled yet) - No. 8 Derek Brown, Sep 1, 2026: Harold Fannin Jr. to finish top 12 at his position, by fantasy points (not settled yet) - [Mason Graham](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/mason-graham) (Sack leader, DT): 4 sacks · 7 solo tackles · 3 games; 5th in the NFL in sacks - [Tyson Campbell](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/tyson-campbell) (Tackle leader, CB): 12 solo tackles · 3 games; 99th in the NFL in solo tackles - [Joe Burrow](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/joe-burrow) (Starting QB, QB): 1,171 passing yards · 7 TD, 3 INT · 71.3% completions · 4 games; 6th in the NFL in passing yards - No. 5 Tom Pelissero, Sep 18, 2026: Now they're going down to Houston. Joe Burrow's got a, you know, a little bit of a back issue, but I I fully anticipate him playing. (not settled yet) - No. 12 Rich Hribar, Jul 30, 2026: Joe Burrow to finish top 1 at his position, by passing tds (not settled yet) - [Chase Brown](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/chase-brown) (RB1, RB): 207 rushing yards on 58 carries · 1 TD · 21 catches for 103 · 4 games; 22nd in the NFL in rushing yards - No. 3 Pat Fitzmaurice, Jun 26, 2026: Chase Brown to finish top 12 at his position, by fantasy points (not settled yet) - No. 8 Derek Brown, Sep 1, 2026: Chase Brown to outplay his draft cost (round two) (not settled yet) - [Tee Higgins](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/tee-higgins) (WR1, WR): 25 catches for 401 yards · 1 TD · 4 games; 4th in the NFL in receiving yards - No. 8 Derek Brown, Oct 9, 2026: I don't think Tee Higgins plays in this game because even with the side work, he's been listed as DMP for both days. (Week 5) (not settled yet) - No. 24 Andrew Erickson, Aug 5, 2026: Tee Higgins to finish top 24 at his position, by fantasy points (not settled yet) - [Mike Gesicki](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/mike-gesicki) (TE1, TE): 11 catches for 155 yards · 3 TD · 3 games; 74th in the NFL in receiving yards - [Dexter Lawrence](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/dexter-lawrence) (Sack leader, DT): 3 sacks · 6 solo tackles · 4 games; 9th in the NFL in sacks - No. 35 John Middlekauff, Aug 24, 2026: Dexter Lawrence to make first team All-Pro (not settled yet) - [Jordan Battle](https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jordan-battle) (Tackle leader, S): 16 solo tackles · 1 interception · 4 games; 37th in the NFL in solo tackles --- The room is counted in pundits, each one's latest call standing. Accuracy is out of 100; the naive pick is the home team. The week: https://missedtakes.co/nfl/games/2026-week-18 Method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology