PLAYER NOTES
–C JC Tretter (ankle) did not practice Wednesday. He has been coping with a high ankle sprain since Oct. 14 but has not missed any games.
–TE David Njoku (knee) was limited in practice Wednesday.
–DB Tavierre Thomas had full participation in practice Wednesday. He had been dealing with an abdominal injury.
–LTs Greg Robinson and Desmond Harrison are battling in practice to win the starting job. Robinson started the last two games.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: LB Joe Schobert returned to action against the Falcons on Nov. 11 after missing three games with a hamstring injury. The bye gave him another week to get healthy. Schobert will be a busy man against the Bengals dealing with running back Joe Mixon and tight end C.J. Uzomah. Tight ends have had success against the Browns in the past, but not so much with Schobert in coverage.
GAME PLAN: Freddie Kitchens has been the Browns’ offensive coordinator for two games. The biggest change from when Todd Haley was calling plays is quarterback Baker Mayfield is getting rid of the ball with quick passes with an emphasis on running back Duke Johnson Jr. The same strategy will be used against the Bengals unless Kitchens tries to change things up.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Browns LG Joel Bitonio vs. Bengals DT Geno Atkins. When opponents have success against Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield they do it with pressure up the middle. It will be up to the interior of the Browns offensive line to keep the pocket clean, and that starts with holding up Atkins at the line of scrimmage.
–Browns FS Damarious Randall vs. Bengals QB Andy Dalton. Dalton has 20 touchdown passes through 10 games, but he has also thrown 10 interceptions. The Browns have 13 picks, and Randall has two of them. Randall will be reading Dalton’s eyes looking for another interception on Sunday.
