2001 · Week 5 · Division

Final

Browns

Cleveland

QB Tim Couch

14·24

Bengals

Cincinnati

QB Jon Kitna

Paul Brown Stadium · outdoors · grass · 57°F · wind 10mph

Closing spread

CIN -1.5

Total

35

Model margin

+4.3est.

CIN perspective

Push chance

None

half-point line — cannot push

Win probability

  • Bengals
  • Browns

How each play moved the game.

Bengals winsBrowns wins

Matchup

Where the edges are

Season-long league percentiles for both sides, mirrored. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge.

Brownsedge mapBengals
  • -0.113EPA / play-0.090
  • 36.9%Success rate39.0%
  • -0.086EPA / dropback-0.080
  • -0.148EPA / rush-0.106
  • 7.1%Explosive rate6.9%
  • 31.3%Third-down rate37.7%
  • 47.3%Red-zone TD rate46.6%
  • 1.05Points / drive0.98
  • 3.1%Turnover rate3.1%
  • -0.096EPA / play allowed-0.112

Bar length is league percentile, already oriented so longer is better. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge; rows within ~12 points are washed as even.

The rivalry

CIN lead 32–22 since 1999

Meetings average 42.7 points. CIN are 29-24-1 ATS in the series.

Previous meetings
SeasonMatchupScoreWinner
2025 · W18CLE @ CIN2018CLE
2025 · W1CIN @ CLE1716CIN
2024 · W16CLE @ CIN624CIN
2024 · W7CIN @ CLE2114CIN
2023 · W18CLE @ CIN1431CIN
2023 · W1CIN @ CLE324CLE
2022 · W14CLE @ CIN1023CIN
2022 · W8CIN @ CLE1332CLE

Box score

Individual performances

Browns

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Tim Couch14/2819420

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
James Jackson14221.60
Jamel White3196.30
Tim Couch2-1-0.50

Receiving

PlayerRecTgtYdsTD
Kevin Johnson8111531
Jamel White34270
Quincy Morgan1860
JaJuan Dawson1350
Mike Sellers1131
O.J. Santiago0100

Bengals

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Jon Kitna20/3820110

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Corey Dillon311404.51
Brandon Bennett7415.90
Jon Kitna4184.50

Where this game is likely to land

  • Model
  • Smooth (normal)
  • Betting line

Probability of each final margin. Football scoring clusters — the spikes at 3 and 7 are real, and a smooth model misses them.

line +1.53.6%6.6%7.5%3.2%4.9%3.2%2.9%

Positive margins favour Bengals; negative favour Browns.

Half-point at risk

2.11%

outcomes that flip if the line moves 0.5

Model home win

60.5%

Expected total

41.8est.

Model

Where the number comes from

Each component is additive, in points of expected margin.

  • Team ratings (opponent-adjusted EPA)+1.74
  • Home-field advantage+2.56
  • Quarterback adjustment0.00
  • Rest differential0.00
  • Expected margin+4.30