Cleveland @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 17, 2013 ) Cleveland 20, Cincinnati 41

Unbeaten at home, the Cincinnati Bengals look to maintain their grip on the AFC North Division lead when they host the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night. Cincinnati got back wide receiver A.J. Green in its win over Jacksonville last week and the receiver paid immediate dividends by snaring a touchdown catch. The Bengals are 13-0-1 at home in a streak that has spanned three seasons.

Despite a rushing game that has struggled mightily of late, the Browns have won two straight and four of their last five games and are in the thick of the division race. Cleveland, however, will have to break a long skid on road if it wants to climb into a tie atop the division as it has lost its last 17 AFC North games on the road. In fact, the last time the Browns won a division game away from home was in 2008 at Cincinnati.

TV: 8:25 p.m. ET, NFL Network. LINE: Bengals -6.5. O/U: 45.

ABOUT THE BENGALS (5-2-1): Green caught three passes for 44 yards and had another touchdown nullified by penalty in his first game in a month since suffering a toe injury. Running back Giovani Bernard (ribs, shoulder) is questionable but his replacement, Jeremy Hill, rushed for 154 yards and a pair of scores last week. It will be an emotional night for defensive tackle Devon Still, whose daughter drew headlines with her battle with cancer and is expected to attend Thursday's game.

ABOUT THE BROWNS (6-3): Lead back Ben Tate has rushed for just 65 yards in his past three games, prompting the Browns to re-evaluate its backfield roles. Terrance West actually had more touches than Tate last week and scored on a short pass in Cleveland's narrow win over Tampa Bay. The Browns have not recovered from the loss of center Alex Mack to a broken leg, but Brian Hoyer has continued to impress and threw for 300 yards and two scores against the Bucs.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The teams split last season's matchups, with both winning by double digits at home.

2. The Browns rank 30th in the NFL defending the run, allowing 139.6 yards a game.

3. Browns TE Jordan Cameron and Bengals CB Leon Hall are both questionable with a concussion.

PREDICTION: Bengals 28, Browns 17