Ep. 83: Are the Browns ready to pass the Bengals as Ohio's best NFL team?

Think of this small step for the Cleveland Browns.

Possibly becoming the best NFL team in the state of Ohio.

On Takes By The Lake, your cleveland.com all-sports podcast that mostly deals with the Browns because we can't help it, our latest episode focuses on the Cincinnati Bengals.

We're taking a tour of the AFC North. Two weeks ago, we dealt with the Baltimore Ravens. Next Friday, we'll get to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

This week, it's Cincinnati, as Doug Lesmerises is joined by guest Jim Owczarski, one of the Bengals beat writers for cincinnati.com and the Cincinnati Enquirer.

The Bengals have won seven straight over the Browns dating back to November 2014 and have won 15 of the last 19 in the series.

But after making the playoffs five straight seasons between 2011 and 2015, the Bengals are coming off two losing seasons. So what does that mean for head coach Marvin Lewis? What does that mean for quarterback Andy Dalton?

And as the Browns attempt to find their footing and move out of their perpetual spot in the basement of the AFC North, are the Bengals as a franchise trending up or trending down?

The rest of the AFC North matters, because if the Browns actually get better, another team is going to have to finish last.

Enjoy this great conversation about the Bengals and what the view of the Browns is from Cincinnati on the latest episode of Takes By The Lake from cleveland.com.

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