Browns vs. Bengals 2015 picks and predictions: Experts heavily favor Cincinnati on Thursday night

The Cincinnati Bengals are undefeated heading into a Thursday Night Football showdown with the Cleveland Browns. This Ohio rivalry has seen better days, and not many people expect this week’s game to revive its former glory.

The Bengals are 7-0 and look like one of the best teams in the league. Quarterback Andy Dalton has flourished under offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, throwing 15 touchdowns to just four interceptions and averaging 8.6 yards per attempt, third in the league. Dalton did have a few hiccups against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, but rallied the team to a 16-10 win to keep the streak alive.

With the season halfway over, the Bengals have a stranglehold on the AFC North, holding a 3.5-game lead over Pittsburgh. You never want to overlook opponents, but at this point, the Bengals can start aiming for a first-round bye in the playoffs -- no easy task with the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos also 7-0.

For the Browns, it’s the same old story. They’re 2-6 and going nowhere this year, a point that was punctuated by blowing a 20-7 lead to the Arizona Cardinals and losing 34-20 last week. Quarterback Josh McCown is battling a rib injury, so Johnny Manziel will get the start again.

Manziel has gotten a lot of spot duty with McCown banged up this year, completing 28 of 50 passes for 393 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Johnny Football remains a work in progress, but his 2015 tape looks better than his disastrous rookie campaign.

But an improved Manziel may not matter if Dalton and company feast on Cleveland’s 30th-ranked defense. As expected, online experts are predicting a walk for Cincinnati -- the panel at CBS Sports is unanimous in picking the Bengals to go 8-0.

It’s a similar story here at SB Nation. All eight of our experts expect Cincy to roll without much trouble.