Since Bengals QB Joe Burrow returned in Week 12 from a turf toe injury he sustained in Week 2, he has displayed the attitude and talent that helped make him a two-time Comeback Player of the Year.

Since returning, Burrow has thrown for 1,384 yards and 12 touchdowns in five games, throwing for 276.8 yards per game. Yet, in Week 1, the Browns' defense held Burrow in check. He finished with his lowest passing yardage total in a full game this season, completing 14 of 23 passing attempts and throwing for 113 yards and a touchdown.

Burrow will have another chance against the Browns' defense when the Bengals host Cleveland in Week 18 to close out the season.

"Everybody knows Burrow, he's an amazing quarterback," CB Denzel Ward said. "He does it all out there, throws an accurate ball, has a deep throw, just controls the entire offense. He had some injuries, but being able to come back and still produce and be the player that he is, that just speaks to the type of player he is, the type of guy he is, the work he puts in, and it's always going to be a tough matchup going against him."

Ward played a crucial role in limiting Burrow in the first meeting of the season, helping to guard Bengals wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The pair have combined for 143.3 receiving yards per game this season. Yet they caught five passes for 59 receiving yards on nine targets between the two of them in Week 1.

Ward said he hasn't been targeted often this season by teams the Browns have played, a byproduct of his ability to shut down top receivers. Even though he said he hasn't been targeted, Ward has advocated for the opposition to throw the ball to the receiver he is covering, wanting to be involved in the game.

In Week 17, the Steelers targeted WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling – the receiver Ward was covering – on three consecutive plays to end the game. All three pass attempts fell incomplete, including Ward recording a pass defensed on the last play of the game.

Despite Ward's prowess this season at pass coverage, Burrow is someone Ward knows will potentially test him on pass plays.

"I think they're going to throw it at me," Ward said. "Joe Burrow, that's my guy, but he trusts his guys a lot to go out there and make plays. I think I'm going to get some action in this game as well."

Former Browns CB Greg Newsome II started opposite Ward in Week 1 when the Browns played the Bengals, but this time CB Tyson Campbell will help Ward limit Burrow. Campbell was traded to the Browns on Oct. 9, three days before the Browns' Week 6 game against the Steelers.

Campbell has helped Cleveland hold opponents to under 200 passing yards, doing so in seven of his 11 games in a Browns uniform, including six of the last eight games. Since joining the secondary, Cleveland has allowed an average of 160 passing yards per game.

Burrow's 276.8 passing yards per game since his return will be tested by a Cleveland secondary that has managed to hold quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Josh Allen to 160 or fewer passing yards in the past two games. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said facing Burrow presents a tough matchup for the Browns due to his skillset.

"I've always had respect for him, because not only is he a talented player," Schwartz said. "He plays tough, uses his weapons, gets out of bad plays and into good plays, he can extend the play, but he can also throw it quick from the pocket."

That challenge is one the Browns believe they are equipped to handle, largely because of the strength of their corners. With Ward continuing to lock down opposing receivers and Campbell adding to the secondary since his arrival, Cleveland has confidence in its ability to match up against Burrow and Cincinnati's weapons for the second time this season.

"We have had good corners, and we trust those guys to be able to play," Schwartz said.