The Browns travel to Cincinnati for an AFC North matchup against the Bengals in the final week of the season at Paycor Stadium. Cleveland can split the season series with the Bengals, while Cincinnati can win its seventh game of the season.

"Great opportunity in front of us, heading down to a division rival," head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "We haven't seen them since Week 1, but excited about the opportunity. These guys worked very hard this week, and then we get to finish strong on Sunday."

As the Browns aim to close out the season with two consecutive divisional wins, here are three keys to the game.

Convert on third down

The Browns need to keep the chains moving on third down against a Bengals' defense that has allowed teams to convert on third down 44 percent of the time, the fifth-highest rate in the NFL.

The Browns have 74 third-down conversions, the 23rd-most in the NFL despite being second in the league with 221 third-down attempts. Cleveland's 33.7 conversion percentage ranks 30th in the NFL. Against the Bills in Week 16, Cleveland had its best third-down performance of the season. The Browns converted eight of 14 third-down attempts, gaining a first down on a season-high 57.1 percent of their chances.

Cincinnati's third-down defense offers Cleveland a chance to build on its Week 16 performance. In addition to the Bengals' defensive struggles on third down, they also allow 392.2 yards per game, the most in the NFL. Converting on third down will help the Browns to sustain drives, move down the field and, in turn, score points to win the game.

Protect QB Shedeur Sanders

In order to keep the offense moving, the Browns need to string together positive plays. One key factor will be protecting the quarterback and not allowing the Bengals to sack QB Shedeur Sanders. Cincinnati has had trouble consistently putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks compared to other teams this season with only 29 sacks, tied for the fifth fewest in the NFL.

DE Myles Murphy leads the Bengals with 5.5 sacks while DE Joseph Ossai has five. No other Bengals player has more than three sacks, and All-Pro DE Trey Hendrickson underwent season-ending surgery in December, taking a pass-rushing threat away from Cincinnati.

Sanders will be protected by an offensive line that has gone through multiple changes throughout the season due to injuries. He has been sacked 17 times in seven games. His pass catchers such as WR Jerry Jeudy or potential checkdown options like RB Dylan Sampson creating separation from their defenders and becoming open quickly will help Sanders avoid sacks.

Contain the Bengals' rushing attack

The Bengals have had trouble running the ball while the Browns have had issues stopping the run. Cincinnati is second-to-last in the NFL with 90.8 rushing yards per game. Over the past four games, the Browns have allowed 155.3 rushing yards per game and allowed 5.1 yards per carry in that timeframe.

Across the first 12 games, the Browns allowed 3.7 yards per carry and 101.3 rushing yards per game – the 10th fewest yards allowed per game. With the four-game stretch from Week 14 to Week 17, the Browns have dropped to 14th at 114.8 rushing yards allowed per game and 4.1 yards per carry.

The Bengals will try to take advantage of the Browns' recent setbacks in stopping the run. RB Chase Brown has led Cincinnati's rushing attack, running for 947 yards and six touchdowns. Brown is coming off one of his best games of the season in Week 17, rushing for 101 yards and two rushing touchdowns. However, in Week 1, Brown was limited to 43 rushing yards and averaged two yards per carry by the Browns' defense. Cleveland will look to replicate that performance to slow down Brown and the Bengals' run game.

"Chase Brown is a great running back," Stefanski said. "They had a good rush attack."