The Cincinnati Bengals will hit the road for the fourth time in six games Sunday when they head upstate to play the Cleveland Browns for what will be the earliest season wrap of the Battle of Ohio since 1974, when the two teams met in Week 1 and Week 5.

The Bengals beat the Browns 34-27 in this year’s first meeting four weeks ago to start a string of three consecutive victories, but a 17-13 loss to Miami last week has Cincinnati looking to start a new streak. Cleveland enters the 79^th edition of the Battle of Ohio winless at 0-5.

Here is an early look at the Browns team the Bengals will be facing:

OFFENSE

Quarterback Brandon Weeden ranks 10^th in the NFL with 1,288 passing yards. But the rookie comes in dead last with a 64.5 passer rating, and his nine interceptions have him tied with Kansas City’s Matt Cassel for most in the league.

The only game in which Weeden didn’t throw a pick was the one at Cincinnati on Sept. 16, when he completed 26 of 37 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns. The 322 yards remain his season high.

Likewise, rookie running back Trent Richardson’s rushing total in that game remains the high-water mark for his season. Richardson carried 19 times for 109 yards and one touchdown, while catching four passes for 36 yards and another score.

He has scored at least one touchdown in each of the last four games, but the Browns rank 27^th in rushing offense at 77.8 yards per game. They rank 14^th in passing offense (246.4), and 24^th in total offense (324.2).

DEFENSE

Statistically the Browns are one of the league’s worst defenses, but they will get a boost this weekend with the return of cornerback Joe Haden, who was suspended the previous four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancing substances.

Haden should be able to help Cleveland’s 26^th-ranked pass defense, which is allowing 280.6 yards per game. The Browns also rank 26^th in rush defense (142.4) and 28^th overall (423.0).

Rookie linebacker Craig Robertson leads the team with 34 tackles, while sixth-year linebacker D’Qwell Jackson has a team-high three sacks, all of which came in the first meeting with the Bengals.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Phil Dawson will be kicking in his 26^th Battle of Ohio game. He is the only kicker the Browns have had since their rebirth in 1999, and he is one of only four kickers in the league this year who are perfect on field goals (10-for-10) with a minimum of 10 attempts.

Sixth-year punter Reggie Hodges ranks eighth in the league with a 43.6-yard average, but the Browns’ coverage unit has struggled. The Bengals’ Adam Jones returned one 81 yards for a touchdown in the first meeting, and Hodges’ net average of 37.5 ranks 26^th in the league.

SERIES

The Bengals lead the series, which dates back to 1970, 42-36. They have won four in a row against the Browns and have prevailed in five of the last seven games in Cleveland, including a 27-17 triumph in the 2011 season opener.