Could the Browns Put Together 4 in a Row?
By Mike
So let’s for just a second, imagine the Browns get past the Detroit Lions on Sunday. At that point, they are sitting at 4-2 still guaranteed a first place tie in the division, and winners of four in a row. Wow!! Bet you had to reread that last sentence a few times to really let that thought sink in.
Oct 3, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden (3) drops back to pass during the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
After 5 games played, the Browns defense is currently ranked fourth in the league and getting better by the week. Add in the fact that Travis Benjamin has turned into a very dangerous return specialist to go along with this top defense and all of a sudden that statement above actually could ring true.
As you all know, the big key to this game is going to be whether or not Calvin “Megatron” Johnson has recovered enough from his nagging knee injury to suit up and make a difference on Sunday. If he goes, he will be blanketed by Joe Haden all afternoon, who has done a magnificent job at shutting out the top receivers he has faced thus far through 5 games. If Johnson doesn’t suit up, the Lions are gonna have a tougher time moving the ball against this Browns front seven. They will be chomping at the bit knowing they can key on running back Reggie Bush without the threat of Johnson on every play.
Now with that being said, the Browns offense is still gonna need to show up on Sunday, move the ball and put points on the board in order for the outcome to be successful. This will all hinge on the play of quarterback Brandon Weeden. If he can drop back, survey the field and get the ball out quickly, he will almost definitely have some success throwing the ball. If he gets caught staring down his receivers and holding onto the ball too long, it’s gonna take a great defensive effort and a few Josh Gordon jump balls in the end zone to get the needed points to grab the W.
One other point of reference that needs to mentioned is how successful will the running game be on Sunday. With a couple of weeks to shake off the rust, Willis McGahee should improve on his game and make more of an impact. Obviously, McGahee is a back past his prime that has lost that first step burst he once had, but he does have enough left in the tank to make a difference. As we started to see last week, although a little slower, he was able to pick his spots and gets some tough yardage that eventually concluded with his first trip to the end zone this year. Let’s hope it was the first of many visits into the house for this veteran back.
With all that being said, we come full circle back to the first paragraph second sentence. Wouldn’t it be something if after Sunday, the talk isn’t about who we may be looking at in April’s draft, but glancing at the schedule to figure out how many more wins it will take to get back to the playoffs!!!!
-MR (@PuckElves)