Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has a chance to further cement his hold on the position this Sunday in Seattle.
The up and down quarterback rollercoaster ride that has made Cleveland Browns fans sick to their stomach is finally nearing its conclusion.
With Josh McCown out for the season, the Browns have given Johnny Manziel the starting job, once again, after a two-game demotion for his actions off the field.
Manziel will lead the Browns this weekend against the Seattle Seahawks, arguably the hottest team in the NFL. The Seahawks are terrifying to play in Seattle, and are widely known for having the best home crowd in football. Alongside their home-field advantage, the former Super Bowl champions’ defense has found its rhythm after struggling early in the season and are back to being in the top-tier.
“He knew from the coverage immediately where to go with that ball. That’s not an easy throw to make, back-peddling and he put it on the money.” – Head coach Mike Pettine on Johnny Manziel
Seattle ranks sixth in the league for passing only giving up 224.6 per contest. Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor are back in prime form and have only given up 13 combined points the last two weeks. In Week 12, the Seahawks picked off Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger four times – and he only has thrown 10 interceptions total throughout the 2015 season.
Currently, the Seahawks are giving up only 83.2 rushing yards per game, good for second in the NFL. Of course, the Browns found their revitalized rushing attack last week against the San Francisco 49ers, totaling 230 rushing yards in their 24-10 win. It will be difficult for the Browns to continue their success running the ball against the stout Seahawks defense, but they will have to if they stand a chance come Sunday.
Considering the fantastic play by this Seahawks defense recently, Manziel has several difficult hurdles to leap this Sunday, and facing the Seahawks along with the 12th man doesn’t help his chances.
Manziel impressed last week against San Francisco by completing 21-of-31 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown. Aside a bad interception, Manziel looked calm and relaxed throughout the duration of the game. Head coach Mike Pettine was even happy with the former Heisman Trophy winner’s performance, specifically with his touchdown to tight end Gary Barnidge.
Manziel is going into his biggest start as an NFL quarterback and his confidence keeps growing with each game. Although it’s against arguably the best defense in football, Manziel has the opportunity to solidify himself as a starting quarterback in this league against Seattle.
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Imagine Manziel walking into Seattle and upsetting the Seahawks in their own stadium. From there, Manziel plays a Kansas City Chiefs team that has been no better than average and the Pittsburgh Steelers to conclude the season. Hypothetically speaking, say Manziel wins these games or even just impresses in them. Both are decent defenses and all three team’s are fighting for a playoff spot this season.
This may warrant the Cleveland Browns to retain the star-studded quarterback and extend his contract moving forward. Although it seems nothing less than a pipe dream at the moment, let’s not forget Manziel is no stranger to the spotlight and exceeding expectations when under it. This will be Manziel’s seventh start in his shaky career, but he has improved significantly over his last several starts.
Manziel said that he’s going all out this Sunday and he needs to play superb to beat a scorching Seattle team. If he indeed exceeds expectations Sunday and continues to impress these next few games, the Cleveland Browns may consider him as the starting quarterback heading into the 2016 NFL season.