Daily Dawg Tags: Another Christimas Eve miracle on the horizon?

Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson’s last two wins have come on Christmas Eve. Can the Browns pull off another holiday miracle this Sunday?

Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson’s tenure in Cleveland has been one that we will likely never see again in our lifetime.

Since taking over in 2016, Jackson has led the Browns to consecutive seasons with 0-14 starts; has broken a 40-year record for the worst start by a head coach with a team, which is currently at 1-29 and counting; has a winning percentage of .033 which is by far the worst in franchise history; and a career winning percentage of .196, again one of the worst marks in NFL history.

Perhaps one of the weirdest items on Jackson’s coaching résumé is that his last two wins as a head coach have come on Christmas Eve.

Last season the Browns picked up their lone win of the year when they hosted the San Diego Chargers on Dec. 24. The Browns had a 17-10 halftime lead and a 10-point lead in the third quarter, but it took a blocked field goal by defensive tackle Jamie Meder to avoid overtime and secure the victory.

It was on Christmas Eve in 2011 when Jackson picked up his final win with the Oakland Raiders. Sebastian Janikowski hit a 36-yard field goal in overtime to help the Raiders take down the Kansas City Chiefs.

Since that day, a Jackson-coached team has played 31 times and have only won when the game fell on Christmas Eve.

Interestingly enough, Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field falls on Christmas Eve.

The Bears come into the game at 4-10 and with a rookie quarterback in Mitchell Trubisky who shares some statistical similarities to Browns rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer. The big difference is that Chicago head coach John Fox doesn’t hate his rookie quarterback, so he has built an offense that supports Trubisky and limits what he is asked to do.

Chicago is also favored by 6.5 points and are 0-7 under Fox in games where they are the Vegas favorite.

So could the Bears be the latest Christmas Eve miracle for Jackson to hang on his wall?

Well, not if Bears defensive end Akiem Hicks has anything to say about it, according to the Chicago Tribune:

"“We won’t be that team. Simple as that. We won’t let that happen.”"

That is one of the problems with being a winless team, even when the opponent is just as bad as you are, no one wants to be the team that loses to the Browns.

Christmas may be a time for miracles, as the late Hans Gruber once said, but it is not going to be easy for Jackson to pull out another holiday miracle this weekend.

Cleveland Browns news:

DeShone Kizer is a broken quarterback 

The Cleveland Browns have a quarterback problem and it all starts with head coach Hue Jackson.

Browns: A new combo in FanSided’s mock draft

An 0-14 record means Cleveland Browns fans are ready for this miserable season to end. Next up, the 2018 NFL Draft. Brad Weiss of FanSided rolled out a mock draft a week ago, selecting Josh Rosen and Derwin James for the Browns in the first round.

Browns lack of Pro Bowlers is not surprising

The Cleveland Browns did not have any players selected to the 2018 Pro Bowl, but two players could make it in as alternates.

Joel Bitonio overcomes foot injury to enter Pro Bowl discussion (ohio.com)

"There haven’t been many bright spots for the historically bad Browns during this 0-14 season, but Joel Bitonio’s ability to rebound from the Lisfranc injury he suffered last year qualifies as one. Bitonio has started all 14 games at left guard this season and was named a second alternate for the Pro Bowl on Tuesday night."

Could the Browns trade Hue Jackson to the Bengals? (cleveland.com)

"Browns owner Jimmy Haslam stated this month that second-year head coach Hue Jackson will remain with the franchise despite having one win over two seasons. However, could management send Jackson back to Cincinnati after reports that Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis is expected to leave? ESPN reported Lewis plans to leave after the season and that Bengals owner Mike Brown is fond of Jackson."

NFL news:

All the NFL quarterbacks who could change teams in 2018 (ESPN)

"The 2018 offseason is shaping up to be a fascinating game of quarterback musical chairs. During a typical offseason, we usually see about seven teams either replace their current passer or draft a player who they expect to eventually take over as their long-term quarterback. Excluding the injuries that forced the Colts and Dolphins to make moves before the 2017 season, there were six teams — the 49ers, Bears, Browns, Chiefs, Jets and Texans — that dramatically changed their quarterback calculus this past offseason."

Bears lose to the winless Browns? ‘We won’t be that team’ (Chicago Tribune)

"Here are two things we learned at Halas Hall as the Bears began practicing for Sunday’s game against the Browns. The Bears are wary of their winless opponent."

Texans QB T.J. Yates to start against Steelers (Houston Chronicle)

"For Texans quarterback T.J. Yates, the starting job that eluded him for years is firmly within his grasp. Yates will start his second consecutive game Monday against the Pittsburgh Steelers."