Five bold predictions for the Cleveland Browns as they prepare to face the New England Patriots in Week 10
Most of the players on the Cleveland Browns weren’t born yet when New England Patriot coach Bill Belichick was coach of the old version of the Browns back in 1994. That year, Belichick benched Bernie Kosar, an icon of Browns quarterbacks of yesteryear.
Kosar was eventually let go and Belichick has been forever known as that guy that got rid of the Browns legendary quarterback Kosar. It still doesn’t sit well.
Fast forward to this upcoming Sunday when the new Browns, led by their franchise quarterback Baker Mayfield will enter the field up in Foxboro, Massachusetts ready to pay back Belichick and his current group of Patriots for the heartache they placed on the Browns faithful 25 years ago. Of course, maybe they’ll just win because they need to in search of a playoff berth.
With that in the background, this game will likely go down as one that the Browns will look back at as a key game in the season. If the bold predictions, about to be shared with you, all come to pass then Cleveland will be right back in the playoff picture and eyeing greener pastures.
In the last week, Cleveland’s former diva receiver, Odell Beckham Jr. decided that he didn’t want to play with Mayfield or the rest of his teammates because he was insulted by the lack of attention thrown his way.
So, he got his dad involved, who posted insults about Mayfield on social media platforms. The Browns front office then cut Beckham. He has now signed with the naive Los Angeles Rams, who are ignoring every red flag in the book, to bring in a name. That’s about all they will be getting in return for the arrogant individual who still is having his daddy doing his dirty work.
So with that bold statement let’s do a little bold predicting on the game Sunday. I’m predicting a very entertaining affair, especially after Browns defensive lineman star Myles Garrett has an opportunity to say hello to New England Patriots arrogant and dirty quarterback Mac Jones.
Cleveland Browns Bold Prediction No. 5: Myles Garrett sacks Mac Jones a lot
New England quarterback Mac Jones was seen making a questionable tackle on a defensive lineman a week ago by grabbing the defender’s leg and deliberately twisting it and injuring the player.
Why Jones hasn’t been suspended by the NFL for such a gruesome and deliberate act of violence is beyond me. But nonetheless, Myles Garrett will now have his opportunity to go all out, as long as he’s not illegally held by three Patriot offensive linemen at the same time, and force his will on the rookie quarterback that needs to be reminded that he’s in the NFL and not in some back alley somewhere.
Garrett has 12 sacks on the season and is primed to break every record in Cleveland’s book if he can. If the league would start rightfully calling more holding calls on the opponents who are always grabbing Garrett every play, then Garrett will be placing his name in cement as one of the best ever to play the position.
Not only is he number one in sacks, but he leads the league in quarterback hits at 23 and second in quarterback pressures at 48. Jones has been sacked 17 times this season and I expect that number to rise significantly after this weekend. Look for Garrett to score at least three sacks on the rookie as he adds him to his ever-growing list of take downs.
Cleveland Browns Bold Prediction No. 4: Greg Newsome II will take100 yard interception to the house
After fellow cornerback Denzal Ward took Cincinnati Bengal quarterback Joe Burrow’s pass back 99 yards for the pick-six a week ago I imagine that rookie Greg Newsome will set his eyes on taking an interception thrown by Jones back 100 yards and outdo his elder in Ward.
Wouldn’t that be a nice prize for the Browns ever-improving defense?
The 99-yard interception by Ward was such a nice moment for the Browns defense, which has struggled to get takeaways this year. They got three of them last week and I’m imagining that will occur again this Sunday. With Newsome having a fantastic rookie campaign, he’s due a big moment, and why not against the Patriots? He has been solid at breaking up pass attempts on the receivers he’s been covering and he’s clearly more talented than the receivers New England currently has.
He’s recorded 19 tackles this year and has been targeted 31 times and allowed 18 receptions by his opponent which is 73rd in the league and is rated at 69.3 according to PFF (Professional Football Focus).
If the planets align just right Sunday expect to see No. 20 sprinting down the right sideline on his way to pay dirt. And his teammate Ward will be the first to greet him after the big return as it secures a victory for the Browns.
Cleveland Browns Bold Prediction No. 3: Baker Mayfield will have a career-best game
With Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb ‚— and rookie Demetric Felton — sidelined due to Covid this week, I expect Baker Mayfield to want to take more control over the outcome of the game.
With former wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. out of the picture and hibernating in California, I believe Mayfield will have his best game as a pro. He’s never had a 400-yard passing game to date. He was close a few times in the past.
He had 397 yards in a loss to the Houston Texans back in 2019. So going over 400 yards would go against the grain for Mayfield and the Cleveland offense, but I just get this sense that he’ll get there in this game and the Browns will still win.
He’s thrown over 40 times in those contests that he got close to 400 yards, but I expect him to connect again on a few big plays, with the likes of wide receivers Donovan People-Jones and tight ends like David Njoku on big plays, and that will be the winning formula. If he can still manage the team and throw 35 times in the game I expect that 400 mark to be very reachable with a few big plays thrown in.
Cleveland Browns Bold Prediction No. 2: D’Ernest Johnson will rise to the occasion again
Cleveland fans have fallen for backup running back D’Ernest Johnson. How could you not?
All he has done for the Browns over the last two seasons is come up big whenever he’s called upon. Do you remember last year’s game at the Dallas Cowboys? After Nick Chubb was sidelined in that game due to an injury Johnson came in and was lights out.
On 13 rushes he tallied 95 yards, a seven yards per carry average. Not bad for a young player in the league that had very limited attempts. He helped the Browns that day maintain the big lead and secure the victory.
Then, in this year’s game against the Denver Broncos, when the team was missing Chubb again (and with Kareem Hunt on IR) and they had to have the victory, he ran wild for 146 yards on 22 carries for a 6.5 yards a carry average.
Last week Johnson got a few rushes and made the most of them, capping them off with a dazzling short touchdown run where he left several over pursuing defender’s ankles back on the sideline, as he juked his way into the end zone.
In this game, he should again rise to the occasion and top the 100-yard mark, keeping the Cleveland offense on task.
Cleveland Browns Bold Prediction No. 1: Funny take: Odell Beckham Jr. finally catches a pass from Mayfield
With the departure of dive wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. from the Browns roster, it would be a miracle for OBJ to finally catch a pass from Baker Mayfield, but we are all about miracles, and somehow and someway it actually happens in the win over the Patriots.
Maybe in flight to Los Angeles, Beckham’s dad, who is also traveling with his son, will get so upset with the airline’s service on board the flight that they return to Cleveland. At which time, OBJ reads the writing on the wall and decides his destiny is still with the Browns, if he wants to get to a Super Bowl.
He then plays in the game, with all the glorious attention on him again, and he catches a dazzling three-yard out route that is ends up being two yards short of the game-winning touchdown.
I mean, stranger things have happened, right?
Back in reality. Beckham Jr. will be relegated to the backup wide receiver role in Los Angeles. But hey, he’ll be there with his pal Lebron James, who is his number one fan.