Cleveland Browns: 5 bold predictions against Tampa Bay in Week 12

Making bold predictions for this Cleveland Browns team can be tricky, but we’ll try nonetheless as they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 12

It’s been a season to forget for the Cleveland Browns so far, but fans still are clinging to hope as they await the return of Deshaun Watson in Week 13. In the meantime, they’ll have to get through watch as their team takes on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady in Week 12.

While Cleveland, who was been embarrassed in the last two games by the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills, stands at 3-7 on the season, the Bucs are surging as of late and improved to 5-5 after two straight wins and now a bye week.

Tampa Bay opened up as a 3.5-point favorite in a game being played in Cleveland. You know your season is going south when your NFL team isn’t favored at home. But that’s where the Browns are these days as they struggle to finish off this ugly campaign.

5 Bold predictions for Browns versus Bucs

5. Nick Chubb will rumble for 100 yards and two touchdowns

It was a bad game for Nick Chubb last Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. He ran for a measly 19 yards on 14 carries. It was one of his worst games as a pro and it surprised many because he’s been so reliable this season and for that matter for his whole career.

Maybe he’s just running into too many opponents that are geared up with eight and nine-man fronts to take away his chance at gaining yards. He had several runs last week that went for losses which is very unusual for him.

Cleveland’s offensive line has had some issues this season as well and is another reason why the Browns have now been outrun in six of the last seven games.

Look for Chubb to rebound in this game. Tampa Bay has been alright against the run and gives up about 4.5 yards per carry. Chubb gains about 5.3 YPC this season. While he’s been locked up these last two weeks, this game will be played at home. The weather conditions also call for a rainy cold forecast and Chubb will likely get his share of carries.

4. Amari Cooper will have another 100-yard game

Amari Cooper had a nice rebound game against Buffalo as he went for eight catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns. He was non-existent against the Miami Dolphins a couple of weeks ago, so it was a good sign to see him get back to his average self.

This was his fourth game crossing the 100-yard mark and he also added to his touchdown totals now having seven of them. For the year, Cooper is at 50 receptions for 698 yards. He’s never had more than eight touchdowns in a season in his career, so he looks to run by that mark soon. Potentially, his 69. 8 YPG also has him on pace for one of his best seasons in terms of yards gained with 1186 yards.

Cooper has been one of the few bright spots this season for a team that seems to be struggling in so many other areas. Between his good season and the rise of Donovan Peoples-Jones, the wide receiver concerns going into the year haven’t been as pressing as in past seasons.

DPJ has been very consistent, having caught four passes or more in seven straight games. His 577 yards gained so far are only a few yards off from his previous season’s totals, so he’ll run by those totals likely in this next game. He’s on pace to reach 1,000 yards gained in a season for the first time in his three years.

This part of the Browns offense, especially with Deshaun Watson returning can be an exciting part of this team moving forward. Now all this team needs are more wins.

3. Jacoby Brissett will finish his QB stint with his best game

If you had said the Browns were 3-7 on the season with career backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett under center that probably wouldn’t be shocking news. We were all expecting a rough period of football as the team tried to navigate its way to Week 13 when it’s expected that Deshaun Watson returns.

But to suggest that Brissett is the main reason why the team has a poor record wouldn’t be giving Brissett the credit he deserves. He’s had one of the best seasons in his seven-year career. He’s thrown for 2,398 yards that include 11 touchdowns.

His 64.4 percent completion rate is his career-best as is his 239.8 yards per game. Last week, he threw for 324 yards and threw three touchdowns. He’s also shown some excellent mobility. He’s mustard up 211 yards on the ground including two touchdown runs. In the game against the Buffalo Bills, he had one scamper that went for 22 yards.

Brissett has certainly done his part with an offense that is averaging 24 points a game. If the Browns defense and special team units would have been better this season, then that win total would have likely been different.

With Watson now plugged in to go in Week 13, look for Brissett to leave it all out there on the field Sunday. He has nothing to lose at this point as he likely auditions for the backup role for next season with a different NFL team. Cleveland may consider bringing him back, but he’ll likely look to get a bigger paycheck somewhere else.

2. Browns will intercept Tom Brady twice

The only way the Browns are going to beat the Buccaneers and Tom Brady on Sunday is if they can force them into turnovers. Cleveland only has three interceptions as a team so far this year. They haven’t been winning any type of turnover battle this season because they aren’t forcing things.

In an interesting battle of words, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett tried throwing his coaches into the fire by saying the team hasn’t made progress in the turnover department and implied that it’s because the coaching staff doesn’t focus on it.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski then shot back the next day by saying to reporters that forcing turnovers is something they work on all the time.

As reported by Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Stefanski said:

"“Again, Myles speaks for Myles. I’ll talk to him about it. I know this, we put a lot of time emphasis on takeaways in our building. We haven’t gotten them. That has been our issue. In these games, we have to take the ball away, and we’ll look for ways to do that.”"

In the end, the Browns need to be more aggressive in these last seven games of the season and it starts with the defense. Brady hasn’t thrown too many interceptions this year, with just two, so Cleveland will have their work cut out for them. However, a few tipped passes on a cold and rainy day could be what the doctor ordered.

1. Browns will beat the Bucs

Despite the last two losses by Cleveland, they’re returning to their home field and the game will likely be played under less-than-ideal weather conditions as they are calling for temperatures in the 40s and rain.

Add in the fact that Jacoby Brissett is potentially playing his last game as a starter in Cleveland, Nick Chubb should be able to get back on track, and finally that the team’s defense has been embarrassed the last couple of games, and it feels like they’re due for a win.

It won’t be easy for Cleveland as they will going up against a very good team and a great quarterback. Tampa Bay has won their last two games and has been well rested having had their bye week, but this game just has a Browns victory stamp posted on it.

The Buccaneers are in the middle of the pack as far as defensive and offensive production. Both teams are similar in many categories. The Browns, however, give up almost 27 points a game, while the Bucs only give up 18 points a game. On the other hand, Cleveland is scoring 24 points a game while Tampa Bay is only averaging 18 points a game.

If the Browns’ defense can stop blaming everyone else for their failures and play together then they have a great opportunity to win. Before their bye week, Cleveland got an outstanding effort by its defense because the team played inspired and together in their 31-13 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. A return to that commitment by the team would be a welcomed sight for all to witness.