Week 17's contest between the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins will likely have no surprises. The Dolphins will win, the Browns offense will stall, and despite the defense holding Miami to 20 or less points, they'll be unable to capitalize and score on an average Dolphins defense.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson will probably start, but given the poor quality of the Browns' offensive line, there's a good shot he'll get sacked enough that he'll have to come out of the game. He's already headed into the game with a calf injury, and that'll only get exacerbated with having to run around the collapsing pockets he'll see all day.
Read more: David Njoku, Dorian Thompson-Robinson dealing with injuries before Dolphins game
But, it's still fun to see how certain Cleveland players manage to shine despite the team's record. And, there's a good shot they make one or two game altering plays that, while they might not add up to a win, can at least make the game a bit more interesting for Browns fans who actually slog out to Huntington Bank Field to see them play.
Let's take a look at some bold predictions for the contest.
1. Bailey Zappe makes his debut and doesn't play terribly
It'd be a perfect way to wrap up this Browns season by throwing another quarterback into the circus that has been taking place this entire season. Thompson-Robinson, who suffered a calf injury in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals, is still set to start in Week 17. But, knowing this offensive line, there's no way that injury doesn't get exacerbated.
So, look forward to some Zappe minutes. Zappe might have the most pressure on him to perform well in any minutes and snaps given to him over anyone in Cleveland's locker room, as he needs to nail any audition at quarterback to survive in the NFL beyond this year. He'll have a solid outing with no turnovers, but no scores either.
2. Jerome Ford goes for 100 rushing yards
Ford has felt on the precipice of a big game for the last two weeks. Last week, his big touchdown run was a perfect example of that, as he took advantage of a few pockets created by the O-line and gained meaningful yards on rush attempts.
Miami is probably looking to stuff any runs coming their way in this game knowing that the pass game for Cleveland is fairly broken. But, Ford is on a roll, and it feels safe to predict that he'll have a big game.
3. Myles Garrett gets career sacks 101 and 102
Garrett notched his 100th career sack in Week 16 on Joe Burrow as he's just continued to add to his DPOY argument. He'll likely lose out on the award as the Browns losing throws a wrench in any players' attempt at accolades this season, but Garrett has been consistently the best pass rusher in football this season.
So, it feels safe to predict that he'll notch two more sacks on a Dolphins O-line that currently ranks 20th in pass protection win rate in the league through Week 16.