At 4-3, the Cleveland Browns are still alive in the playoff race despite a disheartening loss in Week 8 to the Seattle Seahawks. While that fifth win would have been nice, they know they still have everything in front of them and are now set to host a team with just one win on the season as the Arizona Cardinals are heading to Ohio.
We all know by now there are no guarantees in sports (just as the 49ers who expected to beat Cleveland, or the Cowboys who expected to beat the Cardinals) but this feels like a game the Browns should win. They have the advantage in all three phases of the game and it looks as though Clayton Tune is set to make his first NFL start after Josh Dobbs was traded to the Minnesota Vikings at the NFL trade deadline.
Securing that win would become easier for Cleveland should these four bold predictions come true.
4. Special Teams blocks a punt, scores a TD
Jim Schwartz has been getting all the attention since the Cleveland defensive coordinator has turned that side of the ball around. But he's not the only new coach who has made a huge impact. Bubba Ventrone has taken over special teams and the Browns are finally playing well in this regard.
Not only is Dustin Hopkins hitting kicks from his own backyard, but their coverage team has been doing much better than we've seen in recent years.
In this first bold prediction, Ventrone's unit makes a huge play to give his team momentum as they not only block a punt but also recover it for a touchdown.
3. Browns defense Tunes up Cardinals with 4 sacks
It was a bit of a surprise to see the Cardinals give up on Josh Dobbs after trading a fifth-round pick for him (and a seventh) before the start of the season. They ended up with eight starts out of him and then traded him and a seventh-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for a sixth-round selection.
With that move being done, Arizona showed that they believe Kyler Murray will be back soon. He's still not expected to go against Cleveland, which means rookie fifth-round pick Clayton Tune would be in line to start.
Tune has made one appearance, coming in during a loss to the Seahawks a couple of weeks ago. He completed his only attempt for four yards, which means there's not much tape at all on him — at least not at the pro level.
Even so, the Browns defense has to be one of the worst to make a first start against. Not only do they have Denzel Ward and Martin Emerson playing at elite levels but Grant Delpit and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah are flying around the field.
That's not even mentioning how strong the defensive line has been, especially Myles Garrett who comes into this one with 8.5 sacks.
This defense will be getting after Tune throughout the day and while he's a very good athlete, his ability to run might lead to him attempting to escape the pocket rather than throw the pass away. That will play into the hands of Garrett and the rest of the defenders, who rack up four sacks on the rookie in this bold prediction.
2. David Njoku, Elijah Moore each score a TD
One of the more frustrating whiffs in the Browns loss to the Seahawks was when they were inside the red zone and P.J. Walker forced an incompletion to Amari Cooper. As soon as the ball hit the ground, the replay was shown and Elijah Moore was wide-open on a crossing pattern. Had Walker simply looked to his left, he would have seen No. 8, and the two could have connected for the easiest touchdown of the year.
Instead, they had to settle for three points, and eventually, Seattle won 24-20. Those four points there would have loomed large, not to mention the momentum that could have swung in the road team's favor had they connected.
It would have also been huge for Moore, who has yet to score a touchdown with Cleveland. He's been solid with 27 receptions for 256 yards but the absence of Deshaun Watson is hurting him.
Walker could have used the touchdown as well, since he has just one this year. He did get this against Seattle when he found David Njoku for his first touchdown of the season.
In this game, look for Moore to finally get in the end zone and for good measure, Njoku should also be able to score his second. He's continued to be a reliable target and can step up again at home against Arizona.
1. Starter or not, DTR throws a TD pass
There's no word just yet on whether or not Deshaun Watson will play in Week 9 but we do know that P.J. Walker is still in line to start if he can't go. Kevin Stefanski said as much on Wednesday and while not everyone is on board, Walker does deserve some credit for leading the team on two game-winning drives.
Despite this, the terrible interception he threw in Week 8 that ultimately led to a defeat is still fresh in everyone's minds. This is why there were rumors that Dorian Thompson-Robinson could be the one they turned to against Arizona.
If Cleveland did go this route, it would have been a gutsy call. DTR has all the talent needed to succeed but when he got his chance against the Ravens in Week 4, it was ugly.
That doesn't mean the coaching staff has given up on him. In fact, they even used him against the Seahawks early in the second quarter when he came in and flipped a pass to David Njoku for a nine-yard gain. He quickly returned to the sideline but it wouldn't be a surprise to see him come back in Week 9.
In this final bold prediction, Kevin Stefanski shakes things up in the red zone in an attempt to get the offense into the end zone. This winds up working as DTR throws his first touchdown pass as a pro.