This weekend, the Cleveland Browns exit their bye and will host the San Francisco 49ers. It won't be an easy matchup by any means, with the Niners coming into town with a perfect 5-0 record. They're also fresh off a convincing 42-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Throw in the fact that Cleveland is potentially going to be without Deshaun Watson for the second game in a row and this one is expected to be the toughest test this team has had in quite a while.
Having said all that, anything can happen on any given Sunday. That's why there's still a shot the Browns pull this off — and it will be easier to do if these four bold predictions come true.
4. Elijah Moore scores his first TD with the Browns
One of the more infuriating plays in Cleveland's loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4 was when Elijah Moore lost 20 yards on a receiver reverse. The Browns have tried to get him involved in the ground game all season and this time, he ran backward to try and escape the tackle — resulting in a massive loss that nearly cost them their only three points of the game.
The good news is that the Browns are rumored to be changing the way they use Moore. After four weeks of giving him the ball on the ground (which resulted in three rushing yards), he's expected to be a traditional wideout again — which should help their struggling offense.
In our first bold prediction, this results in Moore not only having his best output of the season but also in him scoring his first touchdown with the Browns.
3. Denzel Ward shuts down Brandon Aiyuk
Deebo Samuel is the big name that everyone knows in the 49ers aerial attack. He stands out with flashy plays and is able to do damage as both a runner and receiver — evidenced by his six touchdown receptions and eight rushing touchdowns in 2021. He's definitely a Swiss Army Knife who can do damage — but he's not San Francisco's No. 1 wideout.
Instead, that honor belongs to Brandon Aiyuk who has developed into one of the better route runners in the entire NFL. Aiyuk broke into the league in 2020 with 60 receptions for 748 yards and has improved in each season that followed. This past year, he hauled in 78 receptions for 1,015 yards with eight touchdowns — all career highs.
Heading into Week 6, he already has 21 catches for 378 yards (a staggering 18.0 yards per reception average) and two touchdowns. All of that means he's the player Denzel Ward is going to follow.
The No. 4 overall pick in 2018, Ward is playing the best football of his career right now. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has helped him unlock his potential as he's shut down just about everyone he's faced when allowed to play in man coverage.
On Sunday, the Browns will need him to shadow Aiyuk and Ward will be up to the task. That's why this bold prediction is that he keeps Aiyuk from being a game-wrecker, holding him to under 50 yards and no touchdowns.
2. Myles Garrett outshines Nick Bosa
Nick Bosa is one of the most dominant defenders in the NFL. Taken second overall in 2019 out of Ohio State, Bosa won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year that season after recording 47 tackles and nine sacks.
He's now in his fifth season and is on the heels of an 18.5 sack campaign that saw him win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award — which is an award Myles Garrett has made no secret he covets.
Garrett, the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, finished fifth in voting for the award last year after recording 16 sacks for the second season in a row. He's already the Browns franchise leader in sacks with 80 and he's off to a hot start again in 2023.
The Cleveland defensive end already has 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble in just four games. That's better than what Bosa has posted with just 1.5 sacks. This weekend, look for Garrett to continue to outshine Bosa as he records at least three sacks to help keep Cleveland in this game.
Bosa is the one with the award and much of that has to do with the 49ers winning more often than Cleveland has. But in this game when they're on the same field, it will be Garrett who proves to be the better pass rusher (and he will do so against a better offensive line than Bosa will face).
1. P.J. Walker throws for 250 yards with no interceptions
As of Wednesday, the Browns have yet to see Deshaun Watson back at practice. The shoulder injury that kept him out of their Week 4 loss to the Ravens has continued to linger and there are now rumors that he could miss anywhere from two-to-six weeks.
The only good news there is that this will technically be Week 3, assuming he does sit out — which feels like a safe bet at this point. That means he's halfway through the high end of the speculation.
Still, the Browns clearly missed their $230 million quarterback when they had to turn to rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson. To be fair to the rookie, he had almost no warning he was going to start since the team was expecting Watson to suit up. Even so, he wasn't ready to face that defense and with an even tougher San Francisco defense coming to town, Cleveland will be turning to P.J. Walker.
A former undrafted free agent out of Temple, Walker has seven starts under his belt — all with the Carolina Panthers. He's 4-3 overall and while he has more interceptions (11) than touchdowns (5), he did start to improve his numbers in 2022 when he had 731 yards with three touchdowns and three picks.
No one will confuse him with a superstar but he's also much more experienced than DTR. That's why he can be trusted to make the safe reads and in this final prediction, he does just that. While it might not be enough to knock off the undefeated Niners, look for Walker to toss 250 yards without a pick as he gives his team a fighting chance.