5 Bold predictions as Cleveland Browns face Indianapolis Colts in Week 7

What a difference a win makes. Following the Cleveland Browns loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the future was looking bleak. Cleveland went into their bye week not knowing when Deshaun Watson would return to action and they were going to host the undefeated San Francisco 49ers in Week 6.

Despite facing long odds, the Browns went into the game with P.J. Walker under center and walked out with a thrilling two-point win.

Now, they look to make it two in a row as they head to Indianapolis to take on the 3-3 Colts, who are coming off a loss to Jacksonville. Let’s look ahead to the next contest with these five bold predictions.

5. Martin Emerson gets another pick

Cleveland didn’t make their first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft until No. 68 overall but they nailed that selection by taking Martin Emerson. The Mississippi State product has come in and has been a fighter since day one.

Emerson quickly took over for Greedy Williams and was one of the best rookie defensive backs in the entire league. Now in year two, he’s playing even better and is thriving under Jim Schwartz.

Not only has he been shutting down opposing receivers but now, he has his first career pick as well after he secured an interception against Brock Purdy. After the game, he said they would start to come in bunches now that he got his first and this bold prediction is that he does exactly that.

Gardner Misnshew has three interceptions on the year and will throw the ball up for grabs. Look for him to test Emerson as he avoids Denzel Ward, which winds up benefiting No. 23.

4. Za’Darius Smith notches his first sack of the year

One of the more exciting additions to the defense this year was Za’Darius Smith, a pass-rushing EDGE who spent 2023 with the Minnesota Vikings. Smith, who started his career with the Baltimore Ravens, came in with at least 10 sacks in three of the past four seasons which had everyone stoked about what he could do opposite Myles Garrett.

After five games, Smith has recorded just six tackles and has not registered his first sack in Cleveland. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t been effective though — because he has. Smith is currently eighth in the NFL in pass-rush win rate and 14th in pass-rush grade. Recently defensive line coach Ben Bloom discussed how important Smith has been to their defense.

Oftentimes, we worry too much about the numbers — which is also an issue when it comes to cornerbacks and interceptions. But the impact a player makes goes well beyond the statistics.

Having said that, they do still want to get those stats and Smith is going to be celebrating his first in Cleveland in a big way. This bold prediction is that we’ll see that celebration this Sunday when he takes down Gardner Minshew for his first sack in the orange and brown. 

3. Jerome Ford follows up solid performance with another 80 yard outing

Arguably the biggest gamble the Browns took this offseason was when they elected to go into the year with inexperienced backups behind Nick Chubb. They were banking on Deshaun Watson leading a pass-first offense which would help Chubb make it through the season without being over-worked.

Sadly, they wound up losing Chubb in the second game of the year to a devastating knee injury. That meant second-year back Jerome Ford would be taking over — although they did bring back Kareem Hunt to give him an experienced backup.

Cleveland was dealt another blow when Watson suffered his shoulder injury and that means they’ve been trying to get their offense rolling with backup quarterbacks along with Ford. They’re now 1-1 without Watson and in Week 6, Ford was a huge reason they secured the W.

Ford carried the ball 17 times and managed 84 yards, which was his best output since Week 2. He even managed a couple of clutch runs down the stretch to help Cleveland upset the Niners.

In Week 7, the Browns are hopeful Watson will return but even if he does, Ford will be leaned on once again. This prediction is that Indianapolis, who has given up 681 yards on the ground in six games, allows Ford to rack up another 80-plus yards.

Right now, the second-year back is on pace for more than 900 yards on the year and can further endear himself to Cleveland fans with another strong outing.

2. Amari Cooper goes over 100 yards again

It’s hard to understand how some people still don’t understand how good Amari Cooper is. In a league full of “look at me” wideouts, Cooper often gets ignored due to his quiet nature.

He doesn’t scream and yell when the ball isn’t coming his way and doesn’t get bothered to see his teammates make the big plays — just look at how happy he was for David Bell when he had a clutch fourth-down reception in Week 6.

Instead, Cooper just goes out and does his job — even when his team is having to cycle through backups. Unfortunately for Cooper, he has had several signal-callers since joining Cleveland as he was with Jacoby Brissett for 11 games in 2022 and then Watson for the final six. This year, he had Watson to start the year but has since had Dorian Thompson-Robinson and P.J. Walker fill in.

That’s impacted his overall numbers but Cooper is still making the plays when the ball comes his way. He did this on Sunday as he set up the Browns first 10 points with a 58 yard catch and run as well as an insane leaping reception for a first down on a third-and-six.

In all, he had just four receptions but managed 108 yards — his second triple-digit outing of the season. This bold prediction is that he will make it back-to-back weeks as he finds several openings in the Colts secondary en route to another 100-yard outing.

1. Browns defense holds Colts to fewer than 10 points

Heading into Week 7, Jim Schwartz has proven himself as the best hire of the offseason — perhaps not just for the Browns, but in the entire NFL. He’s taken a defense that struggled mightily (especially against the run) and has them first in the NFL in yards surrendered. 

After the win, the talk centered around the injuries the Niners suffered. They did lose Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey during the game but to act as if the Browns weren’t dealing with injuries as well was asinine. And in all honesty, they bottled McCaffrey up for the most part outside of the opening drive.

Now heading to Indianapolis, they again face a team that has some injury concerns. The Colts are still without Anthony Richardson, which means Gardner Minshew will make his third start of the year. He’s 1-1 as the starter and has 882 yards with three touchdowns against three picks in his six total appearances. However, he has yet to face a defense as talented as Cleveland’s.

That’s why this final bold prediction is that the Browns continue to play excellent defense and force Minshew into several mistakes. The end result will be fewer than 10 points for the home team.

They’re incredibly balanced as well with the No. 1 ranked passing defense and are fourth highest at stopping the run according to Pro Football Reference. This past weekend, they were especially impressive, giving up just 17 points to the 49ers with seven of those coming thanks to an interception giving San Francisco the ball inside the 10-yard line.

More Cleveland Browns news and analysis