CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – It won’t be the coldest Browns game to be played by the lake in history, but it might feel like it.
The kickoff temperature against the Saints is expected to be around 11 degrees and winds exceeding 30 miles per hour with the possibility of snow. The wind chill could hit 30 below zero.
Both teams remain mathematically alive for the playoffs and must win Saturday. The Browns at 6-8 cling to a percentage of hope in the AFC Wild Card race while the 5-9 Saints can still win the NFC South.
What to watch for – The cold. The wind. The snow. The weather will play a major factor Saturday for both teams.
Yards, first downs, points all will be at a premium.
Throwing the ball in high winds with regularity is not a sound game plan so fans anxious to see Deshaun Watson light up a box score will likely be disappointed. This won’t be his breakout game passing the ball but expect plenty of designed runs to be built into the game plan. Saints quarterback Andy Dalton is used to playing in cold weather having spent the first nine years of his career in Cincinnati and another in Chicago.
The team with the most effective run game – and run defense too – likely will win. The Browns have Pro Bowler Nick Chubb, who is third in the NFL in rushing with 1,252 yards and 13 touchdowns this season while the Saints counter with Alvin Kamara, who is responsible for 1,087 scrimmage yards – 641 rushing and 446 receiving – and three combined touchdowns.
All hands will be on deck for both teams when it comes to churning out yards – and points. Kareem Hunt, who averages four yards a carry, could figure into Cleveland’s offensive plans. Receivers Donovan Peoples-Jones and Amari Cooper could be used to run the ball on sweeps and end arounds. The Saints continue to use the versatile Taysom Hill situationally at quarterback and it stands to reason the Browns will see plenty of him Saturday.
The Browns will be without defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, but the pass rush likely takes a back seat to stopping the run. Does Joe Woods move Myles Garrett around to help the middle of the defense?
Kicking field goals and extra points hardly seem optimal Saturday with the wind gusts that are forecasted. With all due respect to rookie kicker Cade York, who has made 9 of 15 field goals and 15 of 17 PATs at home compared to 13 of 15 field goals and 14 of 14 on PATs on the road, Phil Dawson isn’t walking through that door. Dawson boomeranged a 49-yard field goal and made a 35-yarder to help the Browns beat the Bills 8-0 in 2007 in blizzard-like conditions that featured wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour.
Last week – Saints beat the Falcons 21-18; Browns beat the Ravens 13-3
Last Time – September 16, 2018: Saints 21, Browns 18
Series – Browns lead 13-5; 4-2 since 1999
Rankings – Points: Saints 21 (20.4), Browns 13 (22.4)
Yards: Saints 17 (343.8), Browns 8 (362.6)
Rushing: Saints 21 (111.3), Browns 5 (149.0)
Passing: Saints 12 (232.5), Browns 20 (213.6)
Points allowed: Saints 16 (22.5), Browns 20 (23.3)
Yards allowed: Saints 11 (327.6), Browns 17 (342.4)
Rushing yards allowed: Saints 23 (132.6), Browns 24 (133.1)
Passing yards allowed: Saints 7 (195.1), Browns 12 (209.4)
Turnover ratio: Saints T-32 (-12), Browns T-24 (-3)
Projected starters for Browns – Offense: WR Amari Cooper, LT Jedrick Wills Jr., LG Joel Bitonio, C Ethan Pocic, RG Wyatt Teller, RT Jack Conklin, TE Harrison Bryant, WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, QB Jacoby Brissett, RB Nick Chubb, TE David Njoku
Defense: DE Myles Garrett, DT Jordan Elliott, DT Taven Bryan, DE Alex Wright, SAM Tony Fields II, MIKE Deion Jones, WILL Jordan Kunaszyk, CB Greg Newsome II, CB Denzel Ward, SS Grant Delpit, FS John Johnson III
Injury report – OUT: DE Jadeveon Clowney (concussion); QUESTIONABLE: S John Johnson III (thigh); EXPECTED TO PLAY: RB Nick Chubb (foot), DE Myles Garrett (illness), RT Jack Conklin (rest), WR David Bell (thumb), WR Amari Cooper (rest/hip), LB Jordan Kunaszyk (hamstring), TE David Njoku (knee), CB Denzel Ward (shoulder), RG Wyatt Teller (ankle), CB AJ Green (toe)
Uniforms – Color rush brown jerseys and pants with orange numerals and lettering.
Broadcast – Radio: 92.3 The Fan, 98.5 WNCX and the University Hospitals Cleveland Browns radio network. TV: WOIO TV-19 (CBS)
Kickoff – 1:03 p.m. FirstEnergy Stadium – Cleveland, Ohio
Prediction – Browns 11, Saints 8
Our record – 9-5
