Staff Picks: Can the Browns improve to 3-1 against the Falcons?
Hurricane Ian will not stop the Cleveland Browns from traveling south as they are set to take on the Atlanta Falcons. The Browns are looking to get to 3-1 on the season, while the Falcons are looking to get to .500 after their win over the Seattle Seahawks a week ago.
The Browns are battling a tremendous amount of injuries, the Falcons might not have their running back Cordarrelle Patterson, and neither defense is particularly spry. Much could change by gametime, however.
Looking into this matchup, the Browns Wire staff gives their analysis and predictions as Cleveland and Atlanta get set for war.
Cory Kinnan: Browns 30, Falcons 28
The Browns are scoring at a pace that very few teams are through three weeks. And as the Falcons boast a bottom-tier defense against both the run and pass, it feels like the Browns will once again find their way into scoring position again this week.
The bad news: the Falcons are also top-10 in both run and pass efficiency offensively, and the Browns are quite beat up defensively. Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney are still not practicing and unlikely to play, Taven Bryan is still not full go, and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Denzel Ward just returned to practice.
This game has the makings of a shaky and anxiety provoking performance. It is time to ring the Cade York bell once again.
Browns win 30-28.
Jeff Risdon: Browns 30, Falcons 23
The Browns ability and willingness to run the ball goes right at where Atlanta’s defense struggles: defending the middle of the field. The Falcons could be without their best offensive player, Cordarrelle Patterson, and that offense will miss him more than the Browns defense would miss Clowney or even Myles Garrett.
As long as Brissett avoid the negative plays, the Browns should be fine on the road. The Browns hit-and-miss pass defense gets their easiest assignment of the year so far.
Cleveland 30, Atlanta 23.
Brad Ward: Browns 27, Falcons 21
The Atlanta Falcons have been better than most expected so far in 2022. They have an explosive offense featuring three key weapons in hybrid weapon Cordarrelle Patterson, wide receiver Drake London, and tight end Kyle Pitts. The Browns could play another good game on the offensive side of the ball and still lose this game. Having the better defense on Sunday will be critical to the outcome here.
Efforts to stop the run and make QB Marcus Mariota beat you with his arm should be at the forefront of their strategy. Mariota is prone to the turnover, so the Browns must be opportunistic and capitalize when potential takeaways present themselves.
I like the Browns to play keep away with another effective running attack and their banged-up defense will be good enough to get off the field in a bid spot late in this game leading to a 27-21 Browns win.
