The Cleveland Browns were down 17-3 at the half before waking up and playing much better in the second half, but it was way too little, too late.  Colt McCoy completed 22 of 34 passes for 241 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  He also carried the ball 8 times for 30 yards (3.8 ypc) for the Browns in this game.  But, he had butter fingers as he fumbled four times.  He only lost one of them, but it was on the Browns’ first offensive possession and it set up a Niners’ TD.  Montario Hardesty didn’t last long as he carried the ball 2 times for 6 yards (3.0 ypc), before leaving the game with a calf injury.  Chris Ogbonnaya led the way for the Browns on the ground in this game with 37 yards rushing on 11 carries (3.4 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 24 yards (4.8 avg).  TE Ben Watson (3 rec, 64 yards) and WR Josh Cribbs (2 rec, 56 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Browns yesterday.  WRs Jordan Norwood (5 rec, 32 yards) and Greg Little (4 rec, 28 yards) also helped out.  The Browns finished up with 66 yards rushing on 23 carries (2.9 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 34 passes (64.7%) for 224 yards as they had possession of the ball for 27:07.

The defense was awful in the first half, but pretty darn solid in the second half for the Browns.  LB D’Qwell Jackson had 10 tackles and 5 tackles for a loss to lead the way for the Browns’ on D yesterday.  DT Ahtyba Rubin (8 tackles) and safety Mike Adams (7 tackles) also pitched in for the Browns in this game.  The Niners finished up with 174 yards rushing on 39 carries (4.5 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 24 passes (62.5%) for 174 yards in this game.  The Browns are now 3-4 on the season.

The Cleveland Browns are coming off a 6-3 win over the Seahawks, and they are going across the country to try to make it two in a row against the suddenly solid San Francisco 49ers.  The Niners have won four games in a row (three of those were on the road)!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns should come out throwing the ball this Sunday.  Colt McCoy should be taking aim down the field against the weak secondary of the Niners as they are giving up 261.0 yards passing per game.  Greg Little, Josh Cribbs and Evan Moore are going to be his top targets.  RBs Montario Hardesty and Chris Ogbonnaya are going to have to fight for every yard they get against the Niners, as they are only giving up 74.7 yards rushing per game and 3.6 yards per carry so far this year.

When the Niners have the ball:  The 49ers like to play things close to the vest offensively.  They will likely feed the ball to Frank Gore , who will be the Browns’ first priority on defense.  Alex Smith has played solid this year for the Niners, but only when the running game is working.  The Browns are only giving up 172.0 yards passing per game so far this year (#1 in the NFL) and the Niners don’t have any WRs that scare anyone.  But, they like throwing the ball to their TEs (Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker), so the safeties are going to get challenged early and often in this game.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 20, BROWNS 17

The Cleveland Browns have not had much production out of the WRs so far in 2011.  Mohamed Massaquoi came into this season as the Browns #1 WR.  He has caught 18 passes for 239 yards (13.3 avg) with 2 TD grabs so far this year, but his hands are very inconsistent.  Rookie Greg Little is a player on the rise.  He has caught 25 passes for 234 yards (9.4 avg) without a TD grab so far this year.  He is willing to fight for the extra yard, which really stands out among this bunch.  I look for him to start picking up the pace and improving his yards per catch average as the year goes on.  Josh Cribbs is the #3 WR for the Browns right now.  He has caught 15 passes for 192 yards (12.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He is a player the Browns should be targeting more in the passing game as he is a very good runner after the catch.  Jordan Norwood (2 rec, 25 yards) and Brian Robiskie (3 rec, 25 yards) have not played well enough in games or practice to get on the field much.  The Browns need this crew to step up.

The Browns won this game because of an outstanding effort from the D and because of Phil Dawson’s leg.  Dawson had two field goals blocked in this game, but he also nailed a 52-yarder and a 53-yarder.  Safety T.J. Ward led the way for the Browns on D with 6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed and a forced fumble.  CB Joe Haden (5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed), LB D’Qwell Jackson (5 tackles, 1 fumble recovery) and DT Ahtyba Rubin (5 tackles, 1/2 a sack and 1 QB hit) also had outstanding games against the Seahawks.  LB Chris Gocong (4 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 2 QB hits), DE Jabaal Sheard (3 tackles, 1/2 a sack and 1 QB hit) and CB Sheldon Brown (interception) also made some big plays for the Browns in this game.  The Seahawks finished up with 65 yards rushing on 17 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 30 passes (40%) for 72 yards!

Colt McCoy had another sub-par game for the Browns yesterday as he completed 20 of 35 passes for 178 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 8 times for 31 yards (3.9 ypc) yesterday.  Montario Hardesty led the way on the ground for the Browns in this game with 33 carries for 95 yards (2.9 ypc).  He also caught 2 passes for 27 yards (13.5 avg) in this game.  Chris Ogbonnaya looked solid in his debut with the Browns as he carried the ball 3 times for 15 yards (5.0 ypc).  He also caught 5 passes for 43 yards (8.6 avg) in this game.  TE Evan Moore (4 rec, 35 yards) and WR Greg Little (5 rec, 31 yards) led the way for the Browns in the passing game.  The Browns finished up with 141 yards rushing on 44 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 35 passes (57.1%) for 157 yards as they had possession of the ball for an amazing 42:56!  The Browns are now 3-3 on the year.

The Browns will likely be without 32-year old starting outside linebacker Scott Fujita due to a nasty concussion.  He has played in 5 games for the Browns so far this year and he has 32 tackles.  24-year old Kaluka Maiava will replace Fujita in the starting lineup.  Maiava has played in 5 games for the Browns so far this year and he has 3 tackles.  He has now played in 23 games in his first 3 years with the Browns and he has 49 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 2 passes defensed.  The Browns hope that Maiava steps up this weekend.

This is going to be a battle between two teams with sub-par offenses and defenses, as neither team is very good.  The Browns have not beaten a team with a win yet this year (the Colts & Dolphins).  The Seahawks have won 2 of their last 3 games and they are coming off a bye week.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Browns have the ball:  The Seahawks have an outstanding run defense as they are only giving up 97.8 yards rushing per game and 3.1 yards per carry so far this year.  But, they give up 268.2 yards passing per game….so look for the Browns to air it out this Sunday offensively.  The Seahawks only have 8 sacks so far this year and they have trouble at corner, due to injuries.  With that in mind, look for Colt McCoy to feature his WRs in the passing game for the first time this year.  Earl Little, Mohamed Massaquoi and Josh Cribbs could be in line for big games this weekend.  TEs Ben Watson, Alex Smith and Evan Moore are going to be matched up with the best players on the Seahawks’ D (safeties Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas).  Montario Hardesty is going to be the main man in the running game for the Browns this weekend, so don’t expect much out of him.

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Seahawks are leaning towards starting Charlie Whitehurst at QB, but it could still be Tarvaris Jackson (pectoral injury).  No matter who the Seahawks use at QB, Marshawn Lynch is likely going to get a lot of work.  The Browns need to key on him and make the Seahawks into a pass only team this weekend.  Seahawks’ QBs have been sacked 20 times already this year, so look for the Browns to probably blitz a little more than usual this Sunday.  It’s looking like CB Joe Haden is going to come back this weekend and the Browns really need him.  He would likely be matched up with Sidney Rice.  Undrafted rookie WR Doug Baldwin has come out of nowhere to boost the Seahawks’ passing game, but the Browns should be ready to deal with him.

PREDICTION:  BROWNS 21, SEAHAWKS 20

The Cleveland Browns are getting next to no production out of their RBs this year.  The Browns are only averaging 81.6 yards rushing per game and 3.3 yards per carry so far this year.  A big part of the problem has been with 25-year old RB Peyton Hillis.  He wants a new contract and he is sitting out whenever he has a hangnail.  Hillis has played in four games for the Browns so far this year and he has carried the ball 60 times for 211 yards (3.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He has also caught 15 passes for 76 yards (5.1 avg) so far this year.  24-year old Montario Hardesty missed his rookie season due to knee surgery in 2010.  He has played in 5 games for the Browns so far this year and he has carried the ball 40 times for 143 yards (3.6 ypc) with 0 TD runs.  Hardesty has also caught 10 passes for 86 yards (8.6 avg) so far this year, but he drops as many balls as he catches.  The Browns have recently signed Chris Ogbonnaya off of the Texans’ practice squad and I look for him to get in on the action this weekend against the Seahawks.

The Browns have released 25-year old RB Armond Smith.  Smith played in 3 games for the Browns this year and he had 3 carries for 2 yards (0.7 ypc).  He also had 1 tackle this year for the Browns.  Smith had a solid pre-season for the Browns which helped him make the team, but that is where the magic stopped.  Chris Ogbonnaya’s recent signing doomed Smith.

UPDATE:  (10/21/2011) – Smith has cleared waivers and the Browns have re-signed him to the practice squad.

The Browns have signed 25-year old RB Chris Ogbonnaya off the Houston Texans’ practice squad.  Ogbonnaya has played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Texans this year and he has 3 carries for 6 yards (2.0 ypc).  He has now played in 4 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 14 times for 56 yards (4.0 ypc).  He has also caught 1 pass for 19 yards so far in his NFL career.  This move likely means that Peyton Hillis is going to miss some time due to his hamstring injury.

Two plays on special teams essentially broke the Browns’ backs in this game.  One was a 101-yard TD return on a kickoff by Raiders’ Jacoby Ford, one play after the Browns tied the game at 7 apiece.  Raiders punter Shane Lechler completed a 35-yard TD pass to TE Kevin Boss on a fake field goal!  The special teams really hurt the Browns’ today but the offense didn’t help the cause much either.  Colt McCoy was very inaccurate today as he completed 21 of 45 passes for 215 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 16 yards (4.0 ypc) and he lost a fumble.  Peyton Hillis only carried the ball 6 times for 14 yards (2.3 ypc) as he tweaked his hamstring early in today’s game.  Montario Hardesty led the way for the Browns on the ground in this game with 35 yards rushing on 11 carries (3.2 ypc).  He also caught 2 passes for 18 yards (9.0 avg) in this game.  Rookie WR Greg Little led the way for the Browns in this game with 6 grabs for 72 yards (12.0 avg).  TE Ben Watson (3 rec, 35 yards), WR Mohamed Massaquoi (3 rec, 30 yards, TD) and TE Alex Smith (2 rec, 14 yards, TD) also pitched in for the Browns in the passing game today.  The Browns finished up with 65 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 45 passes (46.7%) for 203 yards as they only had possession of the ball for 25:19.

The defense was on the field for a long time today and they didn’t look that bad despite the final score.  LB D’Qwell Jackson (9 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss), safety T.J. Ward (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and CB Dimitri Patterson (7 tackles and 1 pass defensed) led the way for the Browns in this game on D.  The Raiders finished up with 151 yards on 40 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 24 passes (62.5%) for 178 yards.  The Browns are now 2-3 on the season.