The Browns have placed 29-year old TE Alex Smith on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to a shoulder injury.  Smith played in 14 games for the Browns this year and he caught 14 passes for 131 yards (9.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 17 games in his first two years with the Browns and he has caught 15 passes for 137 yards (9.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  This is just another blow to the Browns’ passing game.

The Browns were up 17-7 after three quarters in this game and then everything went sour.  Seneca Wallace looked solid in his first start this year as he completed 18 of 31 passes for 226 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 21 yards (7.0 ypc) in this game.  Peyton Hillis was a workhorse for the Browns yesterday as he carried the ball 26 times for 99 yards (3.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Rookie WR Greg Little really stepped up today as he led the way for the Browns in the passing game with 5 grabs for 131 yards (26.2 avg) with a long TD grab.  WR Mohamed Massaquoi (3 rec, 42 yards), WR Jordan Norwood (3 rec, 21 yards) and TE Jordan Cameron (3 rec, 8 yards) also pitched in for the Browns in the passing game yesterday.  The Browns finished up with 120 yards rushing on 29 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 31 passes (58.1%) for 213 yards as they had possession of the ball for 31:22.

The defense was solid for three quarters for the Browns, but not good enough to win.  LBs D’Qwell Jackson (13 tackles), Chris Gocong (9 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks and 2 QB hits) and Kaluka Maiava (7 tackles and 2 tackles for a loss) led the way for the Browns in this game.  DE Jabaal Sheard (3 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks and 2 QB hits) and CB Buster Skrine (interception) also had huge impacts in this game for the Browns.  The Cardinals finished up with 74 yards rushing on 24 carries  (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 46 passes (60.9%) for 289 yards.  The Browns are now 4-10 on the season.

The Cleveland Browns have lost three games in a row and six of their last seven.  The Cardinals on the other hand, have won three games in a row and five of their last six games.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns are likely going to come out running the ball in this game.  They will likely spread the carries out between Peyton Hillis, Chris Ogbonnaya and Montario Hardesty (if he plays).  The Cardinals are giving up 117.2 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry, so the Browns could have some success running the ball tomorrow.  Seneca Wallace is starting at QB for the Browns tomorrow and maybe head coach Pat Shurmur will trust him more than Colt McCoy as far as throwing the ball down the field is concerned.  Evan Moore will be starting at TE tomorrow and I have a feeling he could have a big game against a Cardinals’ D that is allowing 242.8 yards passing per game so far this year.  It will be interesting to see if any of the WRs on the Browns step up with Wallace at QB.

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals will likely be starting John Skelton at QB and he is really sloppy with the ball.  When he throws a bad pass, the Browns need to make him pay for it tomorrow.  Skelton does have a big time weapon in WR Larry Fitzgerald, so the Browns will likely stick CB Joe Haden on him and give help over the top with a safety.  Early Doucet is having a nice year opposite of Fitzgerald, so the Browns are going to have their hands full.  The front seven is going to have to find a way to slow down RB Beanie Wells as the Browns are giving up 150.9 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry so far this year.

PREDICTION:  CARDINALS 24, BROWNS 20

The Browns have placed 30-year old TE Ben Watson on the Injured Reserve List due to a concussion.  Watson played in 13 games (11 starts) for the Browns this year and he caught 37 passes for 410 yards (11.1 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He has played in 29 games (27 starts) in his two years with the Browns and he has caught 105 passes for 1,173 yards (11.2 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  TE will now fall to 26-year old Evan Moore and 29-year old Alex Smith for the Browns.  Evan Moore has an outstanding set of hands and he gets open a lot, so I expect him to play well for the Browns the last three weeks of the year.  Moore has played in 13 games (2 starts) for the Browns so far this year and he has caught 25 passes for 250 yards (10.0 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He has now played in 30 games (6 starts) in his first three years with the Browns and he has caught 53 passes for 730 yards (13.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  I look for Moore to be a big part of the Browns’ passing attack the rest of this year.  Alex Smith will also see a bump in P.T. for the Browns the rest of the year.  Smith has played in 12 games (3 starts) for the Browns this year and he has caught 13 passes for 122 yards (9.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 15 games (4 starts) in his first two years with the Browns and he has caught 14 passes for 128 yards (9.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Smith is also a decent receiver, so he is likely going to help the Browns a lot the last three weeks.

31-year old QB Seneca Wallace is going to likely start against the Cardinals this weekend.  He might get to start the rest of the year as Colt McCoy is suffering from a concussion and he has yet to return to practice.  Wallace has played in 3 games for the Browns so far this year and he has completed both of his pass attempts, good for 17 yards.  He has also caught 1 pass for 21 yards so far this year for the Browns.  Wallace has now played in 11 games (4 starts) in his first two years with the Browns and he has completed 66 of 103 passes (64.1%) for 711 yards with 4 TD passes and 2 INTs (89.1 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 7 times for 9 yards (1.3 ypc) and he has caught 2 passes for 30 yards (15.0 avg) so far this year.  Wallace is a solid QB and I expect him to do a decent job for the Browns going forward.

The Cleveland Browns put 25-year old QB Colt McCoy in harm’s way by not giving him a concussion test after the vicious and very cheap shot hit that Steelers’ OLB James Harrison put on him last Thursday.  They put him back into the game just two plays later.  He played terrible, as expected, as the Browns really took a chance with his health.  On Friday, he was diagnosed with a concussion and he has not practiced since.  It’s possible that last Thursday was the last time McCoy will play this year.  He has played in 13 games for the Browns so far this year and he has completed 265 of 463 passes (57.2%) for 2,733 yards with 14 TD passes and 11 INTs (74.6 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 61 times for 212 yards (3.5 ypc) so far this year.  It’s still up in the air to me as far as McCoy being the starting QB of the Browns in the future.  I think it’s really hard to evaluate him due to the injuries on the offensive line and a group of WRs and TEs that drop a lot of passes and have problems getting open.  McCoy has now played in 21 games in his first two years with the Browns and he has completed 400 of 685 passes (58.4%) for 4,309 yards with 20 TD passes and 20 INTs (74.5 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 89 times for 348 yards (3.9 ypc) with 1 TD run for the Browns.

The Browns were right in this game until OLB James Harrison hit QB Colt McCoy with a cheap shot with the Browns driving down 7-3 in the game.  The Browns brought in Seneca Wallace for a couple of plays and then they brought back McCoy, who looked foggy.  Shame on the Browns for putting McCoy back into the game so soon….it probably cost them this game.  McCoy completed 18 of 35 passes for 209 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 INTs.  Seneca Wallace completed his only pass attempt, a nice 13-yard pass to TE Evan Moore.  Chris Ogbonnaya led the Browns in rushing with 31 yards on 2 carries (15.5 ypc).  Peyton Hillis (10 carries for 25 yards) and Montario Hardesty (11 carries for 24 yards) had a hard time finding running room against the Steelers last night.  TE Evan Moore led the way for the Browns in the passing game with 4 grabs for 55 yards (13.8 avg).  Mohamed Massaquoi pitched in with 3 grabs for 44 yards (14.7 avg) in this game.  The Browns finished up with 98 yards rushing on 30 carries (3.3 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 36 passes (52.8%) for 206 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:18.

The defense gave up a lot of yards, but they stopped the Steelers for the most part due to some really big plays.  LB D’Qwell Jackson led the way for the Browns last night with 13 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 QB hit and 1 fumble recovery.  Safety Mike Adams had a poor effort on WR Antonio Brown’s 79 yard TD reception late in the game, but he also had 10 tackles, 1 pass defense and a interception that he returned 29 yards.  LB Chris Gocong had 8 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss as he was outstanding for the Browns last night, especially on a awesome goal line stand.  CBs Joe Haden (8 tackles, 1 forced fumble) and Sheldon Brown (3 tackles and 1 fumble recovery) were both good and bad last night for the Browns.  The Steelers finished up with 147 yards rushing on 28 carries (5.3 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 23 passes (69.6%) for 269 yards in this game.  The Browns are now 4-9 on the season, but they did physically beat up on the Steelers last night.

The Browns lost five of their last six games and 2 in a row.  The Steelers have a 3-game winning streak going and they have won 7 of their last 8 games.  The Steelers have beaten the Browns 20 of the last 22 times they have played, including 14 of the last 15.  The Browns’ lone win of the last 15 meeting came in 2009 in Cleveland.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns need to be very aggessive in the play calling tomorrow night if they are going to have any chance of competing in Pittsburgh.  The Browns need to throw the ball down the field and quit playing like they are in a 10-yard box.  If Colt McCoy has time to throw the ball tomorrow, which is unlikely, he could make some plays.  It all depends on the WRs of the Browns.  If they try to catch the ball tomorrow, they could make some plays as the Steelers’ corners are overrated.  Peyton Hillis will need to give the Browns balance on offense and it can be done as the Steelers are giving up 4.0 yards per carry.

When the Steelers have the ball:  This is going to sound crazy, but the Browns are going to have to stop the run and force Ben Roethlisberger to throw the ball with his broken right thumb.  That will be easier said than done, as the Browns are giving up 151.3 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.  Rashard Mendenhall has not played that well this year, so maybe the Browns can slow him down tomorrow night.  The Browns will have to get a good pass rush on Ben Roethlisberger, because if he has time to throw the ball….he’s going to make some plays down the field to Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 30, BROWNS 13

25-year old WR Mohamed Massaquoi is starting to fall out of favor with the Browns as he has played lousy so far this year.  He has played in 10 games for the Browns so far this year and he has only caught 21 passes for 265 yards (12.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Browns’ QBs have only completed 21 of 48 passes (43.8%) passes thrown in Massaquoi’s direction so far this year, and that is awful.  Massaquoi has now played in 41 games in his first 3 years with the Browns and he has caught 91 passes for 1,372 yards (15.1 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  Massaquoi will likely be playing for his future with the Cleveland Browns in the last four games of the 2011 season.

All 26-year old TE Evan Moore does is catch passes.  Browns’ QBs have completed 21 of 29 passes (72.4%) thrown in Moore’s direction this year.  He has played in all 12 games for the Browns this year and he has caught 21 passes for 195 yards (9.3 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Moore has now played in 29 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has caught 49 passes for 675 yards (13.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Moore is one of the few Browns’ receivers that gets open and catches the ball when it’s thrown to him.  The Browns should just throw Moore the damn ball!  Period!