The Browns have lost two tough games in a row by a combined 50-40.  But they have really played well the last four weeks in which they are 2-2 as they have outscored the competition 104-81.  The Panthers are reeling as they have lost four games in a row by a combined score of 122-42!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Browns have the ball:  Jake Delhomme is going to start at QB in his game and he’s going to be sky high playing against his old team.  Even with that in mind, I see Peyton Hillis being the focal point of the offense both running the ball and catching passes out of the backfield.  The Panthers are allowing 128.4 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry so Hillis should get his fair share of yards.  Delhomme is likely going to have time to throw the ball but he has to be careful as the Panthers have 11 interceptions this year.  I see this being the kind of game where the Browns take a shot or two deep to Mohamed Massaquoi.

When the Panthers have the ball:  I fully expect the Panthers to try to run the ball with Mike Goodson and Jonathan Stewart against a Browns’ D that is allowing 116.4 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.  Panthers’ QBs have been sacked 30 times this season so look for the Browns to blitz more than usual to get into Jimmy Clausen’s head.  The Browns should slide safety help to Eric Wright’s side because I know the Panthers will be looking for him.

PREDICTION:  BROWNS 27, PANTHERS 10

Both of these teams are back on the right track making this a big game for both teams.  The Browns are sitting on 499 franchise wins and they would like to get #500 this Sunday.  The Browns have won 2 of their last three games against the Saints, Patriots & Jets.  The Jaguars have won their last two games (Texans, Cowboys) but a combined score of 66-41.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns are going to feed the rock to Peyton Hillis against a Jags’ D that is allowing 114.9 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry.  The Jaguars are giving up 272.3 yards passing per game and opposing QBs have a 105.7 rating against them so look for the Browns to start to take the shackles off Colt McCoy this weekend.  The Jags don’t have much of a pass rush so McCoy is going to have a lot of time to throw the ball.  Ben Watson, Evan Moore, Mohamed Massaquoi and Peyton Hillis could have big games this Sunday in the passing game.

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are likely going to try to be balanced this weekend against a improving Browns’ D.  The Browns are allowing 113.2 yards rushing per game but only 3.9 yards per carry so look for Maurice Jones-Drew to have to earn every yard he gets this Sunday.  The Browns will likely try to blitz David Garrard a lot this weekend to try to force him into making some mistakes.  WRs Mike Thomas, Mike Sims-Walker and TEs Marcedes Lewis and Zach Miller will be Garrard’s top targets this Sunday.

PREDICTION:  BROWNS 30, JAGUARS 27

This should be a war.  The Browns have won two games in a row, thumping the Saints & Patriots by a combined score of 64-31!  The Browns have also played pretty well at home this year where they are 2-2, outscoring the competition 81-70.  But, the Jets are the road warriors of the NFL as they are 4-0 on the road this year, outscoring their opponents 116-77 there.  Eric Mangini would like nothing more than to beat his old team.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns are going to tighten up the chinstraps and give the ball to Peyton Hillis often against a Jets’ D that is allowing only 87.4 yards rushing and 3.3 yards per carry so far this year.  The Jets have an excellent pair of corners in Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie but they still are giving up 219.8 yards passing per game.  A big reason for that is the Jets’ other corners & safeties just aren’t that good.  So when the Browns decide to pass the ball they should have a lot of WRs & TEs on the field so that Colt McCoy can see where he has the advantage.

When the Jets have the ball:  The Browns will also have to tighten up the chinstraps tomorrow.  The Jets are going to come out running the ball with LaDainian Tomlinson & Shonn Greene.  The Jets love to go playaction after the running game has been established with Mark Sanchez trying to throw deep.  That’s where T.J. Ward becomes a big factor because he’s going to make the Jets’ WRs and TEs pay for catching the ball tomorrow.

PREDICTION:  JETS 21, BROWNS 20

Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick is returning to his old stomping grounds tomorrow.  Belichick was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns for five years and he was 37-45 (45.1%).  Belichick’s team has won five games in a row heading into this showdown in Cleveland.  The Browns are coming off a shocking beatdown of the Saints in New Orleans two weeks ago.  They had a bye last week so the Browns have had two weeks to get ready for the Patriots.

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns need to be aggressive in the playcalling this Sunday as the Patriots are giving up 384.0 yards per game so far this year.  Peyton Hillis should get a lot of work in both the running and passing game tomorrow.  Ben Watson will also want to stick it to his old team so look for the Browns to look his way in the passing game.  It’s time to take the shackles off of Colt McCoy so that the Browns can really evaluate him against a Patriots’ D that is allowing 282.4 yards passing per game.

When the Patriots have the ball:  The Patriots have been throwing short passes and running the ball to try to control the clock and keep their defense off the field.  The Browns will have to be most worried about WR Brandon Tate who has the speed to score from anywhere on the field.  They also must get pressure on Tom Brady who will spread the ball around and slice up the secondary if he has time to survey the field.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis has given the Patriots a running game again so the front seven will have to take care of him.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 27, BROWNS 24

The Cleveland Browns got beat 28-10 last week in Pittsburgh but they played much better than the scoreboard showed.  The Saints absolutely destroyed the Bucs in Tampa last week 31-6.  The Saints are 2-1 at home but the games have been close as they have outscored opponents 54-50.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns are going to come out trying to run the ball with Peyton Hillis in an attempt to control the ball and the clock.  The Saints are giving up 106.0 yards rushing but only 3.9 yards per carry so far this year so Hillis might find some running room.  The Saints aren’t a good pass rushing team and the Browns have a good O-Line so rookie QB Colt McCoy will likely have time to throw the ball.  He will likely be looking a lot to the TEs (Evan Moore & Ben Watson) seeing how his top wideout this week could be Chansi Stuckey.

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints might try to run the ball a bit more than usual against a Browns’ D that is allowing 120.2 yards rushing and 4.0 ypc.  It will be interesting to see if rookie RB Chris Ivory is for real after his breakout game against the Bucs last weekend.  The Browns are going to be blitzing a lot in this game trying to rattle Drew Brees but that might be a mistake.  Brees is very good at getting rid of the ball quick and he has a great group of receivers to throw to.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 30, BROWNS 17

This should be a very interesting ball game this Sunday in Pittsburgh as Ben Roethlisberger returns for his first game while rookie QB Colt McCoy will be starting his first NFL game.  The Browns won the last meeting between these teams as they sacked Roethlisberger 8 times and the game was started by Brady Quinn at QB.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns will likely try to protect Colt McCoy in his first start this Sunday.  That means they will likely try to run the ball a lot with Peyton Hillis.  It’s going to be rough to get many yards running against a Steelers’ D that is allowing only 62.3 yards rushing and 2.6 yards per carry.  The Browns will likely use the Wildcat a lot more in this game as the Browns will need to get the ball in Josh Cribbs as much as possible if they are going to pull the big upset this Sunday.  The Browns will likely keep the passing game short so that Colt McCoy can get rid of the football as the Steelers like to blitz from all over the field.  That likely means that  Ben Watson could be his top target.  But, WR Chansi Stuckey has stepped up as of late so he might be getting the ball a bit this weekend too.

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Browns have given up 120.0 yards rushing and 4.1 yards per carry so they should go all out to stop Rashard Mendenhall and make the Steelers one dimensional this weekend.  Ben Roethlisberger was sacked 8 times the last time the Browns played them so look for them to literally send the dogs after him this weekend.  The Browns are giving up 223.2 yards passing per game so if the Steelers’ O-Line give “Little Ben” time to throw the ball he could have success throwing down the field to Hines Ward or Mike Wallace.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 20, BROWNS 13

The Falcons and Browns are both coming off dramatic home wins so it will be interesting to see if either of them are flat.  With the Browns being at home I think the Falcons are more likely not to come out full bore.  Here is a look at the match-ups in this game:

When the Browns have the ball:  It appears as if Jake Delhomme is going to return as the starting QB this weekend.  That likely means that the Browns will throw more to the WRs and a little less to the TEs in this game.  Of course though, the Browns are going to come out running the ball with Peyton Hillis against a Falcons’ D that is allowing 4.6 yards per carry this year.  If the Browns establish a running game look for the Browns to take a couple of deep shots this week likely to Mohamed Massaquoi. 

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Browns are going to have to go all out to stop Michael Turner (281 yards rushing) and Jason Snelling (226 yards rushing).  If the Browns can stop the running game then they can come after Matt Ryan will a lot of blitzing.  OLB Matt Roth was a beast last week rushing Carson Palmer and Matt Ryan is a very similar QB as he likes to sit in the pocket when he throws the ball.  The Browns must pay a lot of attention to Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez as they have caught 54.8% of Ryan’s completions this year.

PREDICTION:  FALCONS 24, BROWNS 17

The Browns come into this game 0-3 despite being outscored by only 12 total points as no team has kicked their butts yet.  The Bengals come into the Battle of Ohio having swept the Browns by a combined score of 39-27 last year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns have not decided as of this time who the QB is going to be Sunday as Jake Delhomme has returned to practice.  I don’t think it matters much in the gameplan as I expect the Browns to come out running the ball with Peyton Hillis.  Hillis should have success running behind the Browns’ O-Line (the strength of the team) against a Bengals’ D that is allowing 104.7 yards rushing and 4.5 yards per carry.  If the Bengals sneak up to stop the running game look for the Browns to run some play action going over the top to Josh Cribbs or Mohamed Massaquoi.  Massaquoi caught 9 passes for 160 yards (17.8 avg) in the two games against the Bengals last week.  Also look for TE Ben Watson to be heavily involved in the passing game for the Browns as the Bengals’ safeties are the weak point of their secondary.

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals averaged 182.0 yards rushing per game last season against the Browns so look for Cedric Benson & Bernard Scott to get a lot of work this Sunday.  The Browns must stop the running game and get pressure on Carson Palmer, because if he has time to throw the ball it could be a very long day.  Terrell Owens, Chad Ocho Cinco, Jermaine Gresham and Jordan Shipley give Palmer a nice array of targets to throw to in the passing game.

PREDICTION:  BENGALS 20, BROWNS 17

The Browns have been competitive despite losing the first two games of the year.  But, they didn’t fare well against the Ravens last season who outscored them by a combined score of 50-3!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Browns have the ball:  The Ravens have only allowed 214 yards per game this season and 24 points overall so the Browns can’t afford to be turning the ball over in this game.  With Jerome Harrison likely to miss this game, Peyton Hillis and James Davis will likely get the bulk of the work in the running game for the Browns.  The Ravens are allowing 105.0 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry so the Browns could have some success moving the ball on the ground.  Browns’ QBs have only been sacked one time this season and the Ravens don’t have any interceptions so it will be up to Seneca Wallace to find someone that can catch a ball this week.  I would bet on TE Ben Watson and WR Joshua Cribbs getting a lot of action in the passing game.

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens will likely try to get Ray Rice going against the Browns.  The Ravens have been passing the ball a lot so far this season but it has not worked out too well.  The Browns are giving up 129.5 yards rushing per game this year but only 3.8 yards per carry so Rice will have to work for his yards.  The Browns must blitz Joe Flacco a lot when he drops back to throw as he already has 5 interceptions to only 1 TD pass so far this year.  But, Flacco completed 38 of 53 passes (71.7%) for 497 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs against the Browns last year. 

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 21, BROWNS 13

The Browns beat the Chiefs 41-34 last season in one of the most exciting football games in the entire NFL.  The Browns will likely be going with Seneca Wallace at QB in this game but that won’t likely change the offense much.  Here is a look at the match-ups in this game:

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns will likely try to pound the ball on the ground against the Chiefs.  Last year Jerome Harrison carried the ball 34 times for 286 yards (8.4 ypc) with 3 TD runs so in my mind he should get the bulk of the carries.  If they run a shared plan with Peyton Hillis this week I will be upset.  With Seneca Wallace playing at QB this week I see more rollouts and throws to the TEs.  Ben Watson and Evan Moore could get a lot of work in against the Chiefs.  Also, look for the Browns to run some crazy trick plays when Josh Cribbs and Seneca Wallace are on the field together.

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The Chiefs blitzed the Browns for 491 yards of offense in last year’s meeting.  The most important thing the Browns have to do in this game is to limit Dexter McCluster and Javier Arenas on punt and kickoff returns as they set up the Chiefs’ offfense with a lot of short fields.  After that, they need to focus on stopping Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones who rushed for 131 yards between them last week.  Charles carried the ball 25 times for 154 yards (6.2 ypc) with a TD run last year against the Browns.  Matt Cassel threw for 331 yards and had 2 TD passes against the Browns last year but he only had 68 last week.  Look for the Browns to try to force Cassel to throw the ball.

PREDICTION:  BROWNS 31, CHIEFS 28