Coach Mike Pettine picked Davis – the Browns’ 24th starting quarterback since 1999 – over Johnny Manziel, who started Cleveland’s 31-10 loss to Cincinnati last month but lost his job after breaking a promise he wouldn’t go out partying during the team’s bye week. Cleveland will need to find its focus after snatching defeat from the jaws of victory on Monday, courtesy of a blocked field goal attempt which led to a touchdown as time expired in a 33-27 loss to Baltimore. The offense ranks fourth in points scored as well as seventh in yards per game.
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Broncos at Chargers, 2:05 p.m., Ch. 12 • Brock Osweiler, a regional Sports Illustrated cover boy who claims to know nothing about the SI jinx and is therefore likely a liar, nevertheless is the first Broncos quarterback since John Elway in 1983 to win his first two National Football League starts, and the 10th QB ever to win his first two Denver starts. Browns – WR Taylor Gabriel (concussion), CB Justin Gilbert (concussion), CB Joe Haden (concussion) and WR Andrew Hawkins (concussion) are out; LG Joel Bitonio (ankle), LB Nate Orchard (groin) and DT Randy Starks (knee) are questionable. Then Manziel goes on another one of his meltdowns, gets dropped to third string after playing well, and Josh McCown proceeds to get a broken collarbone and placed on season ending injured reserve.
Here are the elements that will decide the outcome of Sunday’s rematch at FirstEnergy Stadium. On top of reacquainting himself with the playbook as a receiver, Pryor doubles as a third-string quarterback/insurance policy.
Thankfully, the second-year guard said he’s confident he’ll play this week, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.
DeFilippo said Davis has prepared like the starting quarterback since the day he arrived in Cleveland. Am I going to call them elite? He went to Southern Mississippi to play baseball but wound up breaking Brett Favre’s passing records with 3,848 yards as a senior and 83 career touchdowns. Cincinnati hasn’t swept the season series since 2011.
Sure, no one (well some already do) will discredit the Bengals body of work, but what will happen is the “but’s” will start to trickle into conversations. Brown arrived in Cleveland in 1946 to coach the Browns in the inaugural AAFC season. Years of success followed, but when the club began to struggle, owner Art Modell fired him in 1963.
The Bengals are headed across the state to Cleveland to take on the Browns this week. On the other hand, the Browns are now playing some pretty poor football and can’t be a Matt Schaub led Ravens team.
The NFL switching networks for games is common late in the season.
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“I felt like I had an opportunity here and wanted to be a part of what they were doing”, Davis said. However, wins represent a precious commodity in Cleveland and the natural fan instinct is to want a win. Their run game has been unimaginative, and their offensive line isn’t getting much push up front.
