Scenarios In Which The Browns Might Beat The Steelers

The weather looks to be cold with snow for the Thursday Night NFL game between the Browns and the Steelers. The stadium will be filled with alot of Steeler fans if the old pattern holds true. The current mood of the Brown's fans may affect how many of them will show up. What the heck, it is a Thursday night game, Steelers and Browns, the Dawg Pound should be a happening place at least. The question is: Can the Browns do it, win one for the hometown? There are a few scenarios that would give the Browns a slight advantage.

Scenario number one: The Browns might win if there is a blizzard. A blizzard would level the playing field, in which case, neither team will have the edge and it would give the Browns a fighting chance. This situation I would give to the Browns since they are the home team.

Scenario number two: The Browns use Joshua Cribbs in an expanded role. Joshua Cribbs has proved his worth and Mangini needs to recognize how he can use that to his advantage, either in an increase in ball carries or using him more in the wide receiver plan of attack. How about the way Miami uses its running backs? Cribbs can throw and he can run. Do this and I give the edge to the Browns.

Scenario number three: Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, and Troy Polamalu don't play. The absence of these three pivotal players would weaken the Steelers significantly. This would give the Browns a superior position in offense and defense. The victory will go to the Browns.

No doubt there are other scenarios in which the Browns might have the edge. The Browns offense has proven it can score TD's. The defense has proven it can hold its own. The Steelers are in a deep slump. Given these factors, now is the time to strike. See you Thursday night when the Steelers come to Cleveland for an AFC North showdown. Dress warm, it's going to be cold.

Browns Lose To Chargers With A Decent Showing

The game started out decent, but by the end of the third quarter it looked like another blowout in the making in Brown's Town. Then, the fourth quarter and a sudden surge by the Brown's offense fell short of a route, ending with a missed on-side kick attempt, game over. The Brown's walked off the field this week with some respectability losing 30-23 to the Chargers.

Brady Quinn had some decent numbers and ended the game with a rating of 95.7. Quinn had 3 TD's, the first TD coming on their opening possession, something that hadn't been done for a span of 35 games. Quinn was 25 for 45 with a total of 271 yards. This week Quinn distributed the ball between 9 different players with Evan Moore his primary target. Philip Rivers unfortunately was near flawless with a rating of 140.8. Rivers had 18 completions out of 25 attempts with a total of 373 yards with 2 TD's.

The Brown's running game was minus Jamal Lewis and the carries were spread between Jerome Harrison, Chris Jennings, and Joshua Cribbs, Harrison getting the bulk of the carries. Harrison had 2 touchdowns and interestingly they were both 8 yard passes from Quinn in the mighty fourth quarter.

Neither team dominated defensively. There were no interceptions and sacks on the quarterbacks nearly unmentionable, except the hit to Quinn on the Charger's 8 yard line that caused a crucial fumble, stalling a potential Brown's score. Joshua Cribbs had a good kick return day with a total of 148 yards, the longest being 42 yards.

This week is the big Thursday night game with the Steelers. Steelers, by the way, were beaten by the lowly Raiders 27-24. It's crying time again in the Steel Town and the Terrible Towels are getting quite saturated by the many tears being shed week after week. Cleveland Brown's Stadium should be rocking, if it doesn't start out with a half empty stadium like today's game. There will probably be alot of Steeler fans there. The Dawg Pound will have to carry the load of boosting the Brown's psyche.

The Browns Have An Offense-Score 37 Points

Who would have thought. The Browns have an offense afterall. The Brown's offense scored a total of 37 points against the Detroit Lions. The problem, the Browns still lost and the way they lost is the story. Dubbed the team with no offense the week before, the Browns came to Detroit shooting. So what if it was just the Lions, they gave their fans something to cheer about. Too bad it wasn't before the home crowd. The question in this game, where was the defense this week?

Brady Quinn had 4 TD's on 304 yards and a rating of 133.1. Not a bad days work. Unfortunately, Stafford outgunned Quinn with 5 TD's on 422 yards with a rating of 112.7. The Browns running game was decent. Jamal Lewis ran for 75 yards. It looks as though Massaquoi is becoming Quinn's favorite target. Massaquoi had 5 receptions with 115 yards. Stuckey had 76 yards on 5 receptions. Joshua Cribbs had a reception TD and factored strongly in the offensive effort.

The Brown's defense could only manage one sack and one hit on the QB. The big mistake by the defense was when there was zero time left on the clock. You would think the game had ended, but the little yellow flag laying on the ground in the endzone denoted otherwise. In a last desparation throw by Stafford, Brown's safety, Hank Poteat, was called for interference. Talk about officials effecting the outcome of a game, that was a big call. Still, the Lions had to put it in and they did with Stafford's fifth passing touchdown.

The Browns play in Cincinnati next Sunday. Can the Browns put together the total package and get a legitimate win against a contender? A victory over the Bengals will go along way in boosting the spirits of their fans and rev up the Dawg Pound for the next home game. Finally, what happened to the Pittsburgh Steelers in their game with Kansas City? The "Terrible Towel" is becoming the "Tearible Towel".