Browns vs. Rams: Full Cleveland Game Preview

You are what your record is. Right now, the Cleveland Browns are 2-4 heading into their Week 7 matchup against the St. Louis Rams.

There’s no looking back and feeling warm and fuzzy about close losses—like the three-point overtime home defeat to Denver last week—but the Browns have to develop a sense of urgency, because things could get a lot uglier before they get better.

After traveling to St. Louis, the Browns host Arizona and then hop on I-71 South to battle the currently undefeated Bengals of Cincinnati. If they want that game, or any of their AFC North contests to mean anything this season, winning one, if not both, of their upcoming NFC West matchups is necessary.

Coming out of that upcoming stretch in a good position won’t be possible without the team drastically improving its beleaguered rush defense. It’s clear that will likely continue to be a problem after the Browns surrendered another 150-plus yards on the ground last week—that has happened a lot, in five of six games, actually—to a struggling Broncos rushing attack.

First up for the Browns is Todd Gurley, St. Louis’s phenom rookie running back. Before the Rams’ Week 6 bye, Gurley got hot, totaling 303 yards in two games. To put that in perspective, Browns backs Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson have just 431 combined yards in six games. And Gurley is not doing it behind an imposing offensive line or thanks to a prolific passing game, either.

Cleveland is on pace to give up an embarrassing 2,397 yards and is allowing five yards per rushing attempt. For a historical look at just how bad that final number would be, the 2008 Detroit Lions allowed 2,754 yards on the ground, and the 2012 New Orleans Saints—who set the record for giving up the most total yards in a single season—allowed 2,361 rushing yards that year.

With the way Gurley has looked, he could well inflate that Browns projection this week.

Viewing Info

Location: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis

Date: Sunday, October 25

Time: 1 p.m. ET

TV: CBS

Week 6 Results and Recap

Andrew Weber/Getty Images

Playing without Joe Haden and Tashaun Gipson, the Browns defense limited Peyton Manning and the Broncos for much of the game. But when it mattered most, Cleveland couldn’t get a stop—despite Emmanuel Sanders playing with a gimpy shoulder. Manning attached youngster Pierre Desir with Pro Bowl receiver Demaryius Thomas, and the Browns couldn’t stop the run, letting the Broncos stroll to field-goal range.

The Browns made it close, though. Karlos Dansby picked off Manning twice, including a pick-six that put them ahead in the second half. They even had a couple of chances to possibly win it. Josh McCown was pressured in the closing minute of the fourth quarter and tossed up a floater that appeared to be sailing out of bounds. It never got there, instead falling into the waiting arms of safety David Bruton Jr.

Then on Denver’s first overtime possession, linebacker Barkevious Mingo leaped to pluck a Manning floater out of the air and returned it seven yards to the Broncos 39-yard line. After Robert Turbin bobbled a pitch to the left, losing a couple of yards, McCown took consecutive sacks, and the Browns were forced to punt. Failing to capitalize on that great field position and giving the Broncos new life led to the eventual 26-23 defeat.

Pittsburgh scored a surprising victory despite being lit up in the box score by Carson Palmer and the Arizona Cardinals. Third-string quarterback Landry Jones looked decent, throwing two touchdowns in limited action.

The Baltimore Ravens lost again on the West Coast, their fifth defeat of the season. Former Ravens receivers Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin combined for eight catches, 198 yards and one score for the 49ers.

Cincinnati kept rolling in Buffalo and stayed undefeated. It took a 34-14 lead into the final half of the fourth quarter before LeSean McCoy narrowed the gap to 34-21. Andy Dalton is undoubtedly an early MVP favorite. He’s second in passing yards, touchdowns and rating.

AFC North Division Standings

Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	Streak
Bengals	6	0	0	1.000	182	122	W6
Steelers	4	2	0	.667	145	108	W1
Browns	2	4	0	.333	141	158	L1
Ravens	1	5	0	.167	143	162	L2

News and Notes

Aaron Josefczyk/Associated Press

Johnny Manziel Back in the News for the Wrong Reasons

Mike Pettine was asked 22 questions about backup quarterback Johnny Manziel on Monday, the day after the team lost its fourth game in six tries this season, before he was queried about the state of the team on the field. Manziel obviously remains an enigmatic figure, for all the wrong reasons.

A police report surfaced Friday (h/t NewsNet 5 in Cleveland) detailing an argument the quarterback had earlier in the week with longtime girlfriend Colleen Crowley. It included Manziel admitting he had consumed two alcoholic beverages earlier in the day, alleged reckless high-speed driving and alleged domestic violence. Crowley was visibly intoxicated and was slurring her words, according to the report and as seen on the police dashcam video that was released.

Crowley alleged Manziel “hit her a few times” in the car, but the police did not identify any injuries other than on her wrist. Ms. Jackie Clark, a bystander who called 911, witnessed Manziel pulling Crowley back into his moving vehicle. The "male’s actions kept the female from exiting the moving car,” she said. The police attributed the abrasion above her wrist to that act.

Police ended up allowing Manziel and Crowley to leave the scene together due to various reasons they established in the report:

"

Based upon the statements of Mr. Manziel and Ms. Crowley, their relationship status, the lack of physical evidence; with the exception to Ms. Crowley's left wrist, Ms. Crowley's level of intoxication, the inconsistencies of Ms. Crowley's statements ranging from whether Mr. Manziel was physically abusive towards her or not, and neither party wishing to pursue charges, no arrest was made.

"

Manziel checked into rehab before team offseason activities began, but the reason for his admission has not been publicized. Substance abuse is a personal battle, though, so no one can really know what he is going through, or make judgments on his choice to partake in an afternoon beverage or two on his off day.

Pettine said this week the team will keep any discipline for the incident private. However, he added the NFL will likely conduct its own review and could decide a punishment is necessary.

Travis Benjamin Wants to Stay in Cleveland

Browns receiver Travis Benjamin added to his already impressive season with nine receptions and 117 yards last week, both career highs, against a stout Broncos pass defense. He may have been slowed by an ACL tear in 2013 and is now back to 100 percent. It certainly seems that way. His explosiveness and ability to move in and out of his breaks look better than ever this season.

Through three weeks, Benjamin led the NFL with five touchdowns. He hasn’t had one since but has established himself as one of the top options in the Browns passing game.

Increased productivity and the type of showing he has had will undoubtedly earn him extra cash once contract extension talks begin. Benjamin is a free agent after this season, and it’s uncertain whether the Browns and his representation will find common ground on his value.

Benjamin was asked if the impressive numbers he's posting are weighing on his mind when thinking about negotiations with the team.

"I’m really not paying attention to it right now," he said. "My mind and focus is just keep going to every game and just put on my best performance. At the end of the day or end of the year, the dice may roll where they roll."

He also stressed he wasn’t even thinking about exploring free agency. Whether that ends up being true is anyone’s guess. In this stage of the process, Benjamin is wisely avoiding burning any bridges, but it’s still reassuring to hear he’s happy with the organization that will likely try to re-sign him at some point during or soon after this season.

“I’m not looking for that," Benjamin said when asked about exploring free agency. "Me and the Browns have a great relationship. I love them, they love me and I love the community, so if we get a deal done that’ll be great for me.”

Latest Injury News

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Player	Position	Injury
Tank Carder	LB	Shoulder
Tashaun Gipson	DB	Ankle
Joe Haden	DB	Finger/Concussion
Johnny Manziel	QB	Right Elbow
Craig Robertson	LB	Ankle
John Hughes	DL	Knee
Gary Barnidge	TE	Ankle
Marlon Moore	WR	Hamstring
Nate Orchard	OLB	Groin
Danny Shelton	DL	Knee
Rob Housler	TE	Hamstring

After missing last week, Joe Haden, Tashaun Gipson and Craig Robertson were all absent from practice on Wednesday, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. Robertson and Gipson were observed on the sidelines, but Haden—who is still in NFL concussion protocol—was not present at Wednesday’s session.

Tight end Rob Housler injured his hamstring and left the game last week, and the outlook doesn’t sound too bright for him to play this week. Pettine discussed the possibility of activating undrafted rookie tight end E.J. Bibbs if he can prove he’ll contribute on special teams, implying that Housler was already an afterthought for this week.

Other new additions to the injury report include Gary Barnidge, Tank Carder, John Hughes, Marlon Moore, Nate Orchard and Danny Shelton, all of whom were limited at practice Wednesday.

Rookie defensive back Charles Gaines—coming off the short-term injury reserve—and running back Glenn Winston—coming off the non-football injury list—both returned to practice this week. Per Ulrich, Gaines isn’t eligible to play until Week 9, and Winston could play this week if the team clears and activates him. Both players have three weeks to be activated, or they will return to their respective reserve lists for the remainder of the season.

All injury information courtesy of Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Key Matchup

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

Browns Defense vs. RB Todd Gurley

Missed tackles, poor contain and a lack of consistency have put the Browns at the very bottom of the NFL’s rush-defense rankings. But it’s not all bad for the group; the Browns have looked halfway decent in between snafus. But the Rams have undoubtedly seen the issues and the big plays.

Cleveland’s rush defense is worst in the league for a reason: It doesn’t limit those big chunk plays and can’t stop the run when a team chooses to commit to it.

Cleveland trails only San Diego in big plays allowed on the ground. Its eight 20-plus-yard rushes allowed is tied with Tennessee and is close behind San Diego’s 10. Cleveland’s three plays allowed of 40 yards or more is most in the league.

But the Rams offensive line is doing some shuffling this week in the wake of guard Rodger Saffold being lost for the season to injured reserve. According to Norm Sanders of the Belleville News-Democrat, rookie guard Jamon Brown is moving to right guard next to tackle Rob Havenstein, who is also a rookie. Backup Garrett Reynolds is filling in for Saffold but was moved to the left side next to Greg Robinson.

An offensive line shake-up might not matter much when someone like Gurley is getting the ball, though. After the Rams averaged just 71.3 yards in the first three games, Gurley boosted that number to 177.5 in the two games where he received the majority of the carries.

X-Factor

Denis Poroy/Associated Press

Browns X-Factor of the Week: TE Gary Barnidge

There’s no resisting it: Barnidge fever has taken not just Cleveland but the league by storm. Everywhere you look, people are talking about the 30-year-old tight end who has emerged as one of the league’s most dominant tight ends.

Barnidge has the chance to make even more Browns history. If he scores again in Week 7, he’ll be the first Browns tight end to ever do it in five consecutive games. In the process, he would join Josh Gordon (2013), Gary Collins (1964), Dante Lavelli (1954) and Paul Warfield (1968, 1976) as one of five players to ever do it.

The Rams, though, have been one of the stingiest teams against tight ends this season. Through five games, they have allowed 220 yards and just one touchdown but a 73 percent completion rate to opposing tight ends, per Pro Football Reference box scores.

The Barnidge-to-McCown connection has been effective for the Browns, and that completion rate isn’t too bad. Look for the Browns to factor that into a game plan that’ll include McCown getting the ball out quickly into his playmaker's hands.

Prediction: Browns 16, Rams 14

Aaron Josefczyk/Associated Press

In addition to losing Saffold, the Rams are dealing with multiple key players missing practice this week. We'll obviously have to monitor that closely as Sunday approaches, but St. Louis is definitely limping into Week 7, even coming off a bye.

Receiver Tavon Austin, defensive ends Chris Long and Robert Quinn, running back Tre Mason, linebacker Alec Ogletree and tight end Lance Kendricks all missed practice for various ailments Wednesday. Cornerback Janoris Jenkins was also limited after suffering a concussion in Week 5.

Neither team will be playing at anywhere near full strength, but other than Gurley, it’s hard to see where the Rams have an advantage if Long and Quinn are out.

Cleveland should be able to move the ball with Benjamin keeping the Rams defense honest. Duke Johnson should catch the ball well out of the backfield, and Barnidge should make key plays for first downs and touchdowns. Third-string quarterback Austin Davis spent last season and preseason with the Rams, so his insight will be helpful for the Browns coaches.

The Rams are also averaging just 16.8 points per game this year, and they’re not going to be at full strength. Given that, and the Browns’ ability to play teams closely, expect another nail-biter that finishes with a happier ending this week. The Browns win on a late Travis Coons field goal.

Prediction: Browns 16, Rams 14

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained from press releases distributed via email by team communications managers Dan Murphy and Rob McBurnett.

All stats via Pro-Football-Reference.com.

Mike Hoag (@MikeHoagJr) covers the Cleveland Browns for Bleacher Report and is the managing editor of Browns Beat.