Seahawks vs. Browns Game Guide: Lineups, Matchup Breakdown, Injury Report

Despite matchups that seem to favor the Seattle Seahawks, the Cleveland Browns are a three-point favorite in Sunday's game.

Both teams enter the game at 2-3, but the Seahawks seem to struggle on the road, particularly in 10 AM PT starts. However, Seattle bucked that trend in their last game, a 35-25 road victory over the New York Giants (4-2). 

The Browns' two victories are against the still winless Indianapolis Colts and the Miami Dolphins. 

Cleveland is currently ranked fourth in pass defense and seventh overall in yards allowed. The statistics may be misleading, though. They have faced strong rushing teams the last two weeks that haven't needed to move the ball in the air.

The Raiders only threw for 178 yards last week, but they averaged a healthy 7.8 yards per pass. Their 151 rushing yards were enough to establish a lead the Browns were not able to overcome.

Cleveland is surrendering 7.4 yards per pass on the season, ranking them 15th in the NFL. They have held opponents to a 56 percent completion percentage, though, in large part due to Joe Haden who has just over one-third of the team's pass defenses.

Cleveland ranks 15th (just ahead of Seattle) in points surrendered per game. They've surrendered over 20 points in four of their five games, and scored more than 20 just once.

Expect the Seahawks to exploit the Brown defense, particularly without Haden.

Seattle Seahawks Starting Offense, Defense

The concern with signing guard Robert Gallery as a free agent was his injury issues over recent seasons. Those problems followed him north, as he has missed the last three games with a groin injury.

Paul McQuistan filled in for Gallery with mixed results, but the Seahawks are certainly anticipating a marked improvement at the position with a healthy Gallery manning left guard.

The issue this week is with the battery of the offense. Quarterback Tarvaris Jackson is questionable with a pectoral strain, while center Max Unger looks to be doubtful with a foot injury. The untested Lemuel Jeanpierre is Unger's backup and has been working with the Seahawks' first unit.

But one has to wonder if McQuistan might be asked to step in should Jeanpierre struggle. John Moffitt has taken some of the reps at center this week as well and it is possible that Moffitt could slide to center and McQuistan could step in at right guard.

Jackson has been throwing the ball this week but is still limited in practice. Charlie Whitehurst has been taking the first-team snaps as Jackson heals. The Seahawks will likely take Jackson, Whitehurst and Josh Portis to Cleveland. Depending on Jackson's status two, or possibly all three, could be active for the game.

Seattle is also uncertain at tight end. Zach Miller has neck issues following an illegal hit by Giants safety Kenny Phillips. Anthony McCoy is the only other tight end on the 53-man roster. Cameron Morrah could be activated from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, and John Nalbone could be moved from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday's game.

Roy Lewis (cornerback) and Deon Butler (receiver) are also eligible to come off the PUP list. Seattle will have some difficult roster decisions to make over the next few weeks.

Some of the difficult decisions on Sunday will be answered by who is ready and healthy enough to play. The starting lineup projects as follows:

POS	Offense		POS	Defense
LT	Russell Okung		LDE	Chris Clemons
LG	Robert Gallery		DT	Alan Branch
C	Lemuel Jeanpierre		DT	Brandon Mebane
RG	John Moffitt		RDE	Red Bryant
RT	James Carpenter		OLB	K.J. Wright
TE	Anthony McCoy		MLB	David Hawthorne
WR	Mike Williams		OLB	Leroy Hill
WR	Sidney Rice		LCB	Richard Sherman
QB	Charlie Whitehurst		RCB	Brandon Browner
RB	Marshawn Lynch		SS	Kam Chancellor
FB	Michael Robinson		FS	Earl Thomas

Cleveland Browns Starting Offense, Defense

The Cleveland Browns could be seriously hindered by injury issues this Sunday. Their biggest offensive threat, Peyton Hillis, is hampered with a hamstring issue.

Hillis has not had the same level of contribution as last season and the Browns lack other weapons on offense. They have decent options at wide receiver, but no big threats...Montario Hardesty can't be relied on to carry the load.

The offensive line could also be thin. Tony Pashos has been limited in practice with an ankle injury and Alex Mack has been struggling with an illness. Both could be in the lineup on Sunday.

Issues on defense could be even worse. Joe Haden and Buster Scrine are both doubtful at left corner. Scott Fujita has not been participating in practice, either, leaving the Browns a bit thin at linebacker.

The starting units for the Browns figure to be:

POS	Offense		POS	Defense
LT	Joe Thomas		LDE	Jabaal Sheard
LG	Jason Pinkston		DT	Phillip Taylor
C	Alex Mack (P)		DT	Ahtyba Rubin
RG	Shawn Lauvao		RDE	Jayme Mitchell
RT	Tony Pashos (Q)		OLB	Chris Gocong
TE	Benjamin Watson		MLB	Dqwell Jackson
WR	Greg Little		OLB	Quinton Spears
WR	Mohamed Massaquoi		LCB	Dimitri Patterson
QB	Colt McCoy		RCB	Sheldon Brown
RB	Montario Hardesty		SS	T.J. Ward
FB	Owen Marecic		FS	Mike Adams

Seattle Seahawks vs. Cleveland Browns: Key Matchups When Seattle Has the Ball

It isn't clear who the signal caller will be for the Seahawks on Sunday, but that is a secondary issue. There may be a small drop from Tarvaris Jackson to Charlie Whitehurst, and the offensive scheme will be slightly different.

The strength in the offense will center around the success of the offensive line. The rushing game isn't strong enough to succeed without a solid push up front, and the passing game relies on giving either quarterback time to let routes develop. 

The potential loss of Max Unger at center could open the door for the Browns to mount a pass rush and disrupt the ground game.

The Seahawks have quietly assembled one of the better, though still underrated, receiving groups in the league. They can throw out a full compliment of targets at 6'4" or taller. They also have speedier options to spread the field and open underneath routes.

Sidney Rice is showing that his Pro Bowl season is a fair reflection of his abilities and Doug Baldwin is one of the biggest surprises of the 2011 rookie class.

One area Seattle has struggled is getting the tight end position involved in the passing game. Blocking issues have forced them to assist at the line of scrimmage too often this season. 

The absence of Joe Haden will be one of two big issues facing the Browns' pass defense. Haden has eight of the team's 23 pass defenses, and even though he's only 5'11", he's one of their taller corners.

The other big issue the Browns will face is a 6'5" Mike Williams and a 6'4" Sidney Rice. The size of these two receivers is daunting for their secondary. Add in the speed and athleticism of Rice and the even better speed of Doug Baldwin and the Browns will be challenged to shut down Seattle's passing attack.

The Browns defensive line has not been able to mount an efficient pass rush so far this season. They have just 13 sacks and will need to apply more pressure on the Seahawk passer if they hope to control the passing game.

The front four have also struggled stopping the run. Cleveland is surrendering 130 yards per game and 3.9 yards per rush. A physical back like Marshawn Lynch could provide a repeat performance of Darren McFadden's 4.6 yards per attempt performance.

The Browns' pass defense has been viewed as one of the better units in the league. However, this is more a result of the competition they've played and teams moving the ball on the ground. Look for Seattle to exploit the Browns defense, particularly without Haden.

Seattle Seahawks vs. Cleveland Browns: Key Matchups When Cleveland Has the Ball

The Seattle Seahawks are surrendering the fewest yards per rushing attempt in the NFL. The Cleveland Browns will be without their starting running back and could have at least one of their starting offensive linemen out.

This combination likely points to issues in running the ball, placing pressure on Colt McCoy to carry the Browns to a win. 

McCoy was able to drive his team down the field to score the game-winning touchdown against the Miami Dolphins, but teams have struggled to score on the Seahawk defense late in the game. Despite having spent some long days on the field, the physical nature of the defensive line and the secondary seem to wear down opposing offenses.

Seattle has one of the best young safety tandems in the NFL. Earl Thomas is quickly becoming one of the best free safeties in the league and covers an impressive amount of field. Kam Chancellor has really grown into the strong safety position, offering punishing support in run defense, aggressive blitz support and solid pass coverage. 

The Browns have an advantage with being able to throw to several receivers with solid skill levels. They lack a true top receiver, though.

Benjamin Watson could be an important part of this game. One area Seattle has struggled with over the last two seasons is covering the tight end. They are also apt to lose sight of running backs coming out of the backfield to catch passes.

If the Browns are going to sustain drives, their best chance of utilizing Montario Hardesty is as a receiver. The receivers won't have favorable matchups in the Seahawks secondary, and Seattle has the size and speed to stay with Cleveland's pass catchers.

The Seattle defensive front has been able to apply a lot of pressure to opposing quarterbacks, even if their total sack numbers don't demonstrate a solid pass rush. Cleveland's offensive line has done a fairly good job protecting McCoy this season, surrendering just eight sacks.

Look for Seattle to attempt to hurry McCoy with a four-man rush. They can't afford to give him time in the pocket or he will be able to find holes in the Seahawks' coverage. 

Look for Watson to have a solid day as well. 

Seattle Seahawks vs. Cleveland Browns: Injury Report, Inactive Players

This page will be updated with the inactive rosters for the Seahawks and the Browns. An up-to-date summary of both teams' injury situations are being tracked in another article: 

Seattle Seahawks vs. Cleveland Browns: Injury Updates for Both Teams