Raiders vs. Browns: Full Cleveland Game Preview
The Cleveland Browns sided with experience over flash this week. Head coach Mike Pettine handed his offense back to Josh McCown in preparation for the team’s Week 3 matchup against the Oakland Raiders, per the team's official site.
Johnny Manziel again fumbled twice but made enough big plays to seal a 28-14 victory over the Tennessee Titans last time out. Unlike Manziel, fellow 2014 draft selection Derek Carr will get another chance to add to his Raiders resume after walloping the Baltimore Ravens with 351 yards and three touchdowns en route to a surprise Week 2 victory.
This won’t be the battle of young quarterbacks some might have been hoping for, though. In McCown’s return from concussion, the Browns add 13 years of NFL experience to go up against Carr’s limited exposure.
And as Carr has demonstrated, young starting quarterbacks are usually a mixed bag. In Oakland, he has played well in a limited sample size, winning four of his 10 starts and posting a 87.6 quarterback rating with 17 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. On the road, he has struggled, losing all eight of his starts and achieving just a 68.7 rating with seven touchdowns and six picks.
McCown looked relatively solid through preseason and continued that play during the team’s first drive of the 2015 season. A concussion-induced fumble ended what could have been a touchdown scramble that capped a 17-play, 90-yard opening drive.
Carr versus McCown may be an underrated storyline compared to what Manziel would offer on headlines, but the Browns seem more comfortable rolling with his experience over Manziel's small doses of flash.
Viewing Info
Location: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland
Date: Sunday, September 27
Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Week 2 Results and Recap
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The Browns got in the win column in Week 2, beating Marcus Mariota and the Titans 28-14 at FirstEnergy Stadium.
One week removed from his perfect NFL debut, Mariota found less time to throw and significantly more aggressive defensive backs disrupting his receivers than against the Buccaneers. The Browns sacked the rookie seven times, forced three fumbles and recovered two of them. Former Browns running back Terrance West also lost a fumble.
Fellow Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel completed 8 of 15 passes for 172 yards and two scores. He fumbled twice in Week 2, but his teammates were able to recover both. While not a huge day passing for Manziel, he did make made what was arguably the NFL’s play of the week.
Momentum fully swung back in Tennessee’s favor after Dorial Green-Beckham’s 13-yard touchdown grab brought the Titans within seven with just under seven minutes to play. The Browns got a couple of first downs but stalled and had a third-down play at midfield with about three minutes left in regulation.
Manziel took that third-down snap, spun away from Titans pass-rusher Brian Orakpo and hit Travis Benjamin for a 50-yard touchdown as defenders engulfed him.
Manziel said he heard Orakpo yell “Oh s--t” after he pivoted away from pressure and rolled out left to throw, per AP’s Tom Withers.
AFC North Division Standings
News and Notes
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Josh McCown Returns from Concussion, Will Start vs. Raiders
McCown cleared NFL concussion protocol and returns as the Browns starting quarterback for Week 3 after missing the Week 2 win over Tennessee, Coach Pettine announced Wednesday, relayed by Andrew Gribble of the team's official site.
Manziel’s winning performance—8-of-15 passing for 172 yards and two long touchdowns—wasn’t enough for Pettine and his staff to hand over their offense to the youngster. But they aren’t ignoring the progress he has made, per Gribble:
"Johnny did an outstanding job with his opportunity. He knows there are some things he needs to get cleaned up—the quarterback room knows we need to be more protective of the football. [I'm] very proud of him personally and professionally with the progress he’s made. [It's a] very positive thing for us. This is all very positive. We know we have a backup that can come in and he’s already proven he can move the team and make plays and win games for us.
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But acknowledging Manziel’s development isn’t a reason for McCown to be looking over his shoulder, and his “leash” has not shrunk as a result.
“He’s our starting quarterback, and we’ll take the situations as they unfold,” Pettine concluded.
The Browns have a clear dilemma here: attempt to win as many games as they can or expedite Manziel’s development and growth. Either way, the team has another murky near-term quarterback situation. That’s nothing new for a franchise that has fielded some of the worst quarterback play in league history since its rebirth in 1999.
Travis Benjamin Named AFC Special Teams Player of Week
All Travis Benjamin did was score three touchdowns and account for 269 all-purpose yards in Week 2. No big deal. While he was beat out—narrowly—by Ben Roethlisberger for AFC offensive player of the week, he did earn special teams honors for his 78-yard punt-return touchdown, reported by Conor Orr of NFL.com.
Benjamin’s 154 total punt-return yards are the third-most in Browns franchise history, according to the team.
Fully rehabbed from season-ending knee surgery in 2013, Benjamin is looking more explosive than ever. It’s a contract year for Benjamin, and the speedy receiver has already made his mark on the Browns in 2015, accounting for four of the team’s five touchdowns through two weeks.
Latest Injury News
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| Player | Position | Injury |
| Barkevious Mingo | LB | Knee |
| Robert Turbin | RB | Ankle |
| Scott Solomon | LB | Ankle |
| Desmond Bryant | DE | Shoulder |
| Mitchell Schwartz | OL | Thumb |
| Johnny Manziel | QB | Elbow |
| Josh McCown | QB | Concussion |
All injury information courtesy of the team's official site.
Manziel continues to be listed on the team’s injury report with right-elbow soreness and was limited in practice Wednesday along with McCown, who was back on the field for the first time since suffering a concussion in Week 1.
Barkevious Mingo, who underwent a minor surgical knee procedure during preseason, practiced in full on Thursday.
That leaves Desmond Bryant as the only real question mark heading into Sunday’s game. After earning a questionable designation for his shoulder injury during the previous week, Bryant played and was effective against the Titans. However, he was held out of practice on Wednesday, and his outlook is unclear.
Robert Turbin and Scott Solomon did not practice as expected and will be out for the foreseeable future.
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Key Matchups
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The Browns Pass Rush vs. Derek Carr
What was missing in the Browns' Week 1 loss to the New York Jets? An effective pass rush. Blame some of that on Browns schemes or personnel, but don't forget to tip your hat to quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey.
Fitzpatrick's 2.28-second "time to release" is sixth quickest in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus metrics.
Carr is one spot behind him at 2.35 seconds. He has also only been sacked just once through two 2015 starts and 25 total times in 18 career games.
Disguising blitzes, sending pressure on the edges and pressing Carr's receivers will go a long way toward preventing him from getting that quick release and will leave him susceptible to pressure. Rattling younger quarterbacks, especially on the road, is the best way to nullify the things they do best.
Somehow Slow Down Latavius Murray
The Browns, the team that finished last in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game last season, are on track to set that mark for two consecutive seasons. After giving up 154 yards to the Jets in Week 1, Dexter McCluster and Bishop Sankey powered the Titans to 166 yards on the ground last time out, although they were unable to get into the end zone.
Oakland's running game is actually succeeding through two games. The Raiders are averaging 4.6 yards per carry, and Latavius Murray leads all team running backs with 10 of the team's 19 total receptions.
The Raiders’ system is something the Browns are no strangers to, though. Offensive coordinator John DeFilippo left Oakland last season and has incorporated some of the same elements into the Browns offense this year. Targeting running backs is something Cleveland is used to seeing in practice.
Slowing down Murray on early downs will help, but not allowing big-chunk runs is vital for the team to get its rush defense back on track.
X-Factor
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Browns' X-Factor of the Week: Andrew Hawkins
With a lot of attention shifting to Benjamin, slot receiver Andrew Hawkins should be able to find more room to work underneath against the Raiders. Of his 48 snaps, 30 have come from the slot. And five of his 10 targets came his direction after lining up there, per Pro Football Focus.
The sample size is small, but Hawkins has snagged four of those five targets and has three first downs. He’s a reliable but speedy option who will get open in space for McCown. If Aldon Smith, Justin Tuck and Khalil Mack pin their ears back and attack, the Browns will need Hawkins’ ability to quickly separate and move the chains.
Hawkins had 44 first downs, 824 yards and 364 yards after the catch in 2014. We should start seeing more production from him sooner rather than later, and the Raiders secondary has looked vulnerable over the last two weeks.
Prediction: Browns 27, Raiders 24
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The Browns have confidence after winning in Week 2 with McCown out and Manziel leading their offense. Their defense got a huge boost and made Marcus Mariota look like a rookie quarterback.
How McCown plays on his return after looking promising during preseason and on his first drive, if they can pressure and disrupt Carr and if the Browns can limit big chunk runs are the team's most pressing questions heading into this matchup.
Where will impact plays come from against the Raiders? The Browns have shown they can create turnovers, and McCown should give the team more options offensively in regard to play-call variation. He's more experienced in DeFilippo’s system and the NFL than Manziel.
Getting guys such as Taylor Gabriel and Hawkins more involved should also be easier in Week 3. If the Raiders aren’t worried about Benjamin’s big-play potential, they haven’t been paying attention.
At home, and with McCown’s veteran presence on offense, the Browns should be able to build and keep a lead against the Raiders. Carr has been impressive, but he’s still a young quarterback and has yet to win on the road. He should have similar struggles to Mariota's in Week 2 when it comes to solving Cleveland's defensive puzzle.
Full Prediction: Browns 27, Raiders 24
All stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
Mike Hoag (@MikeHoagJr) covers the Cleveland Browns for Bleacher Report and is the managing editor of Browns Beat.
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