Cleveland Browns vs. Indianapolis Colts Week 2: 5 Things to Watch

Last Sunday, the new Cleveland Browns debuted under new head coach Pat Shurmur against their in-state rival, the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Browns were introducing both a new offense and defense this season and were hoping to take the positives they had in the preseason into the brand new season.

However, the Browns started the game off with one of the sloppiest first halves imaginable, committing 10 penalties and allowing the Bengals to get off to an early lead.

The Browns were able to bounce back before halftime as Colt McCoy threw two touchdown passes, giving the Browns a 14-13 lead going into halftime.

The Browns took a 17-13 lead into the fourth quarter and were looking to shut the Bengals down. Cornerback Joe Haden had a phenomenal day, not allowing rookie wide receiver AJ Green to catch anything.

That was until the Bengals caught the Browns napping on a quick snap play while Cleveland's defense was still in the huddle. AJ Green was wide open and caught a 41-yard touchdown pass to give the Bengals the lead and shatter any hopes of the Browns starting the season 1-0.

The Browns had trouble hanging onto their lead and looked sloppy and disorganized at times.

This is definitely not the start Shurmur pictured in his head when the Browns took the field before the game.

Now the Browns will look to rebound from the early season loss, as they head to Indianapolis to take on a Colts team without their leader in quarterback Peyton Manning.

Here are five things to watch for in an interesting matchup of two 0-1 teams.

Can the Browns Decrease the Amount of Penalties

The Cleveland Browns committed a total of 11 penalties in Sunday's game against the Bengals.

Seven of those penalties came in a first quarter that saw the Browns unable to get anything going on either side of the ball.

On defense, the Browns could not stop the early drives by rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and running back Cedric Benson.

Whenever they were able to hold the Bengals, it seemed someone was committing a stupid an unnecessary penalty.

One clear example is the penalty that was called on a Browns defensive player for "unsportsmalike conduct—intentionally running into the referee."

I know football is an intense sport and sometimes you can sometimes lose yourself, but intentionally running into a referee is one of the most dim-witted penalties that one could commit.

On offense, the Browns were unable to get out of their own red zone early on. Josh Cribbs was unable to be a factor in the return game as the new kickoff rule established during the lockout increased the number of touchbacks that occur in a game.

The Browns would start at their own 20-yard line several times and were not able to move the ball consistently, having several three-and-outs.

Any time there was even a slim chance of the Browns reaching a first down, there was a false start or holding penalty called that put Cleveland in third and long situations that they struggled to complete.

With the Browns not able to get anything started early on in the game, it allowed the Bengals to get out to an early lead.

If they want to have any chance of winning against the Colts, they will need to cut down the unnecessary penalties to a much much smaller number.

Can Joe Haden Put on Another Impressive Performance?

The most impressive player from the Browns Week 1 loss to the Bengals was clearly second-year cornerback Joe Haden.

Haden was tasked Sunday with guarding with the highly talented rookie wide receiver AJ Green who was one of the top-ranked receivers in last April's draft.

Except for the quick snap, which was the entire defense's fault and not just that of Haden's, the Florida Gator alum took his former SEC rival out of the game.

Until late in the fourth quarter when Green caught that touchdown pass, he had yet to record a reception.

Haden finished the game with three tackles as well as five deflected passes and was a crucial part in the Browns defense shutting down the Bengals second and third quarter drives.

This type of play from Haden does not come as a surprise as he had a tremendous rookie year, finishing with 64 tackles and six interception, coming up just short of winning the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

It's clear that Haden has picked up where he left off last season and he will look to continue his impressive play Sunday against the Colts.

With Kerry Collins under center in place of the injured Peyton Manning, Haden could take advantage of the older quarterback who is still trying to learn a new offense.

Haden is slowly becoming a leader of the Browns young defense and could have yet another stellar season.

Will the Browns Special Teams Improve?

One of the big losses that happened during the offseason had to be that of punter Reggie Hodges.

Hodges tore his Achilles tendon in only the second Browns practice after the lockout was lifted and was lost for the season.

Other than his amazing yards per carry stats (one rush for 80 yards on a fake punt against the New Orleans Saints last year), Hodges was consistent and was one of the AFC's best punters.

In his place, the Browns chose to sign Richmond McGee to try and fill the void left by Hodges.

During the pregame warm-ups against the Bengals, McGee herniated a disk in his back and decided to play on anyway.

According to McGee's agent, David Canter, the pain during the game got to the point where "he couldn't even feel his legs."

"I knew something was wrong," Canter said.  "Either he was hurt or he had forgotten how to kick."

The injury severely hurt his ability to take the Bengals out of good field position. On eight punts, McGee only averaged 36 yards per punt and kicked his first punt for only 20 yards and had two later punts that only went 28 and 30 yards.

The Cleveland faithful did not take too kindly to Hodges replacement as the Bengals continually got good field position and took advantage of it early on when they went up 13-0.

It is unclear whether or not McGee told Browns personnel about his pregame injury and was placed on injured reserve earlier this week.

With McGee out, the Browns signed 14-year veteran Brad Maynard, who brings the same consistency that Hodges brought to the team.

In Indianapolis on Sunday, the Browns should feel more comfortable when they have to punt the ball away, as Maynard will have no problem putting the ball deep down the field and out of scoring position.

Will We See More of Greg Little?

When wide receiver Greg Little was drafted out of North Carolina in the second round by Cleveland, Pat Shurmur had stated that there was a good chance that Little could be the team's No. 1 receiver.

Little had his ups and downs during the Browns training camp, but had some impressive highlights during the preseason.

He got plenty of playing time as the team's No. 1 receiver in the offseason, Mohamed Massaquoi, was out with a fractured left foot suffered during one of Colt McCoy's players only training session during the lockout and missed the preseason.

However, at the end of August, Massaquoi's injured foot had healed and he was ready to return to the lineup and was the leading receiver in yards for the Browns against the Bengals, finishing with three catches for 77 yards.

McCoy had no problem spreading the ball out against the Bengals, as every receiver but Brian Robiskie recorded a catch.

Little, however, only recorded one catch for 12 yards.

The ability Little has shown to play taller than his 6'2" by jumping above defenders to pull down the catch, you would think that he and McCoy would look to connect more often.

Little is still a rookie and it takes time for certain players to adjust. Little also has the disadvantage of being converted from running back to receiver so he does not have as much experience at the position as others do.

Over time Little will adjust and his statistics will increase, but how long will that adjustment take? We will see if anything changes in Week 2.

Can the Browns Take Advantage of a Colts Team Minus Peyton Manning?

When quarterback Peyton Manning was recovering from offseason neck surgery, it was assumed that he would only miss one or two games.

However, last week, it was reported that Manning required an additional surgery and was now out indefinitely.

The Colts backups, Curtis Painter and Nate Davis, showed in the preseason that they were not ready to handle the role as a starter in the NFL, so the team decided to lure 38-year-old Kerry Collins out or retirement to take over under center until Manning was ready to return.

Collins only had a couple weeks to learn a Colts offense that took some players several months to learn.

In his first game against the Houston Texans, Collins did alright in the passing game, passing for 197 yards and one touchdown.

However, he fumbled two early snaps that would lead to Texan points and killed any momentum that the Colts had built at that point.

As time goes on, Collins will become more comfortable with the offense and he will improve, but it may take awhile.

The way Manning made this offense so successful was his ability to read the opposing defense and call the appropriate article each and every time. Collins is clearly not that type of quarterback.

The Browns dodged a bullet not having to face Manning, in is what is being called a "must-win" game for Cleveland if they want to have any chance of competing in the AFC North.

Cleveland will have to take advantage of a still-learning Collins and the front seven will have to put a lot of pressure on him, forcing him to throw hurried passes, which are Joe Haden's specialty.