CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Browns (0-11) will start Josh McCown (778 passing yards, five touchdowns, six interceptions) against the New York Giants (7-3) as the never ending carousel at quarterback continues. Cody Kessler suffered a concussion in last week’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Terrelle Pryor criticized the offensive line’s performance after the loss against Pittsburgh. It isn’t surprising that fans are already calling the local radio stations pleading for the Browns front office to consider drafting an offensive lineman early.
Thomas and Joel Bitonio give the Browns a sense of hope every year despite the line’s struggles to adequately protect the quarterbacks. Cleveland should consider free agency if any highly rated veteran offensive lineman is on the market. The Browns need to be careful and plan towards having a more balanced team regarding years of experience. The team may want to build young, but Thomas may not have that long to wait as he will likely retire in the next five years.
It would not be fair to him to build over several years if there is even a slight chance to establish a playoff team in the next three years. The fact is that any quarterback would be at risk with this line. It just doesn’t look the same without Alex Mack and Mitchell Schwartz.
One change that would help the Browns is starting Duke Johnson. If Johnson starts, there is a chance the Browns the Browns could generate a stronger running game. He averages five yards per carry compared to Isaiah Crowell’s 4.3 yards per carry.
Giants offensive duo vs. Browns pass defense: Giants receiver Odell Beckham is on pace for his third consecutive with over 1,000 receiving yards. Quarterback Eli Manning is closing in on 3,000 passing yards for this season. Manning could have a 300+ yard passing performance against the abysmal Browns pass defense which is ranked 22nd in the league. Opponents average 265.5 passing yards per game against Cleveland.
Prediction: Giants 27 Browns 17