Kevin C. Cox - Getty Images
The Falcons already have a road victory against the New Orleans Saints under their belt.
Coming off of their first win of the regular season, the Cleveland Browns will go for two wins in a row Sunday as they battle the Atlanta Falcons. The big story to follow heading into this game is the return of quarterback Jake Delhomme to the starting lineup. Delhomme only played in the first game of the season before suffering a high ankle sprain, and he'll return to a team that has found a rhythm offensively on the ground.
Here are some notes heading into the game, followed by my positional breakdown and prediction for the game:
| Pos | Adv | Reason |
| QB |  |
Matt Ryan has been a solid, but not elite, quarterback since being drafted a few years ago. His two favorite targets are clearly Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez, but he has struggled a bit on the road in the past (a 78.5 QB rating vs. a 93.4 QB rating at home). The Browns are expected to turn back to Jake Delhomme, who has actually had some pretty good games against Atlanta's defense in the past. He'll have to be careful with the football though, because Atlanta has been an interception-happy team. |
| RB |  |
I don't expect Peyton Hillis' thigh injury to hamper him too much, but if it does, I still have faith in Jerome Harrison since he'll be running behind an offensive line that is blocking much better now. Michael Turner hasn't gotten off to a great start to the season, and since the Browns have been tackling well I don't anticipate him breaking too many tackles. It'd be nice to see the Falcons turn to Jason Snelling for a few carries since I think it'd make it difficult for either back to get into a rhythm. |
| WR | |
There seems to be some dispute as to how good of a receiver Roddy White is, but all I care about is that he is a legitimate No. 1 receiver who can give our secondary some problems. They also feature tight end Tony Gonzalez, although our difficulty in covering tight ends has been replaced with our difficulty in covering receivers. With Delhomme returning this week, I am expecting some more catches for Mohamed Massaquoi, particularly early in the game. |
| OL | |
I don't know much about the Falcons' offensive line, but I do know that Matt Ryan is getting sacked an average of two times per game. Center Alex Mack was listed on the injury report this week, and while he is expected to play, I'm still hoping that it doesn't turn out to be a late scratch or something. The Browns seriously do not have anyone else at center. |
| DL | |
Veteran defensive end John Abraham is no slouch when it comes to pass rushing: just two years ago, he notched an impressive 16.5 sacks! His production went down a bit last year with 5.5 sacks, but he has two sacks this season. The Falcons also feature up-and-coming defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux. Kenyon Coleman had a big game last week with a sack and two forced fumbles. I'm interested in seeing Shaun Rogers in the rotation a little more often. For as dominant as he is, unless I just don't realize he's out there, he hasn't been playing. Maybe last week's win, coupled with a tough Atlanta matchup this week, will provide him with some extra motivation. |
| LB |  |
I think our linebackers are starting to settle in better. Scott Fujita made several key plays last week, as did Matt Roth on the bull rush. Marcus Benard was a little quiet last week but still poses a threat as a pass rusher. Atlanta hopes to have outside linebacker Sean Weatherspoon back this week, but either way their top player is middle linebacker Curtis Lofton who will have the responsibility of trying to take down Peyton Hillis. |
| DB | |
It's going to be tough for Delhomme to beat cornerback Dunta Robinson, a solid cornerback who came to Atlanta this offseason. Since Delhomme didn't face him last year, he can't expect to automatically just take advantage of the Falcons' secondary. Cleveland's secondary has had a miserable past couple of games, so it'd be nice to see them put their struggles aside. The Browns have gone without an interception the past two weeks too; an early one of those could give the secondary some confidence. For some reason, I could see Abram Elam getting one this week. |
| ST | |
The Browns continue to do well on covering kicks and punts. Falcons fans have complained about the performance of their punter and their punt return coverage, so Joshua Cribbs might have some opportunities there if the defense can get some stops. Atlanta had a punt blocked last week for a touchdown too. Their kicker, veteran Matt Bryant, has made game-winning kicks in the team's past two contests. |
I picked the Browns to come up with a win last week and that prediction paid dividends. I think the Falcons feature a much better team than Cincinnati does though, meaning the Browns will have to play even better than they did last week. I still have some concerns about our secondary, and since Ryan isn't afraid to target White 10+ times per game, I think Atlanta will be able to build enough confidence to hold on for a victory.
FINAL PREDICTION: Atlanta Falcons 26, Cleveland Browns 21.
CHRIS' RECORD IN PICKING BROWNS GAMES: 2-2
CHRIS' OVERALL NFL PREDICTIONS RECORD: 37-25
0 recs | 15 comments
nice breakdown chris. for the browns, the game boils down to whether or not they can cover roddy white. if they cover him like they covered ochocinco last week, then they have a shot at winning, and if they cover him like they covered TO, they’re doomed.
i don’t think gonzales will be too much of a problem.
davus - October 9, 2010
Good write up. I’m hoping that the Browns can get to Ryan early and often to decrease his odds of a completion and increase our odds for some picks. Will this be the first game with Rogers, Benard, and Roth all healthy?
I also hope that we play Rogers next to Rubin rather than in place of him.
JustBob - October 9, 2010
I picked the Browns to win. I think it could go either way. Obviously we need to contain White and Gonzales.
Get to watch the game at home tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll get the win!
emily522 - October 9, 2010
Im about 50-50 on this game, which means I’m picking the Browns. Surprised Chris didn’t.
troy145 - October 10, 2010
Also surprised.
SpecialBrownie - October 10, 2010
-So what is the cyclone? Like a hurricane with a calm eye of the storm, as Delhomme would be, or more like a taifun to include the quarterback, as Seneca Wallace´s skill-set would predispose. Whatever it is, wouldn´t you want to approach the havoc, indicated per definition?
-I predicted that Alex Mack will be an all-pro guard, maybe this is his chance to establish his quality at that position, I´m sure no one can pull like he can. I first thought Sean Lauvao would be a guard/scrappy tackle hybrid. But if he´s more inclined to be a center, more power to you. I used to project Eric Steinbach, a guy renowned for his versatility, even in college, at center. Are you still adamant, that he play guard? Why don´t you scoot him over to right tackle? In mooncamping´s scenarios you want square guys at guard, that would put either Billy Yates or Pat Murray at the other guard spot.
-I´m pro 3-4. So the Jayme Mitchell acquisition does not make much sense to me.
-I agree that we need a thought out rotation, playing to the individual receivers strengths. Calling it a cyclone would indicate to me, that you might have a fullback at flanker, the quarterback at wide out, receivers in and out of the backfield. You know, they can´t game plan for the different strengths at unpredictable positions.
-I´d like to reiterate, that the path to greatness, is littered in marquee players. So no matter what Rob Ryan does, he must feature our stalwarts. Determined by me, to be Elam, Rogers, Rubin, so far. Wright as our Ryan Clark, times running out. Ward needs to not endanger his health at this point. Alright Roth has earned some spurs as a beastly linebacker, I can see that evolving at middle linebacker, to claim he´s not beatable to the flats would be a lie.
mooncamping - October 10, 2010
Moon, I swear that you are a mad genius.
brownsboy14 - October 10, 2010 via mobile
Taifun? haha
Brownie's Year - October 10, 2010
That made me laugh too.
North Coast Flea - October 10, 2010
I really wish I knew whether or not Andre Johnson is going to play. I’m leaning towards yes, but very limited, but that’s just a guess.
Simmsinns - October 10, 2010
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the formation multiple times today as a way to slowly acclimate Delhomme back into playing. I think one of our biggest goals this season will be to manage Delhomme’s expectations for himself.
Villeslgr - October 10, 2010
Maybe today we get our first kick/punt return TD? We’re going to need it.
Brownie's Year - October 10, 2010
Fantasy question that’s eating at me. This one’s about Defense.
Titans @ Cowboys
or
49ers vs. Eagles
StuckInPa - October 10, 2010
By the way, I’m thinking about trading Marshawn Lynch for good TE. Let me know if you’re interested.
StuckInPa - October 10, 2010
On second thought, he’s going to make for a great bye week fill-in. Not sure I want to part with him.
StuckInPa - October 10, 2010
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