Cleveland sat at 2-3 last season but won only one of their next 11 games. They couldn’t run the ball and finished last in defending it. They had another front office overhaul in the offseason. Of their 6 1st-round picks from 2011-14, none are with the team anymore.
Philadelphia also had their own rollercoaster season in 2015, jettisoning HC Chip Kelly before the end of the year. They were 4-4 but lost three in a row to fall out of contention in the weak NFC East. They traded QB Sam Bradford this week, meaning they are basically giving up on the year before it has begun.
Browns QB Robert Griffith should be able to find some comfort with HC Hue Jackson but he doesn’t have much ammunition to work with. RB Isaiah Crowell isn’t a starter-worthy back in the NFL and WR Josh Gordon is suspended for the first four games. Rookie 1st-rounder WR Corey Coleman has dealt with a hamstring injury and caught one pass in the preseason. Terrelle Pryor has made the switch to WR (from QB) but still needs work. Two of the three best o-linemen (C Alex Mack and RT Mitchell Schwartz) left in FA. Cleveland ranked last in the preseason with 214 ypg and 11 ppg. Philadelphia’s defense struggled mightily against the pass (again) in 2015 and will have a tough time against good passing offenses. Their run defense also had trouble (4.5 ypc) but this unit was on the field a lot under Kelly’s jackrabbit offense. Look for them to disguise their coverages, focus on stopping the run first and to spy RGIII whenever he drops back to pass.
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The Eagles will start rookie QB Carson Wentz in this game, even though he has been bothered by a rib injury and barely got any preseason snaps. It’s a big jump from DIV. II to the pros and the Browns have some decent players in the secondary. RB Ryan Mathews should see a lot of action against a defense that couldn’t stop the run last year but I expect Browns’ DC Ray Horton to dial up several run blitzes and force Wentz to make plays. FA ILB Demario Davis is a noted run stopper and he should help the interior run defense. Cleveland drafted some pass rushers and will turn them loose on passing downs. WR Jordan Matthews and TE Zach Ertz are the Eagles’ top two targets but Matthews had injury issues in the preseason.
It appears that the public money is coming in on the Eagles to cover the spread in this game with 57% confidence. On the other side taking the under seems to be the way the public is leaning slightly in this match-up with 53% taking the under 41.
