Falcons Vs Browns Predictions
When: 1 p.m. ET, Sunday Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta TV: CBS
The Atlanta Falcons play at home for the first time since Oct. 12 and bring with them a two-game winning streak. But they've dropped their only two games against AFC North teams: road losses at Cincinnati and Baltimore. Now they'll face the Cleveland Browns, who were good enough to beat the Bengals on the road but also lost to lowly Jacksonville.
The 4-6 Falcons are tied for first place in the NFC South; the 6-4 Browns are tied for last place in the competitive AFC North. ESPN Falcons reporter Vaughn McClure and ESPN Browns reporter Pat McManamon break down the matchup:
- Watch the game highlights from the Week 10 matchup between the Atlanta Falcons vs. Cleveland Browns. Watch Julio Jones' best catches from the 2020 NFL season. While an injury limited him to only.
- The Atlanta Falcons take on the Cleveland Browns during Week 10 of the 2018 NFL season.Subscribe to NFL: out our other channels:NFL.
McClure: There's been so much talk about Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon coming off suspension. Over here, Falcons coach Mike Smith said he expects a 'full dose' of Gordon on Sunday. Do you expect the same?
McManamon: I think anyone would be crazy not to. Who in the world doesn't give a full dose of Gordon if he's ready to play? The guy has superstar ability and superstar talent. He opens up the field, draws double-teams, has excellent hands and runs like a gazelle. To think you hold a guy back who brings that to the field is borderline lunacy. The only thing Gordon might lack is being in game shape, but last season he stepped in after a two-game suspension and had a huge game. The Browns are tempering expectations, and they might be wise to do so. I believe nothing will hold Gordon back. The Falcons are wise to plan for him to be full-go.
I don't think I've heard any apologies from Atlanta, but last I looked a 4-6 team is in first place. How do the Falcons feel about that?
Falcons Vs Browns Predictions
McClure: Relieved, considering they nearly blew a double-digit lead and a chance to move into first place before squeaking out a 19-17 victory at Carolina on Sunday. I will say this: Despite the doom and gloom from the outside, the Falcons remained optimistic, even after a five-game losing streak. You didn't see players hanging their heads or talking about not having much hope, as I believe Brandon Marshall said about the Bears' season recently. Now, the Falcons return home for three of the next four games, so they have a chance to really start building confidence with hopes of securing the NFC South title. As bad as the division has been, the Falcons have a realistic shot at the postseason.
The Browns lost starting linebackers Karlos Dansby and Jabaal Sheard to injury for a significant amount of time. How does that affect the defense, and how will the Browns compensate for those losses?
Browns Week 10 preview NFL Playbook The 'NFL Playbook' crew previews the upcoming matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and Cleveland Browns in.
Bucs Vs Falcons Predictions
McManamon: It's tough. Those injuries are in addition to losing defensive end Phil Taylor for the rest of the season a week ago, which cut into the line depth. That's three significant starters on defense, including the captain and leader, Dansby.
This has been an ongoing problem for the Browns in the past 15 seasons. They retool with new coaches and new systems, which means roster turnover, which means little depth. In past years, they've not been able to survive attrition. Whether they can this season remains to be seen. With Dansby out, Chris Kirksey and Craig Robertson will play inside. The talent drops there are significant. Last week, with Dansby out more than half the game, Houston ran for 213 yards. Sheard had played his best football recently, and, with him out, Barkevious Mingo will see his playing time increase. Mingo is playing with a shoulder issue that requires him to wear a harness that doesn't allow him to raise his arm over his shoulder. Compensating for these losses will not be easy.
It's been awhile, but the Browns don't have a lot to show for the trade that gave Atlanta the pick that turned out to be Julio Jones. Do the Falcons look back on that trade as a worthwhile deal?
McClure: That was a no-brainer a few years back, when Jones put up 1,198 receiving yards and scored 10 touchdowns in the Falcons' 13-3 season. General manager Thomas Dimitroff had every reason to pat himself on the back, based on the way Jones performed. But now, some might question the move just because Jones' 2013 season ended prematurely with a foot injury and because he has dropped a few passes this season.
Atlanta Falcons Predictions
Yes, the Falcons voided themselves of some depth by trading away five draft picks. No one knows for certain which players the Falcons would have selected had they kept those picks. But consider this: Only one player the Browns got in the Jones trade -- Taylor -- remains on the roster. And Taylor is on injured reserve, as you mentioned. I think the Falcons did just fine in landing a game-changing receiver such as Jones. Now they have to just get him the ball more, particularly on deep throws.
I know Brian Hoyer has done some good things this season and has kept the conversation away from Johnny Manziel, but is there any other player who has surprised you by stepping up his game, someone the Falcons should be aware of come Sunday?
McManamon: I'd have to go with the wide receiver group other than Gordon. Without Gordon, I thought that the offense would be a lost cause, that the players' lack of playmaking ability and experience would affect the success. The opposite happened. They played better than anyone expected and were significant contributors to a 6-4 start. Andrew Hawkins stepped into Gordon's spot, Miles Austin was solid and undrafted rookie Taylor Gabriel proved to be a real find. Add Gordon and the group gets that much better. And, to their credit, Austin and Hawkins said they expect Gordon to step right in and help. They are eager to have him back -- 'We'll make sure he fits in,' Hawkins said -- even though their playing time will be cut with Gordon on the field.
Dome teams usually have a large advantage in these kind of games. Is that true of Atlanta? Do the Browns have to worry about a dome-field advantage?
McClure: The Falcons are 2-1 at the Georgia Dome this season and had their highest-scoring outputs there, against Tampa Bay (56 points) and New Orleans (37). Two of the three times this season Matt Ryan has recorded a 100-plus passer rating have been at home. Devin Hester scored his only return touchdown against the Buccaneers at home, and most figured he would be rejuvenated playing inside a dome. And since Mike Smith took over in 2008, the Falcons are 38-14 (.731) at the Georgia Dome, which is the fifth-best home winning percentage over that span behind the Patriots (.887), Ravens (.811), Packers (.783) and Saints (.755).
But the Browns did win the last time they played at the Georgia Dome, 17-13 in 2006, thanks in large part to three Michael Vick turnovers. As long as Ryan and the Falcons avoid miscues, they should feel pretty comfortable at home come Sunday.
This week the Falcons will travel to the Dog Pound to try and get a road win against the lowly Browns. The Falcons head into this game as the favorite and probably have more talent at this time then the Browns do, at QB Matt Ryan seems to have gotten past his sophomore slump that plagued him last season and Roddy White is his main target whenever he drops back to pass, Michael Turner has also been effective running the football for the Falcons and on Defense they have looked much better than last year and currently rank 15th in the league in total defense. As for the Browns they have much bigger problems, outside of Peyton Hillis there isn’t much to get excited about. They have amongst the least amount of talent in the NFL, their defense isn’t very good and their offense isn’t much better, while they were able to upset the Bengals last week, they rank in the bottom half of the league in every statistical category. Game starts at 1:00 PM EST.
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The Falcons have all the tools necessary to become a dominant Offense, but all of it hinges on whether or not Matt Ryan is a true franchise QB. They have a good offensive line and a very good running back. The key to this game will be on Defense because if the Falcons can contain Peyton Hillis, something the Bengals struggled to do last week, the Falcons will have a great shot to win this game. While the Falcons are often very inconsistent especially on Defense, I attribute that to their youth. Dunta Robinson hasn’t really been great so far, but they are finding ways to win games and that’s the important thing. Assuming that Seneca Wallace gets the start for the Browns, the Falcons will have to be aware of the fact that he will take off and run if there is room. It is always tough to beat Cleveland in Cleveland, so there is a chance this game could be closer than many think.
The Browns have a tough a schedule and are lucky to have escaped with a win against the Bengals last week. However Peyton Hillis has been an absolute monster since taking over as the featured back in Cleveland. The problem is if you’re going to base your Offense around running the football like the Browns do, you have to be able to play Defense which the Browns have not been able to do. The injury to Delhomme could have affected the passing game and maybe if he plays this week, there is hope they could do a lot better. Cleveland is going to have to play a near perfect game to win this game, but the Falcons have been shooting themselves in the foot a lot of late, so if the Browns can minimize mistakes, run the football, hit a couple passes down the field, and play good Defense there is a chance they could pull off the upset.
Falcons vs Browns Spread, Line and Betting Odds:
Spread:
Atlanta Falcons -3 (-115)
@Cleveland Browns+3 (-105)
Game Total:
Over (-110)
41.5
Under (-110)
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Falcons vs Browns Prediction for Week 5 Betting:
Spread Prediction (Top Play): The problem for the Falcons is that they too often underperform and play down to the level of their competition, their last two games both wins have come down to field goals with no time left to win the game. Inconsistent play plagues this team and until they get that turned around it will be difficult for anybody to consider them a legitimate threat, even though they are capable of putting points up in bunches. The Browns are playing the role of spoiler and after last week showed they can pull off a close win beating the Bengals 23-20. I know the Browns are 1-0 ATS as a home underdog this season, while the Falcons are 1-1 ATS on the road. In a game that many people may think will be a blowout could be pretty close.
Game Total Prediction: As explosive as the Falcons Offense is they simply have not been performing the way they are capable and that really worries me. The Browns are fairly scrappy and will try to hang around in this game for a while. The Browns will try to run the ball and dominate time of possession, however this may prove to be a difficult task because the Falcons do have a pretty good Defense this year and I’m sure will have game planned to stop Hillis. On Defense the Browns Matt Roth has been pretty good and seems like he may be one of the Browns better defensive players in the league. The Falcons when firing on all cylinders would be able to cover the spread themselves, but they haven’t been this year. I think the Browns will give them a game especially at home and will put up enough points to hang around late.
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