Expect the Browns to take Johnny Manziel out of time out and insert him into the starting lineup for their game against the 49ers. Johnny Football gives them the best chance of winning and the fans, however many there may be, might actually stick around until the fourth quarter. The Niners feel good about their chances of getting consecutive wins for the first time all year against a team more dysfunctional than they are.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Cleveland Browns 0
San Francisco 49ers 0
Over/Under 40.5
ODDS ANALYSIS
Even the betting public likes Cleveland’s chances with Manziel, pushing the line to Browns -1 after the announcement. The line even spiked a half point to 41.
KEY INJURIES
Vance McDonald – The Niners lost their second tight end in as many weeks when McDonald left last game with a concussion. The team traded Vernon Davis earlier in the year and Garrett Celek injured his ankle two weeks ago. One-time sixth-stringer Blake Bell is in line to start Sunday.
Travis Benjamin – Was pulled from last week’s game with a shoulder injury and is questionable moving forward. Cleveland also lost Marlon Moore with injured ribs, severely hampering the Browns from moving the football with two receivers out of action.
Joel Bitonio – Was placed on injured reserve after wrecking his ankle last week. He had just returned to the lineup after missing two games with a different ankle injury. Cam Erving will take over at left guard.
KEY MISMATCH
If Blaine Gabbert failed last week against the Bears, the Niners would have been out of options at quarterback. They would have been forced to spend a first-round draft pick on a quarterback and play him right away. And we would have Alex Smith all over again. But Gabbert played well – not great – against Chicago. He didn’t turn the ball over and kept his team in the game until the very end. Then he took over; first with a beautiful 44-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to tie the game then with a perfect 71-yard game-winning touchdown pass in overtime. Now, the Niners are 2-2 with Gabbert at quarterback. He looks poised and confident in the pocket and the offense, though still failing to score a bundle of points and last in the NFL with slightly better than two touchdowns and PATs per game, is running more efficient. He’s put himself in a good position to be the team’s starter next season, so whichever quarterback the Niners draft will likely have time to develop in the team’s system. And that’s good news.
KEY STAT
14.8 – San Francisco’s league-low points per game. The 49ers fell below their average in regulation last week, but wound up surpassing the 20-point mark for the first time in six games with an overtime touchdown. The Browns are 31st in the NFL in scoring defense surrendering 28.9 points per game.
BETTING ANGLE
The pain of losing and the prospect of more change has the Browns on edge – and divided. A day after Cleveland’s worst loss in 10 years, coach Mike Pettine said a seven-game losing streak during a season spiraling downward quickly has frayed nerves in and around the team’s facility. Change is imminent, leaving players, coaches and executives uneasy. A blowout loss to the Bengals last week, which ended with the Browns’ stadium nearly empty, raised more questions about the franchise’s direction, and Pettine, who is just 2-15 in his last 17 games, said there’s not complete agreement on what should be done to fix things. The Browns will go back to Manziel at quarterback. Due to injuries and Manziel’s demotion, the Browns have already changed quarterbacks five times this season.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
It would be very easy to get down on the Browns right now with all the problems circulating around the franchise. Their defense has been horrible, surrendering 30 points or more in five straight games while losing seven in a row, and the offense has been just as bad. It looks like Pettine is taking Johnny Football out of time out and will let him run the show for the remainder of the season, considering he stays healthy and away from fraternities. And that’s probably not a bad thing. Manziel actually gives the Browns a better chance at winning now than Austin Davis or Josh McCown. His ability to scramble and improvise are traits both his predecessors just don’t have. Cleveland has no running game and injuries have depleted the receivers, so why not let Manziel take a few shots at running around. He gets his chance and the Browns respond in a big way behind him.
Cleveland 24, San Francisco 22
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