Just over three weeks after trading Trent Richardson and "giving up" on their season, the Cleveland Browns find themselves tied for first place in the AFC North as they get ready to host their Doppelganger at the top of the NFC North, the Detroit Lions.But the guy who helped the Browns get there, suburban Cleveland native Brian Hoyer, is gone for the rest of the season after tearing his ACL early in the Browns' Week 5 win over the Buffalo Bills.That means previously deposed QB Brandon Weeden, who initially entered to a chorus of boos after replacing Hoyer before finishing 13-of-24 for 197 yards and a touchdown against the Bills, will return as the team's starter as the Browns search for a fourth consecutive win for the first time since 2009.Helping Weeden against Buffalo was Travis Benjamin, the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week, who returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown among his team record 179 punt-return yards, and WR Josh Gordon, who hauled in four receptions for 86 yards and a score.Willis McGahee added 72 yards on the ground and a touchdown on 26 rushes for Cleveland, which last began 3-2 in 2001 when the Browns fizzled out and finished 7-9.The Lions, meanwhile, lost their 23rd straight game in Wisconsin last week, a 22-9 setback to the Green Bay Packers.The Detroit offense sputtered much of the day thanks in large part to wide receiver Calvin Johnson's absence due to a knee injury. The All-Pro had been listed as questionable on the team's injury report after sitting out practice both Wednesday and Thursday of last week before participating in Friday's session on a limited basis.QB Matthew Stafford was 25-for-40 for 262 yards and a touchdown for the Lions, who were coming off wins against Washington and Chicago."It's a long season and you have to be able to persevere through a lot of ups and downs," said Detroit head coach Jim Schwartz. "We had a down today, and we'll bounce back from it just like we did after losing to Arizona."The Lions defense was a bright spot, holding the Packers to five field goals and allowing only one offensive touchdown.Detroit and Cleveland will be facing off for the 19th time with the Lions holding the all-time edge, 14-4, and a 5-3 record in Cleveland.Back in 2010, Stafford led the Lions to a come-from-behind 38-37 win over the Browns with one of the most remarkable performances by a rookie QB in NFL history. Stafford brought the Lions back from deficits three different times (21, 3 and 6 points) to either tie or take the lead.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.