Baker Mayfield, Browns look to hand Kyler Murray and Cardinals their first loss of the season

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CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Browns welcome the NFL’s lone unbeaten, the 5-0 Arizona Cardinals, to town for a showdown at FirstEnergy Stadium late Sunday afternoon.

Cleveland kicks off a three game homestand that will see them play all three games over a 15-day span.

The Cardinals will be without head coach Kliff Kingsbury, quarterbacks coach Cam Turner and defensive tackle Zach Allen following positive COVID-19 tests late in the week. Linebacker Chandler Jones was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday.

What to watch for – Former Oklahoma teammates Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray square off for the second time in the NFL. The two quarterbacks won the Heisman Trophy and were drafted No. 1 overall by their respective teams in back-to-back years. Mayfield is completing nearly 67% of his passes this season but he only has four touchdown passes and he’s been sacked 13 times while playing through a torn left labrum. Murray, who leads the NFL in multiple passing categories, is completing a blistering 75% of his passes and averaging over 300 yards and two touchdowns through the air per game this season for a Cardinals team that is averaging over 31 points per game.

With Browns running back Nick Chubb sidelined due to a calf injury suffered in the fourth quarter of last week’s loss in Los Angeles, Kareem Hunt will be called upon to carry the load out of the backfield. While Hunt’s 5.36 per carry average ranks eighth in the NFL, he leads the team with 17 catches and five touchdowns this season. His 444 combined yards from scrimmage are second on the team behind Chubb.

Receiver Jarvis Landry remains on IR and everyone is waiting for the Odell Beckham Jr. breakout game. Beckham caught 2 of 3 targets last week for 20 yards and has 9 catches for 124 years in three games since returning from ACL surgery.

The odds that the Browns will have either starting offensive tackle aren’t great. Left tackle Jedrick Wills is likely to miss his second straight game to a left ankle sprain that he originally suffered in Week 1 and tried to play through while Jack Conklin was unable to practice due to a knee injury this week. Blake Hance would likely get the call at left tackle and rookie James Hudson III on the right side.

The Browns defense got torched for 26 fourth quarter points in a 47-42 loss to the Chargers that saw them fail to hold the lead multiple times in the second half. The return of cornerbacks Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome will be welcomed for a unit that had multiple blown assignments in the secondary last week – two of which resulted in long touchdowns and ultimately were the difference on the scoreboard.

Myles Garrett, who leads the NFL with 7.0 sacks this season and has collected at least ½ sack in four of the Browns five games this season, made headlines with his QB graveyard on the front lawn of his suburban home this week. Although Murray, who has a faux headstone in the display, is an expert at eluding pressure, the Cardinals QB has gone down 10 times in five games.

Last week – Cardinals beat the 49ers 17-10, Browns lost to the Chargers 47-42

Last Time – December 15, 2019: Cardinals 38, Browns 24

Series – Cardinals lead 5-2

Rankings – Points: Cardinals 4 (31.4), Browns T-6 (28.4)

Yards: Cardinals 6 (413.2), Browns 5 (417.6)

Rushing: Cardinals 8 (128.0), Browns 1 (187.6)

Passing: Cardinals 7 (285.2), Browns 25 (230.0

Points allowed: Cardinals 6 (19.0), Browns 11 (22.8)

Yards allowed:  Cardinals 13 (353.4), Browns 4 (298.8)

Rushing yards allowed: Cardinals 28 (139.0), Browns 2 (75.6)

Passing yards allowed: Cardinals 8 (214.4), Browns 11 (223.2)

Turnover ratio: Cardinals T-3 (+5), Browns T-15 (0)

Projected starters for Browns – Offense: WR Odell Beckham Jr., LT Blake Hance, LG Joel Bitonio, C JC Tretter, RG Wyatt Teller, RT James Hudson III, TE Austin Hooper, WR Anthony Schwartz, QB Baker Mayfield, RB Kareem Hunt, FB Johnny Stanton IV

Defense: DE Myles Garrett, DT Malik Jackson, DT Malik McDowell, DE Jadeveon Clowney, WILL Malcolm Smith, MIKE Anthony Walker, SAM Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, CB Denzel Ward, CB Greg Newsome II, SS Ronnie Harrison Jr., FS John Johnson III

Injury report – OUT: RB Nick Chubb (calf), LB Malcolm Smith (abdomen); QUESTIONABLE: RT Jack Conklin (knee), DE Myles Garrett (knee, ankle), DE Jadeveon Clowney (elbow, knee), RB Kareem Hunt (wrist, knee), CB A.J. Green (shoulder, knee), DE Takkarist McKinley (ankle, knee), CB Greg Newsome II (calf), CB Denzel Ward (neck), LT Jedrick Wills Jr. (ankle), C J.C. Tretter (knee); EXPECTED TO PLAY: TE David Njoku (knee), DE Malik Jackson (knee), Malik McDowell (elbow, foot, neck), CB Greedy Williams (shoulder, knee), LB Elijah Lee (hip)

Uniforms – Brown jerseys, white pants

Broadcast – Radio: 92.3 The Fan, 98.5 WNCX and the University Hospitals Cleveland Browns radio network. TV: WJW Fox 8 (FOX)

Kickoff – 4:05 p.m. FirstEnergy Stadium – Cleveland, Ohio

Prediction – Browns 27, Cardinals 25

Our record – 4-1

Featured Image Photo Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images